Day #17

Instead of recording in the studio like bands usually do, Jim recorded a mariachi band at a church. It was a completely different experience for me, but I thought it was so incredible! Even before arriving on the location, Jim, Joe, and Chase had to pack things they needed from the studio into their car to bring to the church. They packed microphone stands, chords, a laptop that has the recording programs on it, and headphones. First, everything was taken out and set up. I got to set up microphone stands and plug in the chords that connected them to the computer. Jim and Joe set up the laptop and made sure the microphones set up in front of them corresponded to the placement on the computer. There were specific placements for all of the microphones. They had to be positioned in a way that would be best to hear the sound of the specific instrument. Each section of instruments either had their own microphone or a shared one. For example, the violins in the band shared a pair of microphones, while the three types of guitars each had their own. It was so interesting to see them warm up and practice! They were an extremely talented band. Sometimes one person sang lead vocals, and sometimes they would all sing together. There were about ten people in the band altogether. While they readied themselves, Jim was doing a sound check. I stood at one microphone and said “check, 1, 2, 3, 4” over and over until he was satisfied with the sound levels. I wondered if they had to be the same for each microphone. Jim also set up two microphones toward the back of the room. The band wanted to record here in the first place because they like the sound they hear when they play in the church. It was such an exciting thing for me to see! I loved every part of that experience!