Al Schmitt: Using Microphones

Dog is man’s best friend - unless you’re in a recording session. Then it’s the musician in the room. Here, Al shares how the instrumentation and different musicians influence the kinds of mic choices he makes.

Each physical environment offers unique opportunities and challenges. Here, Al reveals his thought process for choosing the right recording space.

Teamwork is critical. And setting up the right team - or band - is essential. Here, Al discusses setting up the band from working with producers and musicians.

Make the musician in the room happy and you’ll be happy. Here, Al reviews how he prepares the cue mix for his sessions.

Cue the drum roll. Here, Al demonstrates for you how he mics drums.

Al’s favorite instrument to record? The upright bass. Here, shows you how he mikes upright basses and guitars.

Listening. It’s vital for relationships and producing music. Here, Al shares his process for miking pianos.

Six strings, a rich warm sound, and an iconic sound that captivated generations. Here, Al shows you his miking technique for acoustic and electric guitars.

First, pianos, now organs. Here, Al reviews how he mikes organs and Leslie speakers.

Here, Al discusses how he mikes various reed instruments such as the saxophone, clarinet, and oboe.

What do big bands and orchestras have in common? The brass section. Here, Al demonstrates for you how he mikes brass sections as well as the different kinds of setups.

Collaboration with the arranger and conductor leads to smooth sailing (and sounding). Here, Al offers his process for strings and his thoughts on the importance of teamwork.

Percussion can be a shake, rattle, bell. Here, Al shares his miking process for percussion.

The producer’s job is to see a project through from ideation to implementation (which includes the creative and business sides). Here, Al tells you about working with the producer and how it impacts what he does in the studio.

The first playback provides a point of direction for a project. Here, Al offers what he does and how he works with the artist during that first playback.