Music Technician
Microphones and their uses :
Condenser:
These microphones are used for mostly acoustic instruments such as Guitar and vocals .This microphone pics up high frequencies and requires a power source such as batteries or external source.The resulting audio signal is stronger signal then from an dynamic microphone.Condensers are more sensitive and responses compared to an dynamic microphone but condensers are not good for high level recording because of being so sensitive leading to a high level of distortion and over dubbed recording making the quality poor.
These microphones are used for mostly acoustic instruments such as Guitar and vocals .This microphone pics up high frequencies and requires a power source such as batteries or external source.The resulting audio signal is stronger signal then from an dynamic microphone.Condensers are more sensitive and responses compared to an dynamic microphone but condensers are not good for high level recording because of being so sensitive leading to a high level of distortion and over dubbed recording making the quality poor.
Dynamic:
This microphone do not require a power source and are used to record instruments such as toms and snare drums on an drum kit .This type of microphone is very sturdy and resilient and very rough handeling.Dynamic Microphones are very good at picking up high levels of volumes and can pick up low frequencies.
Egg Mic:
Egg microphones are mostly well know for recording bass drum recordings because they create a solid powerful response.Also they can withstand the high volume and base of the kick drum creating a clear sound for recordings.
Egg microphones are mostly well know for recording bass drum recordings because they create a solid powerful response.Also they can withstand the high volume and base of the kick drum creating a clear sound for recordings.
Here is an example of using all these types of microphones to mic this drum kit
Toms:
For the toms a dynamic microphone will be used placed 6 inches away from the tom this will pickup the low frequency and high volume of the time to a clear recording quality.
Cymbals:
For the cymbals the Condenser microphone will be used for recording cymbals and some times sound technicians only use two condensors and put them to the left and the right of the drum kit high above the two cymbals the ride and the crash depending on the drummers setup and the microphones would be setup high.
Bass Drum:
A Egg for the bass drum would be used positioned either side of the bass drum but positioned 4 inches away pointing at the center at the bottom of the drum.This will able to pick up the high volume and low frequency of the bass drum.Most of the time there is an cut out sound hole at the front of the bass drum were the egg mic is positioned.
Snare drum:
The snare drum will need a dynamic microphone to pic up the high volume of the sound and to pick up the vibrations of the snare spring this microphone will need to be positioned 4-5 inches from the snare drum.
What is a Polar pattern?:
A polar pattern is a circular graph that shows how sensitive a microphone is in different directions.Each circular division represents 5dB of sensitivity,so you can see where the microphone picks up the strongest to the weakest sounds at different points.
Types of polar patterns
Cardioid:
Hypercardioid:
Omni:
Shotgun:
Practice recordings:
Class Room recordings:https://soundcloud.com/brandon-moss-course-work/class-room-practice
Studio recordings:https://soundcloud.com/brandon-moss-course-work/studio-practice
Out side recordings:
https://soundcloud.com/brandon-moss-course-work/out-door-recording-1
https://soundcloud.com/brandon-moss-course-work/out-side-recording-2
https://soundcloud.com/brandon-moss-course-work/outside-recording-3
https://soundcloud.com/brandon-moss-course-work/outside-recording-4
When recording out side i faced many problems when recording.The main problem i faced was background noise such as the wind which left a very poor quality recording with the wind interrupting the instrument recording.The wind was very loud which overpowered my recording .The only good thing from the recording was that the acoustics of outside because it enabled me to achieve a clear and balanced sound.I used a mixture of Cardioid and Omni directional polar patters to try achieve the best sound.The first two recordings were Cardioid and the bottom were Omni.Using the two different patters aloud me to crate a variety of different recordings .
Plans of final recordings
Guitar:
Roles for recording
Jon-Jons role is making sure the mixing desk is set up with the correct levels and gain
Ella- Ella will help the sound check and assist john and me with mixing and balancing the levels
My role-My role will be in charge of setting up and using the cubase software and capturing the recording and make sure its a high quality standard
Jake-Jake will be the performer who will be playing the guitar for us to record
Ryan-Ryan will be in charge of setting up microphones and getting the correct leads appropriate for the guitar
How we are going to record it
To record the guitar we our going to use two condenser microphones.One of the microphones will be positioned towards the sound hole 6-8 inches away and the second microphone will be positioned towards the frets on the guitar 6-8 inches away.Through the software i will record 2 separate tracks for both microphones to have a panned balance recording of the guitar to make it a high quality recording. Before recording we will perform a sound check to check the levels and quality of recording to make sure every think is in order ready for recording.
Skills and dynamics
Jon has very good ear in music and the reason he is on the mixing desk is because he can use his skills to listen out and make sure all the levels are correct and balanced .Also he will make sure nothing is over dubbed or the gain is not to high to make sure the levels are balanced so when it comes to recording the sound quality is to a high standard.
Ellie will make sure everyone is doing what they should and assisting me and john in the control room and giving her opinion and view to help create a perfect and professional recording.
I am setting up and using the software cubase for the recording is because i have done 1 year in music technology so understand how it all works and i can use my knowledge to make sure our groups recording is a high standard.
Jake is playing the guitar so we can use his musical skills to make sure we have the best recording possible and because he knows what he is doing.
Ryan who also is a musician will help set up all the microphones because he knows were to place the microphones and what equipment is needed to make sure every thing works fro recording also me ,John and Ella can communicate with him through talkback during sound check so he can adjust the equipment and make sure everything is functioning.
Problems we may face
The problems we could face is that the technology could fail stopping us from recording but to over comes this we will make sure we make checks through all the equipment and if its faulty we shall replace it.
Influences
From my research and my own knowledge on the making of the Album thriller i am going to use the methods and techniques Quincy Jones used such as Quincy took many takes and cuts to perfect the quality of recordings so i am going to use this information and recored as many takes as possible to make sure the recording is perfected.
Also the communication between Quincy and Michael was very strong and positive.Quincy kept coaching Michael on what parts he wanted recorded and how he would like them recorded.He also supported to Michael which lead to motivate him to perform better and give Michaels confidence to inspire him to do better.This communication is vital so the recording does not break down and the performer is motivated to create a high quality recording.I will make sure i will support and directly address what i want for my recording.
Bongo Drums:
Roles for recordingMy role -My role will be to set up the equipment and make sure we have all the equipment we need
Jon- Jons role will be to be in charge of the mini mixing desk checking all the levels and gains are correct
Ella-Ellas role will be to wear the head phones to check the sound quality and make sure the quality of our recording is to the highest standard.
How we are going to record it
To record the bongo drums we are going to make to different recordings one with a dynamic microphone and the other recording with an egg microphone.We will then choose the highest quality recording out of the two and use that recording as our final recording.The reason for picking the dynamic and egg mic microphone is because it will pick up a high sound pressure level so these microphones will be able to pick up the high pressure levels from the bongo drums.The placement of the microphones will be 5-6inches away from the bongo drums.The location of this recording will be in a class room so we have to make sure the room has good acoustics and to unwanted and background sounds that could ruin our recording.To record we will be using a portable mixing desk for mixing and balancing the sound levels.
I will use my own knowledge from the music technology to have the correct set up and to use the correct equipment to help our group create a high quality recording.
Jon has very good ear in music and the reason he is on the mixing desk is because he can use his skills to listen out and make sure all the levels are correct and balanced .Also he will make sure nothing is over dubbed or the gain is not to high to make sure the levels are balanced so when it comes to recording the sound quality is to a high standard.Also John was in charge of using the mixing desk for recording the guitar and the recording was very successful so we shall use his skills and knowledge to make sure the recording of the bongos is just as successful but hopefully even better.
Ella has a very good ear in music and she will use these skills to listen to our recording through the head phones to make sure the sound quality is balanced and nothing is distorted ro to loud and quiet.
For the bongo drums we must make sure there is no distortion or over powered levels un balancing the recording
Problems we may face
The problems we could face is that the technology could fail stopping us from recording but to over comes this we will make sure we make checks through all the equipment and if its faulty we shall replace it.Another problem we could face is that the recording could have background noise which we must avoid.
Influences
I will use the knowledge gained from researching and watching about Michael Jacksons drummer Jonathan Moffet by using correct set ups and sound levels that are apropreate for precusion levels of the bongos to achieve a professional recording standard.
Vocals:
Roles for recording
Jon-Jon will be operating the cubase software setting up all the tracks and capturing the recordings.
Ella-Ella will be making sure we have the correct equipment and ella will also be setting up the equipment.
Me-I will be in charge of the mixing desk making sure all the sound levels our accurate and balanced
How we are going to record it
To record the vocals we will be using an condenser microphone which will be placed 4-6 inches away from the microphone .Also to get rid of any unwanted sounds we are going to use a pop filter which will be attached to the microphone.The location of the recording will be in a recording studio using cubase software and mixing desk.
Problems we may face
The problems we could face is that the technology could fail stopping us from recording but to over comes this we will make sure we make checks through all the equipment and if its faulty we shall replace it.
Skills and dynamics
I will use my knowledge of working with the mixing desk from my one year course of music technology which will help me to understand how it works.Also i will use what i learned from watching and speaking to Jon when he used the mixing desk.we will all use the skills we have learned from each other from the two previous recordings to help us with our roles for the vocals.The pop filter will help fet rid of any unwanted sounds to make a clear recordings.We will also use are good dynamics as a group of recording engineers to make sure if we have any creative ideas or we need help we will help each other with our variety of skills to achieve the best quality recordings
Influences
In my sound article i have a video of rare footage of Michael recording vocals using a condenser microphone and pop filter.With this knowledge i wil use the same microphone and equipment like the pop filter to achieve a clear recording with know unwanted sounds.
When recording guitar I used a recording studio just like how the album thriller was recorded.But the technologies I used are more advanced because when the album Thriller was recorded they would use analogue but because of the new technologies I recorded through digital systems.The software i used was cubase 7.
When recording the guitar i used two condenser microphones one directed towards the sound hole 6-8 inches away and the second condenser microphone i placed directing 6-8 inches towards the threats.The reason choosing condenser microphone is because they are used to record acoustic instruments because they can pick up more sensitive sounds and pick up higher frequencies which is perfect for the guitar.When recoding both condenser microphones i used 2 separate tracks to pan out the sound to give a clearer and better balanced sound.The polar pattern i used was cardioid and the software i used was cubase with a mixing desk.Before recording the tracks We did a sound check to make sure the sound levels were clear and to make sure the musician was warmed up and ready to play his piece.
Learning for the mistakes from the previous recordings we made sure we took many cuts and recordings until the sample we recorded was the best it could be and to a high standard.But its also important that the performer can deliver to because if they do not perform what u want or there quality or lack of skills is poor it will effect the quality of the recording .This lead to the problems that our group faced when recordings which was that we needed a simple sample from the guitarist but the player kept playing too advanced pieces and wasn't hitting the correct chords and was not used to playing an acoustic guitar. We tried to get the musician to play something simple but through many cuts and attempts we could not achieve this so we had help of some one in the group who could play guitar who played a simple chord pattern allowing us to have a clear recording sample.This was an important decision as recording engineers which over came the problem and improved the quality of the recording massively .But yet again as a team we over came this problem because of our good dynamics allowing us to communicate and sort out the problem to get a high standard recording.
To make sure there was no background noise we made sure we started and ended the recording so carefully to cut out much noise as possible and with the few unwanted sounds from the start we simply cut out .What also helped when recording was communication with the musician to keep him in time with the click track to make sure it was a perfect recording using the click track helped keep the recording in time for the guitar player to make the track recording a high quality.What i would do to improve the recording is to make sure we planed a bit more in advanced to make sure there was no needed problems such as switching musicians giving more time for the recording.To plan more in advanced we would plan what sample we would use and which musician would be more suitable for the type of instrument and recording.
When recording in the studio my role was to sit at the mixing desk and to use the software to capture the recordings and just like Quincy Jones I wanted to record as many takes as possible to get the best recording quality possible.Also like Quincy Jones communicating to Michael and giving him direct instruction and support, I communicated with the performer/musician by telling them what parts to record,help keep them in time and after every take supporting the musician.Before recording each different element and instrument I did a sound check by getting the musician to play a simple rhythm whilst I would check the sound levels and the gain to get the best and clear sound with no background noise or interruptions like distortion and any unwanted sounds.
Every one had a role in the studio. There was a musician , vocalist ,3 in the studio and one person in the recording booth checking all the inputs and instruments were all set up correctly .The three of us in the studio had very good dynamics because we all wanted a high quality sound and we both used our own knowledge and skills to achieve this.I had done a year course of music technology so I used my skills I had developed with the software,using the mixing desk and positioning of the microphone to help out the group.So compared to the thriller album my role was similar to Quincy Jones and the other two were the roles of the recording engineers.The vocalist had the role just like Michael and the musicians played the role of recording the sound track.
What I consider to take into account when planning my recording is that every one has a well suited role which is in their skill area to achieve the best results.Also when planning you will need a time every one can do and have the correct musicians to record there correct part for the recording also every one will need to know the location of recording.Every one in the group must know the correct set up and method before recording so when it comes to the actually recording everything is set up correctly and The best sound quality can be achieved.
BongoDrums-ClassRoom:https://soundcloud.com/brandon-moss-course-work/bongo-class-room
For this final recording I recorded Bongo Drums using an egg microphone which was placed 6-8 inches away from the drum. The reason why I chose an egg microphone is because it could handle a high sound pressure level which meant that it could cope with the high frequency sounds that the bongo drums create. The polar pattern that I used was cardioid when recording. The location of my recording was in a class room but we chose a small classroom so that we could get the best acoustics possible when recording. When recording in the classroom the set up used was a portable mini mixing desk with 1 egg microphone plugged in. The bongo drums were on a stand.
The initial issues faced when recording the bongo drums were that there was alot of distortion which effected the quality of the sound. To overcome this I played the drums softer. Also we turned down the gain and some of the sound levels on the mixing desk to prevent further distortion. The egg microphone enabled us to get a very clear, high quality sound as it picked up the high sustain levels. We tried to record the sound with a dynamic microphone but we felt that it was best to use an egg microphone as the egg microphone had a bigger diameter enabling it to pick up more sound. For the first couple of attempts to record we came across some background noise so we shut the door to trap the sound so that the acoustics would be clear. We also made sure that we were quiet during recording. To improve the quality the thing that I would change would be the location of recording to a studio as this would have had a better acoustic reflection.
What helped me with the recording was the research and the video that I watched about Michael Jackson's drummer, 'Sugarfoot'. When he played, he recorded with alot of emotion and expression because he was very passionate about his work. This influenced me to play like he did during the recording to create a better quality of sound.
When recording this vocal track the polar pattern was cardioid with a condenser microphone. Over the microphone I used a pop filter and pop shield in front of the microphone. The microphone was positioned 6 inches away from the singer. We got an experienced and talented vocalist when recording who knew what they were doing and to give us the best quality recording and sound. The location of this recording was in a studio which was perfect for recording vocals as it had very good acoustics. For the making of this recording the set up was the vocalist would be in the recording studio whilst Jon, Ella and I were in the control room making sure that the sound levels were balanced and to a high standard. Before recording we did sound checks with the vocalists to ensure that all the levels were balanced for when we recorded.
The problem we faced when recording is that we had technical issues with the software which we had to re-boot. This meant that we had to record another day when the software was back up and running. To overcome this we managed to book another recording date that everybody could attend. The pop filter and the pop shield helped get rid of any unwanted noise from the vocalist, creating a high quality sound that was clear. Having a very talented singer helped us to achieve the best quality sound possible making the recording to a professional standard. The acoustics of the room eradicated any other background noise which helped when recording.
For my sound article I found rare video footage of Michael Jackson recording vocals for the Thriller Album and when recording they used not only a pop filter but they also used a pop shield which influenced me to use both in my recording. This helped achieve a very professional sound, blocking out any unwanted sounds which gave the recording the pure tones and sounds that we were looking for. This achieved a high quality sound.
Comparison of recordings:
Out of my 3 recordings I believe my highest quality sound is my guitar recording because I used 2 microphones to pan out the sound which achieved a balance recording sample. The guitar and vocals recordings sounded clearer and more professional than the bongos, because the location of recording was in the studio which had better acoustics than the classroom where we recorded the bongos. Overall through the 3 recordings, I believe the quality was consistent because of the dynamics of the group and how we balanced out our skills and collaborated to achieve this high level of quality.
