Scott Szeryk Opines on the StudioLive

Scott Szeryk Opines on the StudioLive November 25,2012

[This just in fromScott Szeryk, composer, six-string virtuoso and Royal Conservatory of Music gradate!]

Since switching over to the PreSonus StudioLive 24.4.2 Scott Szeryk has never sounded better in the studio or on the stage Szeryk's latest release Guitar Manifesto is evidence of just how good the PreSonus Studio Live sounds! Give it a listen!

Since the mid-90s, I had been using the Tascam M3500 as my main mixing desk for the home studio, but was becoming a bit weary of its compatibility with modern-day recording setups. When I heard how great the XMAX preamps sounded on a StudioLive, I was instantly sold. Not to mention the insane power and functionality of the board, especially for live FOH! Changing over to the StudioLive 24.4.2was an easy, practical decisionThe StudioLive not only shines in the studio but also in live applications! We were able to do spot- on monitor checks, even before the band had arrived at the venue for sound check, by playing back program material from shows previously recorded in Capture. The integration of Universal Control also meant that the onstage players could also control their own monitor mix via iPad SL Remote. There were a few times when we were able to Mix FOH on the iPad when there was a less-than-ideal location for the board at the venue. We rely heavily on the PreSonus StudioLivefor recording all of our shows. Check out the latest DVD Scott Szeryk live at Aeolian Hall!

I'm totally into big, awesome guitar sounds but myfavoriteinstrument to record is drums. I love capturing all aspects of the drum set with the right mics, and experimenting with their creative possibilities. When working with the whole kit, I'm adamant on new skins top and bottom and experimenting with different tuningshow the top head is tuned in relation to the bottom head in particular.

As a starting point, I also like to have the toms tuned in fourths. I havefavoritemics for certain drums. An SM57 will always sound great on the snare top, and a nice condenser mic on the bottom to blend in some of the articulation. Shure KSM 32 or 44 on the Toms, and AKG 414 for overheads A good sounding room is a must and does make a huge difference in the way the drums sound I will also add in room mics to add some cushion and depth into the drum mix Like anything if the drums sound great in the room and the drummer is playing well you can get great results with basic micing, but not the other way around Using a photography analogy, if the talent is not looking good and the lighting is poor, you can have the greatest camera in the world and the results will be poor

It's not about having the best gear, it's about a great performance and knowing your gear. What I love about the PreSonus StudioLiveis just how great the XMAX preamps sound. We actually did a comparison with some API and Neve preamps, and the difference was extremely minimal when the tracks were soloed. I use minimal compression on the snare and kick, just to even the attack out. I apply minimal EQ to remove some of the boxy frequencies inherent with kick drum and toms. If the room sounds great I will not use reverb, so the drums are kept pretty simple. It's all up to the musicians to deliver a top notch performance. I'm not into samples. if the drums don't sound good, it's because they don't sound good at the source, so we will change things up until the sounds are great, once again at the source.

www.szeryk.com

LINK:	http://www.presonus.com/community/blog/index.php/2012/11/25/scott-szer...
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