Mario Caldato on recording

Sometimes mistakes can sound really good. Instead of putting the mics where everyone else puts it, put it somewhere else and face it in the wrong direction, run it through something and see what it does. Start hitting buttons, you might surprise yourself. Shit, run it through Tapco EQs, run it through some garbage. Run it through some Radio Shack stuff, just be open. There's no rules, nobody says you have to do this or that. You know what? You got a Yamaha compressor? You got an Alesis? They all sound good, they're all different. Don't be afraid. Try dumb stuff, put the mic in the refrigerator, put it in the closet - try weird spots. If you're gonna do drums, set up your usual mics, kick, snare, overheads. Then tack one on the wall or facing the other way, go as far as you can in the room, try to get some depth on it. Open up the door and put it in the next room. Put it outside, get some ambience. We set up a mic and I did vocals in a tree on a still night, and it sounded great. We were pullin' in some helicopters - they came in at just the right time in the song. The little bugs and birds and bees added so much life and texture to the song. It was really amazing.