TASK 2: Preparation for Performances

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RODE NT2A

This microphone is a condenser microphone which is very diverse when recording instruments. It works great for guitar amps, bass amps, piano, acoustic instruments and vocals, being so versatile due to its large diaphragm. This microphone has a cardioid polar pattern making it great for recording directionally, an omni-directional polar pattern which is good for a room sound and a bi-directional polar pattern option which is great for recording 2 vocalists. When using this microphone, i used it for vocals, and it is important when recording vocals that you use a pop shield with this mic, otherwise it will record unnecessary noise within the room. It is important to remember that with any condenser microphone, you with have to phantom power it as it requires an external power source, and you can achieve this through logic by opening up your mixer with 'X' and pressing the button displaying 48v, which will send phantom power to the microphone, if this isn't done then the microphone will not pick up any sound.

RODE M5

The rode M5 microphone is also a condenser mic. This mic has a cardioid polar pattern which makes it very directional. This mic is good at recording drum overheads, acoustic instruments and pianos. Due to its small diaphragm it works really well when playing with other instruments in the room as it will pick up less of the sound from those other instruments. When I used this in the studio, I used it to record drum overheads. I found this better to record overheads with in comparison to the AKG C1000s, as due to its smaller diaphragm it picked up less sound from other instruments in the room, allowing more of the drums to be picked up, therefore not adding more volume to the other instruments being recorded through logic and making it easier to quickly mix.

SHURE SM57

The Shure SM57 is a dynamic microphone, this means it does not require phantom power as a condenser would and has low impedance, meaning it won't pick up very much sound from other instruments in the room and can handle louder sounds due to them needing a louder sound to pick up a signal. This mic has a very good cardioid polar pattern making it highly directional and great for recording snares and guitar amps. I have purely used this microphone as a snare mic. When micing up the snare with this mic it is important to have the mic set up very close to the snare as it will pick up some sound and detail and will pick up less sound from the hi-hat.

AKG D112

The AKG D112 is a dynamic microphone that specializes in recording kick drums and bass amps, this is due to its large diaphragm which allows it to pick up more detail, particularly from bassier instruments, ranging from 20-17000hz. This microphone has a cardioid polar pattern. When i have used this microphone, I have used it on a kick drum as it gets a really good quality of sound for lower frequencies, but also because bass amps typically have a DI (Direct Input) built into them, meaning you can plug the bass amp into the wall box and get a signal without a mic. When micing up the kick with this mic, the best way is to have the mic right in the kick drums port hole, as it captures a better sound. I have also recorded a guitar amp with this microphone and due to the amp having a high level of distortion and being tuned lower, it did pick up a lot of frequencies and was arguably better in that scenario compared to the AKG C3000.

AKG C3000

The AKG C3000 is a condenser microphone with a large diaphragm, making it particularly good when recording anything but mainly guitar amps as it picks up a wide range of frequencies and details, ranging from 20-20000hz, along with its cardioid polar pattern making it directional. When I've used this mic, I have used it exclusively on guitar amps, however this mic can be used for a wide variety of instruments and vocals. When micing up a guitar amp with this mic, it is important to have the mic close to the mesh of the amp. To add to this, choosing where you direct the mic to the speaker in an important choice, as placing it in the centre of the speaker gives you the most detail, however if you want more lower frequencies then placing it further away from the centre is best.

AKG C1000

The AKG C1000 is a condenser mic that specialises in working with drum overheads and acoustic instruments. This microphone has a cardioid polar pattern, making it very good when dealing with directional recording i.e. recording one thing in particular and interfering less with other instruments or picking up less sound from other instruments that may be in the room. When I have used this instrument, I used it for drum overheads and an acoustic piano. When recording drum overheads it is important to keep these microphones at a good distance, as due to it being a condenser mic it is very sensitive to sound, so keeping it at a distance to get a good balance is advised. When recording the piano, we directed 2 of these microphones within the body of the instrument, this allowed us to pick up a greater range of sound.

DI BOX

A DI box is an important piece of equipment when recording, allowing you to record an amplifier or electric piano without using a microphone. Bass amps usually come with these embedded as it tends to pick up the best range and gives you a high level of detail. When in the studio, I have used with on an electric keyboard, as it allows you to get a cleaner signal than recording it with a mic through an amp. I have also used this on a PA system, as it allowed multiple vocal tracks to be recorded through one input, while this isn't ideal it is great if you have a lot of band members come in to record live. You set it up by first plugging what you want to be DI'd into the box with a Jack cable, you then plug the DI box into the wall with an XLR (mic) cable and patch it through the interface. this also requires phantom power.

PATCHING

To get every signal from the live room into the control room, you must first ensure that everything being recorded is plugged into the wall ties (it is also advised to note down what each input is, as it will get confusing and if there are mics that need phantom power this is important), then you patch this from the live room into the audio interface (apogee element 88) using XLR cable ties and this will start to give you signal from the live rooms inputs into the DAW.

Another thing worth mentioning is that you can send a click or the mix of the track through headphones into the live room, this being great for drummers who want a click to keep in time. Under the first input in the wall ties there is a jack socket which you can plug headphones into which will run into the mixer, allowing what you are doing on the DAW to be heard by anyone wearing these headphones.

SOUND-CHECKING

The sound-checking process is a highly important part of the studio recording process. In this stage, you ensure that every track and instrument is being picked up in the most detail, this being done by adjusting the gain of each track so that you capture the most detail, whilst also making sure the peaks of the instrument don't clip. Another part of the sound check process is the pre-recording levelling, in which you set the volume of each track to make the song sound its best as a whole. This may be done so the engineers can hear the most important parts more, or it may be done so that the headphone wearer in the live room can have a better sense of how to play to fit the song, or maybe hear their part better than others.

COMMUNICATION

Being communicative is very important when working in a studio. When working with other engineers it is important to communicate ideas and what each of you need to do and separate roles and jobs between each other. Communication with the person being recorded is highly important, as if they are recording in the live room and you as the engineer are in the control room, they aren't able to visibly see any issues that may be happening, making it important to tell them what is happening so that they understand more what they need to do. Another reason this is important is because they may not know what they are wanted to do if you as the engineer aren't communicating with them.

STUDIO VIDEOS

Will Zach Riona Tom H Sound Checking.mp4

In this video, we are explaining how we have set up logic and assigned tracks, and also explaining how we had set up the element 88 audio interface prior to the band arriving.

Zach Riona Will Tom H Headphone problem fix.mp4

In this video, we are checking to see if the headphones are working, making sure it is patched to the mixer and that the mixer is on. Then, once having done this, we check that all the mics are picking up sound by Zach tapping each mic.

Will Tom H Zach Riona Logic Setup.mp4

In this video we are sound checking the band, we are seen adjusting the gain so that each track of the band is being heard, and also doing a quick mix prior to the recording.

Will Tom H Zach Riona Playback.mp4

In this video, we're seen doing a quick mix after recording and playing back the recording.

Will Zach Riona Tom H Post Recording Evaluation.mp4

In this video, we evaluate what we thought could have gone better and what went well, as well as the importance of being flexible with musicians and engineers when in a studio setting.

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