I have a modest shop and poor clients, they don't have the luxury ($) of "lets try this mic --lets try that mic" not to mention my mic locker will only allow so much of that. My board pre's are what we use.
It doesn't take long to set up a mic.
If you've done this a while you'll know about where the trim is gonna need to be
after hearing how loud the particular instrument is, a quick adjust while he's playing, have him smack you a hard one to make sure there's no peak lights
and it's dialed.
I''ve been a live guy for decades as well. Last six years, the typical 3 bands a night, so I need to have them ready in fifteen minutes (getting one band off, one band on and mic'ed, usually 6-8 mics for drums) (I quit the gig last month, and man am I happy to have my nights back
)
Meanwhile back at the studio--
My mic's are left on the stands with cables attached.
Sure I could screw around and take longer, but the band sounds like they are gonna sound, no matter how long I take.
Sure I've had a few sessions where we take a couple hours getting set-up, but only when they feel like that's what THEY want to do.
Normally things are mic'ed and patched in a half hour, I'll usually get the guitar and bass rigs mic'ed/di'ed while the drummer is setting up, but the mics for him are already to go, just need to be placed, I tend to do alot of stuff the same way, like
the drum room snake shows up (normalled) on the first 9 channels of the board.
I like to use my better DA on the drums so I leave them patched, and I have some templates made that correlate to these settings/patches.
I don't believe in having the guy give me 50 kick drum hits to E.Q. it.
maybe 5 or 10 to get in the ball park and see whats up, but he's gonna hit it way different when the band starts, and E.Q.ing individual instruments without the whole
band can lead you down the wrong road sometimes as well.
So I get 'em set-up fast, track a minute or so of everybody, make needed tweeks
adjust the headphones, get crackin'.
This is not about me, this is about them.
And I try to make it as fun and as good sounding with what they have, as it can be.
One hour of kick drum hits is a big mood killer if you ask me.
They feel good when we've only been at it two hours and we already have stuff tracked.
Majority of my work is young hard Rockers tracked live, with vocals and guitar solos
overdubbed later.
Every young band learns so much from having their cd to listen to for months.
Being quick and saving them money allows them to come back in a few months
and do another and learn some more, rinse/repeat.
I also find it kind of pretentious young bands that are not on any radar anywhere
going in to world class studios and spending thousands on a few songs, unless their pockets are really deep, and even then it smells wrong to me.
Providing the engineer is qualified, and the gear is not sub-par, they are going to sound like they sound, no matter where they go.
I'm sure it's a hoot goin' to big fancy studios, and spending lots of time doing it.
I bet it's also fun chartering a jet for yourself.
The question is; Can you afford it?
Thanks for asking