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Tag Archives: Scott Szeryk

Scott Szeryk’s “Celtic Rainbow,” Live at the Aeolian Hall

August 3, 2013 by Ryan Roullard

[This just in from Scott Szeryk!]

Hey PreSonus, I hope all is going well!!  We have just released out latest live video “Celtic Rainbow,” all recorded at the Aeolian Hall, in London Canada, June 8, 2012. on Studio One and the StudioLive 24.4.2.
Here is some insight as to how we recorded our show, “Live at the Aeolian Hall.”

We multi-tracked the entire show via the Studio Live 24.4.2 into Capture.  Great care was taken on ensure that the instrument sources all sounded top notch (drums, bass, guitar, keys) and appropriate mics and DIs were used to capture the sounds of the instruments.

Drum mics were as follows:

  • AKG D112—kick
  • Shure SM 57s—snare top and bottom
  • Shure KSM 32’s—toms
  • Shure KSM 137—hi-hat and ride
  • AKG 414s—overheads

For post-production (mixing and mastering) we used Studio One, and things were kept pretty simple as the performances and sounds were good at the source.  I’m not a “fix it in the mix” type of engineer, so the sounds have to be great to begin with. Also we didn’t use any drum samples whatsoever. The drums sounded great and basic EQing (cut some of the boxey mids) and slight compression (just a hint, 2:1 with slow attack to keep the bass response) were used on the drums, and that’s it. Guitars were plugged straight into the Fractal AXE FX2, bass and keys ran DI.  The XMAX preamps on the StudioLive are so good that it helped the mix come together pretty quick!

Guitar Manifesto can be purchased by clicking here.

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Scott Szeryk Performing Caprice No. 5 by Paganini.

January 24, 2013 by Ryan Roullard

Hope you had an awesome Christmas!

Here is our latest video.  Scott Szeryk performing Caprice No. 5 by Paganini.
Released on Christmas day and Recorded on the amazing Studio Live 24.4.2

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Scott Szeryk Opines on the StudioLive

November 25, 2012 by Ryan Roullard

[This just in from Scott Szeryk, composer, six-string virtuoso and Royal Conservatory of Music gradate!]

“Since switching over to the PreSonus StudioLive 24.4.2 Scott Szeryk has never sounded better in the studio or on the stage…  Szeryk’s latest release “Guitar Manifesto” is evidence of just how good the PreSonus Studio Live sounds!” Give it a listen!

Since the mid-90s, I had been using the Tascam M3500 as my main mixing desk for the home studio, but was becoming a bit weary of its compatibility with modern-day recording setups.   When I heard how great the XMAX preamps sounded on a StudioLive, I was instantly sold.  Not to mention the insane power and functionality of the board, especially for live FOH!  Changing over to the StudioLive 24.4.2was an easy, practical decision…The StudioLive not only shines in the studio but also in live applications!  We were able to do spot- on monitor checks, even before the band had arrived at the venue for sound check, by playing back program material from shows previously recorded in Capture. The integration of Universal Control also meant that the onstage players could also control their own monitor mix via iPad SL Remote.   There were a few times when we were able to Mix FOH on the iPad when there was a less-than-ideal location for the board at the venue. We rely heavily on the PreSonus StudioLive for recording all of our shows.  Check out the latest DVD “Scott Szeryk live at Aeolian Hall!”

 

I’m totally into big, awesome guitar sounds but my favorite instrument to record is drums. I love  capturing all aspects of the drum set with the right mics, and experimenting with their creative possibilities. When working with the whole kit, I’m adamant on new skins top and bottom and experimenting with different tunings—how the top head is tuned in relation to the bottom head in particular.
As a starting point, I also like to have the toms tuned in fourths. I have favorite mics for certain drums. An SM57 will always sound great on the snare top, and a nice condenser mic on the bottom to blend in some of the articulation. Shure KSM 32 or 44 on the Toms, and AKG 414 for overheads…   A good sounding room is a must and does make a huge difference in the way the drums sound…   I will also add in room mics to add some cushion and depth into the drum mix…   Like anything if the drums sound great in the room and the drummer is playing well you can get great results with basic micing, but not the other way around…  Using a photography analogy, if the talent is not looking good and the lighting is poor, you can have the greatest camera in the world and the results will be poor…
It’s not about having the best gear, it’s about a great performance and knowing your gear.  What I love about the PreSonus StudioLive is just how great the XMAX preamps sound. We actually did a comparison with some API and Neve preamps, and the difference was extremely minimal when the tracks were soloed. I use minimal compression on the snare and kick, just to even the attack out. I apply minimal EQ to remove some of the boxy frequencies inherent with kick drum and toms.  If the room sounds great I will not use reverb, so the drums are kept pretty simple.  It’s all up to the musicians to deliver a top notch performance. I’m not into samples. if the drums don’t sound good, it’s because they don’t sound good at the source, so we will change things up until the sounds are great, once again at the source.

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Scott Szeryk Live at Aeolian Hall w/ the StudioLive 24.4.2

November 14, 2012 by Ryan Roullard

 [this just in from Scott Szeryk!]

Hey PreSonus!

Check this out: We are in the process of a live DVD, “Scott Szeryk Live at Aeolian Hall,” from his Manifesto Tour from summer or 2012. This was recorded on the one and only StudioLive 24.4.2! Note the iPad on the mic stand, which was used for i- ear monitor mixing via SL-Remote. Totally awesome!

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