Kansas released their newest album, The Absence of Presence, Friday. One guitar (Richard Williams), and the Violin (David Ragsdale) were recorded through an axefx3. the other guitar (Zak Rizvi) was an ax8. I was in the studio everyday, when this was recorded last summer/fall, and incredibly proud to have been a part of this album. I did all of the fractal programming for the guitars and violin. 100% fractal. Not a single mic was used on any of these parts! This band has been around for over 45 years, and they aren't quitting anytime soon. They are an amazing group of people to work for!!!
Working in the studio was amazing. We had an Axefx3 sitting on the desk, in the mix room. We used the SPDIF `in/out straight in to a Protools rig. Rich recorded all of his parts standing / sitting right next to the mix console, listening and playing along to the rest of the tracks. Using the Axefx3 exclusively made it soooo much easier to dial in specific sounds, on the fly, as well as made it easier to communicate between engineer, producer, tech, and musician. He could play a part, we could discuss it, play it back, and decide if we were ready to move on, or do it again.
For the first time ever, instead of putting David Ragsdale (violin player) in an ISO room with a handful of different mics, he sat in the mix room, with his music stand and sheet music, and played live, straight into the Axefx3. Being in the mix room, instead of alone in an ISO booth took a ton of pressure off for him. It was easier for him to say, "I screwed up, do it again." It also made him more comfortable being there with all of us.
The last time we were in the studio, we used the Fractal, but there was also a lot of random amps, and ISO booths (mostly violin) used. This time around, we kept everything as close to our touring setup as possible. We even brought in our 18 inch drum riser, and used all of the drum mics we use out on the road! These studio sessions, were incredibly productive, which I believe can be heard in the album. For the band guys, we tried to keep the feel of a live gig, instead of the pressure of the studio world. I think it worked!
A little, background on me, I've worked for Kansas for 12 years. I've been the guitar/violin/bass tech for the last 7. I take care of all of the fractal programming for both guitar players, and the violin player (who also plays guitar). I was the tech that oversaw the transition from amps and pedals, to Fractals, for everyone.
I spend most of my time on the Facebook groups, so I don't think it will allow me to post a link to the album, but it is available for free streaming on YouTube, and Spotify, I believe.
