skhan-6069-listening-blog-2

[skhan-6069-listening-blog-2]

Microphone Techniques of Daft Punk's 'Get Lucky'

Daft Punk was a French electronic duo and it consisted of Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter. Their song 'Get Lucky' ft. Pharrell Williams & Nile Rodgers received critical acclaim and was a part of their 2013 album 'Random Access Memories' (RAM). Rodgers played the guitar, while Williams provided vocals for the track. Mick Guzauski mixed this record for Daft Punk. For the kick drum/bass in the song, four mics were used by the team. An AKG D112 dynamic microphone was likely used due to its high SPL capabilities and its large diaphragm, which has a low resonance frequency. A Sony C500 was used due to its high SPL. A Yamaha NS-10 Subkick was also used for a little tone. A Neumann U 47 FET was also used most likely for its fast transient response, which is suitable for drums. The claps heard in 'Get Lucky' were recorded live with four people and with a Neumann U67 and a Neumann U87, which were both placed about 8 feet away. These mics were most likely used due to their high sound quality and high SPL. Mixer Mick Guzauski shared his insights on recording RAM and spoke about the different mixing techniques he incorporated into the album. The bass was compressed with a Teletronix LA2A Classic Leveling Amplifier. This certain compressor may have been used as it allows gain reduction without an increase in harmonic distortion.

References:

Tingen, P 2013, Recording Random Access Memories | Daft Punk, Sound on Sound, viewed 16 July 2021, <https://www.soundonsound.com/people/recording-random-access-memories-daft-punk>

Comerchero, D 2013, How Mick Guzauski Mixed Daft Punk, Pro Audio Files, viewed 16 July 2021, <https://theproaudiofiles.com/daft-punk-mixing/>

Get Lucky by Daft Punk - Songfacts n.d., Songfacts, viewed 16 July 2021, <https://www.songfacts.com/facts/daft-punk/get-lucky>