Live recording from studio sessions or rehearsals

By Piotr Makaruk
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How it is usually done - studio session recording ...
These days music production is faster than ever. Through years recording process has been moving from analogue to digital domain. As the answer to this shift quite a big spectrum of available DAW software appears. They offer a rich amount of tools for track editing and music arrangements. It is a great progress in music editing. Musicians are allowed to rework their technical skills using advanced software, to correct their mistakes, play with amount of quantization or rearrange a whole song with different groove. The methodology of music recording has changed and this advanced software treatments applied to sound are becoming standard procedure. Technology is blissful and allows amateurs as well as professionals creating great music pieces on their computers. This form of music creation could be perceived as a rather conceptually-oriented, because production process highly contributes to the final sound.
 
How it was done - live studio session recording ...
Some great albums such as the first album of The Beatles and Led Zeppelin debut were recorded during a live studio session. Musicians used to play song together and recorded songs simultaneously. These records are familiar from the fact, that they were mixed and mastered incredibly fast within tens of hours immediately after recording. For example Led Zeppelin I album was characterized by unforgettable and unique dose of expression, with interesting natural balanced room ambiance, although final record contains some crosstalks and notable leakages on the vocals recordings. However, all these imperfections were admitted to had been done intentionally by the authors. Experimental setups of microphones were highly contributing to the phenomenal sound. Maybe live sessions recording approach is worth to reconsider once again in light of new promising technology? Is it always worth to record each track separately?
 
Coming back to live studio session recording with the new technology...
ZYLIA Portable Recording Studio comes with a new approach dedicated for music recording. It allows casual users for live studio recording in easier way than it was ever done before. This single recording device offers studio capabilities with no necessity of applying excessive recording equipment. Multiple microphones setup and reflection filters are substituted with a single device. Up till now live studio session recording approach required well equipped studio or rehearsal room with an acoustic adaptation. Often musicians were partially separated from each other losing their emotional connection.
The advantage of proposed solution is ease of use. ZYLIA is connected via USB cable to your laptop and does not require additional power supply. Moreover advanced technology inside of ZYLIA helps to save some space in a rehearsal room and offers a big freedom in instruments setup.
By putting it in the middle of music scene, ZYLIA offers more spatial freedom in a rehearsal room setup making it a quite natural and comfortable for musicians. After initial recording is made, in order to localize each of the sources correctly in space, live studio session can be performed. After recording and processing a significantly enhanced sound of each instrument could be mixed in your favorite DAW software with additional effects applied.
 
Moreover, it handles well acoustic imperfections present in a rehearsal room.
The huge advantage of such solution is mobility. Musicians can take ZYLIA in an inspiring place and create music outside of the studio environment recording not only their music but also surrounding world. Why not to take several ZYLIA devices and experiment a little bit with several setups during the same record live session like it was done during Led Zeppelin album?

Exemplary scenario 1 
​– ZYLIA Portable Recording Studio – multiple instruments, single device (standard approach)

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Exemplary scenario 2 
​– ZYLIA Portable Recording Studio – multiple instruments, multiple devices (more experimental approach)

Advanced technology in ZM-1 would allow to record rehearsals and highlight each instrument mapping it on audio clip like if they were recorded separately. When the most important thing is already done and song is recorded, a quick editing will be required before presenting a song further to wider audience.
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Conclusions ...
​Finally, I would recommend this device to every musician who is looking for new ways of musical expression, bands who feel more comfortable during a live recording as well as artists who discover sounds through experimental approach. Classical and timeless albums prove that a real eye-to-eye contact between band members during recording creates something which could not be repeated in track by track recording approach. Thanks to ZYLIA device a live studio session recording would be much easier than it has ever been before. It opens a new field for people who would like to experiment with sound and music.