Composer, producer and songwriter Ryan Walker discusses how he uses the Bluebird and enCORE 100 - 

Ryan Walker is a 29 year old, Southern California based composer, songwriter, producer, self-taught guitarist, bassist, drummer, keyboardist, percussionist singer and more. Ryan has had the privilege of producing, writing and recording songs for various artists; as well as playing in several bands including the pop group Boomkat, featuring singer/actress Taryn Manning and his own band Dreamers.

The most recent experiment took him to the SXSW music festival on the AOL Lifestream tour bus, where he was recording and interviewing some of the hottest new sounds from an eclectic group of up and coming artists with the Bluebird and the enCORE 100:

1. Which mic do you use  and why?

Bluebird – I picked the Bluebird for my SXSW AOL Lifestream tour bus recordings because I knew I would be working with so many different artists throughout the day. It was important for me to be prepared for anything from vocals, acoustic guitars, horns, stand up bass guitars, xylophones, percussion, to homemade kick drums made from traveling luggage. The Bluebird has proven to be extremely universal when it comes to capturing different instruments so I knew I couldn’t go wrong with it.

My second choice was the enCORE 100 -

Although the Bluebird was handling most of my tracking and since I was only using two inputs when recording, I felt that the enCORE 100 was the best compliment for my situation. For larger bands with multiple back up singers and lead acoustic guitars, I felt that the enCORE 100 was a better fit for this versus the enCORE 100i instrument microphone, which is a great mic, but not right for this situation. I needed a more versatile microphone, and ready to handle any surprises that may occur and the enCORE 100 was my perfect “right hand man” for the Bluebird.

2. In what ways are you using the mics to get the best sound for your purpose?

Because I was recording on a tour bus, I had most of the bands sit together on one couch. I placed the lead singer (most of the time also the rhythm guitarist) in the middle, the lead guitar and back up vocals to the right of him and the percussionist and other higher frequency sounds to the left of the lead singer. I placed the Bluebird microphone about a foot away from the lead vocalist down at about a 75 degree angle and slightly to right putting most of the focus from the front of the mic on the lead and back up guitars and vocals.

Shakers, tambo’s and xylophones put out such high frequencies, having that off to the left and away from the mic ultimately helped me mix naturally without me having to adjust any frequency levels or having to roll off any highs once I was back mixing in the box (logic pro).

On a side note, I was extremely shocked on how great the Bluebird picked up low notes and/or bass tones. Other than it picking up the generator from the bus, it kicked butt on picking up the bass on the Djembe drum. An average drummer who came on the bus was used to playing on full drum kits, so when they played the Djembe, drummers would hit the middle of the drum to accent the sound of a “kick drum” and the outside to accent the sounds of a “hit hat” and “snare hits”. The drum was resting on the carpet of the bus so I took a piece of 2×2 marble stone board and placed that under the Djembe to really pick up those low notes and make them shine in the mix. Even though the Bluebird was over 5ft away, I was amazed at how great it was able to pick up the low “kick” sound. After the performance I put my hand over the subwoofer and you can really feel the bass of each hit.

Once I had the band in place and the Bluebird up, I had the band do a quick sound check while I went under the headphones and moved the mic around finding that sweet spot in the room. At that point, it was all up to the Bluebird which captured over 45 bands within seven days with crystal clear sound.

3. What is your best advice to other artists using this mic?

The Bluebird is a very powerful microphone. It is hands down the best microphone you will find at it’s price. Especially if you are looking for a universal microphone to handle all of your recording needs.

4.  What other gear are you using to record?

My mobile studio that I brought out to SXSW and used on the AOL Lifestream bus includes a very basic set-up:

Macbook, Logic Pro, Apogee Duet, M-Audio Midi Keyboard, Alesis Monitors,  Dr. Dre Headphones by Monster and Gibson guitars and of course the Bluebird and enCORE 100 by Blue Microphones.

About Ryan Walker:

By age 10, Ryan started composing songs and teaching himself the fundamentals of music in his hometown of Vista, California. His musical accomplishments rest on a foundation built from long-term work and dedication to artistic integrity. Recently he made a deal with himself to write and record at least one song a day. This kind of vision and focus has generated a portfolio of over 2000 songs. When Ryan is not at home working on his own collection, he is working with other musicians and producers using any one of his multifaceted talents.

Check out Ryan’s latest projects – Boomkat and Dreamers

Dreamers with Ryan Walker

Boomkat with Ryan Walker