OneMic: The Imaginaries

Recording engineer John Cuniberti created the OneMic Series with four simple goals in mind. His project aimed at capturing a band in one take, without edits, and without overdubs while sounding as balanced as a conventional multi-track recording– all around a single AEA R88 stereo microphone.

OneMic (the minimalist recording series) presents The Imaginaries performing their song “Revival” around one stereo ribbon microphone at the historic Muscle Shoals Sound Studio in Sheffield, AL.

Watch The Imaginaries perform “Revival”

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About OneMic by John Cuniberti

OneMic – the minimalist recording series by John Cuniberti demonstrates that an entire band can be recorded with only one stereo microphone in one take. Each recording session is shot in 4k video on a Sony a7RII by filmmaker Nathaniel Kohfield. What makes this series so different from other live performance videos is that the artist is in complete control of his/her presentation. This means that the sound, balance, dynamics and stereo image is decided upon at the moment of creation, not in post-production. The artist (band) is responsible for the final product. There is no editing of the audio or video. It’s as honest as it can be including imperfections.

This organic presentation isn’t limited to “acoustic” music as seen with live classical and folk music. In this series veteran recording engineer John Cuniberti records bands with electric guitars and drums that would normally require a multi-mic, multi-track approach. This is not the first time this has been done but this technique was quickly forsaken soon after the multi-track tape recorder was invented and with it a loss of a level of musical intimacy. The OneMic series demonstrates the positive aspects of the minimalistic recording process of the 1930s but is captured on modern stereo recording equipment.