Risen - The 4-Track Sessions

While reviewing old recordings from the Wayback Machine, I found these tracks from my high school band. After getting my first 4-track cassette recorder in 1994 (which I still have and works), we recorded countless sessions over the next two years, with the last one being Christmas 1996. This is the best of the 13 recordings we made.

The Recording Process


The recording process involved cutting each instrument’s tracks individually, a common technique in music production. We started with the drums, then moved on to the bass, guitar, and finally, the vocals. The next day, with rested ears, I would mix down the tracks.

To capture the drums, we rented a high-quality PA system equipped with studio-grade drum microphones. We then compressed the entire drum kit into a single mono track, rather than a stereo track. This was crucial because we only had four tracks available, and we were working before the advent of digital technology. The media used was analog cassette tapes.

After recording the drums, I would proceed to cut the bass tracks. Using an Ampeg combo with a 15-inch speaker and two remaining tracks (three total), I would mic up the center of the speaker cone with an SM57 microphone and the edge of the cone with a kick drum mic angled at 45 degrees. Each microphone was assigned to its own track.

With the drums on track 3, the bass was split between tracks 1 and 2, leaving track 4 completely free. I would then balance the two bass sounds and blend them with the drum track to achieve the perfect rhythm section. Finally, I would bounce the tracks together, mixing them into a single mono track on track 4. This left tracks 1, 2, and 3 free for guitar work and vocals. 
That was the basic plan for every song; however, we would deviate from it depending on the song’s requirements. For the rhythm guitar, all the songs have a single rhythm recorded on a mono track. In some songs, like “BlueBeer,” it’s quite evident. But in tracks like “Teresa” and “Need,” it sounds thicker, more comprehensive, and like it has more than one guitar.

For recording the guitar tracks, I used one microphone (SM57) directly on the speaker, pointing straight at it, just within three inches. I also used two microphones (SM58) three yards back from the speaker and one SM58 focused directly on the wall for reflection. I recorded one guitar track with four microphones strategically placed to capture loud and squashed sounds, all of which were then combined into a single mono track.

Mixdown Process

During the mix-down, I would take all that chaos and pan it hard left. Then, I added a BOSS delay pedal, which created a millisecond delayed copy of the guitar on the right in real time. This gave the illusion of two guitars or at least a full stereo spread.

At the beginning of the three-year project, I had no knowledge of compressors, except for what I learned later in 1997. The discernible differences in the vocal tracks are evident. I had to have Daniel stand a considerable distance away from the microphones to avoid distortion. I controlled the fader as he cut the track, acting as a real-time human attenuator.

There are three songs in the collection that have balanced vocals, and they were recorded during my first winter break from Berklee, when my engineering knowledge grew. “Mr. Coaster,” “Jaded,” and “Purple” are those three tracks. The last ones we recorded were also done during that break.

Remastering 23 Years Later

For the remastering process, I used iZotope RX 10 & Ozone Pro 10 from the original DAT tapes used in 2002 for CD mastering. The 2022 mastering was for streaming specifically. I still have the original 4 track recorder and the original session tapes. I could remix them but maybe another time. But more than likely not. I like how they are preserved for the time and technology used to record. So enjoy them; I don’t think there will be another revisiting of them again.

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