-
Song and Style (4:00)
-
Instrumentation and Musician (6:14)
-
The Recording Space (1:20)
-
Band Setup (2:08)
-
Musician Interaction (3:51)
-
Drums (3:17)
-
Bass (3:38)
-
Piano (5:05)
-
Guitars (4:40)
-
Organs (1:28)
-
Saxophone (4:34)
-
Brass (3:33)
-
Strings (2:48)
-
Percussion (2:06)
-
Interaction with Producer (2:04)
-
First Playback with the Room (2:59)
The first—and only—recording engineer to have his Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame®, Al Schmitt has for decades been recording, producing, and engineering music for the greatest talents our industry has to offer. Looking for a world-class Master class? Al Schmitt on Using Microphones is your chance to work alongside this legendary engineer and producer!
In Al Schmitt on Using Microphones, you’ll join Al in the studio as he walks you through his miking process, helps you select proper equipment, and guides you to capture only the best sounds. You’ll learn to consider variables such as song style, instrumentation, and the recording space itself when selecting and placing a microphone; you’ll also watch Al demonstrate his favorite techniques and setups for a number of instruments including drums, bass, piano, guitars (both acoustic and electric), organs, and horns as played across many genres of music.
Beyond equipment and tactics, Al draws on stories from his illustrious career as he explains the importance of skillfully interacting with musicians. He highlights the importance of catering to an artist’s vision and preferences in order to create a session that is both comfortable and effective for all involved.
As though this material weren’t enough, ASoM also features an exclusive interview with its creator conducted by none other than Ed Cherney, his fellow METAlliance® producer and engineer extraordinaire. There’s never been an easier way to advance years in a matter of hours than with Al Schmitt on Using Microphones!
Why Users Choose Us
There are many things our users love about Groove3, but a couple always stand out at the top when asked why people choose us as their learning resource.
Quality Content
We meticulously craft professional quality tutorials that are thoughtful, informative and done with attention to detail. We stand behind our products with a 100% satisfaction guarantee and are trusted by 1000s of users every day.
Save Time & Money
Our library brings over 1500 hours of quality instruction to you fingertips and we release new content every week. Don't waste your valuable time scouring the web for information you may never find or is cumbersome to use and potentially can't be trusted.
Reviews
Submitted 3 weeks ago
Learn from the best teachers
Al Schmit recorded many masterpieces that qualifies him to teach : often with budgetary pressures we defer to less expensive mic acquisitions : ilike the teaching and attention to concept and details.
I am a: Hobbyist, Semi-Pro, Musician, Producer, Audio Engineer, Pro Tools
Submitted 3 months ago
Worth it
It was great to get some first-hand info from Mr. Schmitt about his mic choices, mic placement, the reasons for those, and his general m.o. Especially important was getting everybody back into the control room to listen after the first pass, in order to make adjustments. An important step that may easily get overlooked by many producers. Also, his emphasis on making sure the people being recorded were as comfortable as possible, in order to get the best performance. Definitely worth the investment - I'll check back on one chapter or another from time to time............
I am a: Professional, Musician, Producer, Audio Engineer, Pro Tools
Submitted 4 months ago
Good
I've got the other Al Schmitt's 'Recording a big band video' from Groove3. With that I feel that I haven't got much more extra information.. There was any extra footage, so I confess that I was expecting more...
I am a: Beginner, Semi-Pro, Professional, Producer, Audio Engineer, Pro Tools
Submitted 8 months ago
Very open answers.
Supported some choices I was already making and provided a large number of approaches that I had not yet tried.
I am a: Professional, Audio Engineer, Ableton Live, Logic Pro, Pro Tools, Reason, Studio One
Submitted 9 months ago
Enjoyed very much
I really enjoyed hearing Al talk and blew through the whole course very quickly. Not giving five stars because I would have really liked to see him actually in action in the studio talking you through his mic placements as he did them. Then again, people should take note that this isn't a complete course on using mics - it's just an insight into Al Schmitt's feelings on the subject. Still, highly interesting.
Submitted 9 months ago
A Legend Reveals All!
Very easy to follow, no BS session with two great engineers. If you ever wondered where to place a microphone on a trombone player (seated or standing) here it is. Thanks Groove 3!
I am a: Professional, Audio Engineer, Sound for Film/TV, Reaper, Studio One
Submitted 9 months ago
Yoda
You only have to listen to one of Al's records to know he's not just andexpert but definitive in the world of recording arts. Big score for Groove3 having such a great talent as an author.
Submitted 9 months ago
Not what it looks like
When I saw the price of this "course", I thought it was too good to be true... and unfortunately I was right. The images mislead to think it's a in depth, kind of "fly on the wall" course about microphone use with the great Al Shmitt, but it's nothing more than a bunch of short interviews probably taken during the shoot out of the big band orchestra recordings. it should be given free to anyone who bought that course.
I am a: Semi-Pro, Musician, Producer, Audio Engineer, Logic Pro, Pro Tools
Response from Customer Service:
Thank you for taking the time to leave a review on our site. We truly appreciate that.
I am very sorry you didn’t like our METAlliance tutorial featuring the interviews of Al Schmitt. As the title suggest, this tutorial has Ed Cherney interviewing Al about using microphones in different situations with different instruments (including vocals). We feel these interviews are invaluable and hope you take the time to finish watching all of them to get the big picture of the way Al operates. And in his own words.
We plan on more interviews with Al on various studio techniques and we hope you check those out as well when they are released!
Submitted 9 months ago
Historical
Oh My God! The great Al Schmitt describing how he does what he does from his perspective. Thank God he's so patient with being interviewed and so open, direct and amazingly clear. This course adds to other interviews of this great man thankfully preserving some of his practices for posterity. Good job Groove3!
I am a: Student, Musician, Audio Engineer, Pro Tools
Submitted 9 months ago
Al Schmitt has been doing it a long time and has a wealth of experience.
This is a great video series from a master of audio recording. One of the great ones, he has done hundreds if not thousands and if you check out the artists he has done, the albums that he was on absolutely stand out and one of the reasons is that he still knows that the performance is the star, not the equipment. A lot of young engineers/producers would do well to remember that.
I am a: Professional, Musician, Audio Engineer, Logic Pro, Pro Tools, Studio One
Schmitt loves producing and engineering and has been privileged to work with the best and the brightest in the recording industry, including Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Usher and Dr. Dre, to name a few. During his career, he has recorded and mixed over 150 gold and platinum records and has gone on to receive a total of 20 GRAMMY® wins and 2 Latin GRAMMY® awards for engineering albums by such artists as Steely Dan, Toto, Natalie Cole, Quincy Jones, Diana Krall, Luis Miguel, Ray Charles, Chick Corea, DeeDee Bridgewater, and, finally, Paul McCartney in 2013 (his most recent GRAMMY® win).
Products by Al
-
tutorial videoAl Schmitt on Using Microphones
The first—and only—recording engineer to have his Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame®, Al Schmitt has for decades been recording, producing, and engineering music for the greatest talents our industry has to offer. Looking for a world-class Master class? Al Schmitt on Using Microphones is your chance to work alongside this legendary engineer and producer!
-
tutorial videoThe Art of Recording a Big Band
The Art of Recording a Big Band was filmed at the famed Capitol Studios in Hollywood, California, USA, over two days during a recording session by Al Schmitt featuring Chris Walden's GRAMMY® Award-nominated eighteen-piece jazz big band. The film focuses on the legendary Al Schmitt, the most celebrated music engineer, producer, and mixer of all time, and winner of twenty-one GRAMMY® Awards. His most recent GRAMMY® came in 2012 for Paul McCartney's "Kisses on the Bottom."
You might be also interested in
This series is designed for those who are new to using microphone pre-amps and want to know about all the common features and controls found on mic pres, as well as how to set them up. It also touches on how the components and circuit design varies between units, and gives some sonic examples between an inexpensive “all-in-one” mic pre / audio interface and more expensive stand alone mic pres.
Studio professional Dave Askew breaks down the things you need to know for a solid foundational understanding of room acoustics, and how to set up your studio for better sound and mixes!
The All-Access Pass gives you just that, instant online access to every single video tutorial currently on the site and any ones that get added during your membership.
Welcome to Recording Vocals with Dave Pensado, a full, in-depth course that provides viewers everything they need to know to take their vocals to the next level.
A great sound starts with a quality signal chain. In this first installment of the Foundation Series, you will learn the basics of audio starting with the source, and then moving step by step down the line to the finished product.
Producer of the stars Tony Shepperd has worked with Whitney Houston, Madonna, Quincy Jones, Diana Ross, Lionel Richie, Kenny Loggins, Boyz II Men and many, many more. In his first series, Tony reveals his personal theories and practices for recording a rock band and mixing the track... Get on board!
Want to get professional sounding results when recording vocals? This collection of video tutorials by multi-platinum engineer and producer Kenny Gioia takes you through his process for setting up and recording, editing, tuning, EQ'ing, compressing and mixing vocals. Watch as Kenny takes you step by step, from mic selection and placement, all the way through mixing, and get a truly professional result.
In this video tutorial series, SD3 guru Luke Oswald shows you how to recreate some of the most iconic drum sounds in recorded drumming history! See how to make the sounds of some of the biggest names in drumming, all using the stock sound library in Superior Drummer 3!
Studio production wiz Larry Holcombe delivers an in-depth guide to Output's new cloud based virtual instrument, Arcade! Learn all about its features and controls, as well as how to get creative with it.
Presonus guru Marcus Huyskens delivers an in-depth video tutorial series designed for the new Studio One v4 user! Go from zero to hero in no-time, and learn all the important foundations and basics of the new Presonus Studio One DAW. Your new favorite DAW awaits!