Since forming in 2002, Irish instrumental outfit God Is An Astronaut have developed a unique sound that incorporates ambient electronica, post‑rock guitars, cinematic soundscapes and captivating melodies. Asked about the origins of a favourite sound, God Is An Astronaut’s Torsten Kinsella details how he achieved the layered rhythm guitar tones on ‘Falling Leaves’, from their most recent album Embers.
“For the rhythm guitar sound on ‘Falling Leaves’, I used a 1969 Marshall Super Bass with a 1971 Orange 4x12 cabinet, featuring Heritage and Vintage 30 speakers in an X‑pattern. I used four microphones: a Sennheiser 421‑U, which I find less harsh than newer models, and two older Shure SM57s, the Unidyne III, which sound more melodic and sweeter than modern SM57s. Additionally, I used the Royer Labs 121 ribbon microphone to add weight.
“I placed the mics close together on the Celestion Heritage speaker to minimise phase issues. For the Celestion Vintage 30 speaker, I used another Unidyne III Shure SM57 and a Royer 121 ribbon mic. I recorded the sound with a vintage 1963 Fender Jaguar. I repeated the process with a Fender Jazzmaster, but used a 1974 Orange 4x12 cabinet and a 1973 Marshall Super Tremolo, with a different Sennheiser 421‑U and a Royer 122 instead of the Royer 121, while keeping the same SM57s.”
Torsten Kinsella: Each amp/cab recording — four channels each — had the Sound Radix Auto‑Align plug‑in inserted. Although the phase was good, this plug‑in optimised it further.
Perfect Phase
“Each amp/cab recording — four channels each — had the Sound Radix Auto‑Align plug‑in inserted. Although the phase was good, this plug‑in optimised it further, perfectly aligning the four mics, which I blended to create a cohesive guitar sound. I repeated the process with another guitar and panned both guitars hard left and right.
“When I mono’ed the full guitar mix, it lost some level compared to the stereo field. To fix this, I used a Hiwatt DR103 with a Hiwatt 4x12 cab with Fane speakers down the centre, using a Sennheiser 421‑U and a Unidyne III SM57 with another Fender Jazzmaster. I mixed the Hiwatt just loud enough to prevent an obvious volume decrease in mono, though it still felt lacking.
“I used another Sound Radix plug‑in called Pi to improve the phase relationships between the different amps, as they were slightly detracting from each other. I placed the Pi plug‑in at the end of each amp group in Pro Tools and assigned them to the same internal group in Pi. When I mono’ed it, the phase relationship was near perfect, resulting in a more coherent and full sound.
“I also considered how it would sound on smaller devices, using a Crane Song Phoenix II plug‑in with the Radiant setting to enhance the mid tone, giving it a fuller harmonic sound. The entire guitar mix went through a Chandler Curve Bender and the Chandler Zener Limiter, adding a touch of treble and mid, with the Zener Limiter adding colour and cohesion, which really finished the guitar sound.”