The ability to hide the variety of mics proved essential during the album and video recording, which had an audience of about 70 people, to add to the live feeling. “When you’re capturing a crowd, you don’t want the video to just have a bunch of mic stands and cables,” explains King. “Being able to hide the microphones contributed so much to the energy and vibe of the environment while we were recording. It didn’t feel so much like a traditional studio recording, it felt like an experience.”
King says that using the
4099s on drums was helpful because they were able to obscure the mics and cables cleanly and eliminated the need for mic stands. The 4099s were equally as effective with the piano, where the mics were hidden inside and the cable was run along the side, giving the illusion of it being completely acoustic.
As for the barn where they recorded, King installed
4006As to the outer edge of a second-floor loft space overlooking the large, rectangular main room. “Those mics helped us attain a different, more even sound in the space,” he continues. “Being able to get the room a little more balanced was amazing. I love the capsule that comes on the 4006A; it gives a flatter response, which is really nice. Having the tight polar pattern and pickup of the DPA mics saved this project. Had we been using anything else, there would have been so much bleed. We would have had to overdub everything. Instead, we just sent the whole project to mix.”
It was while working on a radio edit of one song that King discovered the true benefits of the mics on the end project. “I was just isolating the drums and vocals, and there was almost no bleed. The amount of isolation we were able to achieve just by placing everybody correctly and using those microphones really made it all possible.”
Best known for their 2016 album Beautiful Surrender, which peaked on The Billboard 200 at No. 54, Christian Albums at No. 1 and Canadian Albums at No. 67, Jonathan and Melissa Helser have been recording together since 2013. Their new live album, The Land I’m Livin’ In is available on all major streaming platforms, including Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon Music, YouTube and Pandora.
Creak Music was founded by Brad King, David Leonard and Seth Talley. The team has worked with worship artists such as NeedToBreathe, Baldwin, Brandon Lake, Maverick City, Brandon Heath and Cody Carnes, among others. The trio also produced their own instrumental cover music album commissioned by Integrity Music.