#11: Recording and Arranging Strings In a Mix | With Special Guest Harley Eblen

Stokes Sound

Podcast Summary

In this episode, we bring you Harley Eblen, Cellist and String Arranger, to talk about recording and arranging strings.

Through his musical genius, Harley Eblen brings artists’ visions to life with his cello and string arranging, with a focus on Pop, Indie, and Folk music.

Today, you’ll hear about Harley’s setup, tuning the strings, his process when working with artists and producers, his mic recording setup, some go-to’s, manual vs automatic quantizing, using live vs programmed strings, and using reverb.

Episode Timestamps

• [00:30] About Harley.
• [01:13] Harley’s recording setup.
• [02:47] Tuning strings.
• [05:08] Working with artists and producers.
• [07:20] The mic setup.
• [14:20] Harley’s go-to’s.
• [20:23] Quantizing takes.
• [22:11] Automating timing.
• [23:02] Recording left and right.
• [26:39] Programmed vs real strings.
• [30:40] Changing the arrangement between choruses.
• [34:01] Mixing the strings.
• [37:33] Working with mixing engineers.
• [47:06] With or without reverb?
• [53:22] Harley’s three things he wishes he knew earlier.

Notable Quotes

• “It’s about the vibe of the take more than the intonation.”
• “It’s just about knowing what you’re doing and being professional in every stage of the development of the track.”
• “I feel strongly about serving the song.”
• “You can’t do it alone.”

Connect with Harley

Website:harleyeblen.com.

Spotify:Harley Eblen.

TikTok:@harleyeblen.

Instagram:@harleyeblen.

YouTube:Harley Eblen.

Support the show