Many Hats  Performer  Recording engineer  Producer  Arranger  Composer  Copyist  Troubleshoot

Tools of the Trade  Recording  Compose  Arranging  Notation  Web Page   Archiving

DAW Digital Audio Workstation

Software  Wave editing  Automated mixing  On-board FX  3 rd party plug ins

Pre-amp  Mic needs to be amplified  Mixer  Dedicated pre-amp  A tube pre-amp uses vacuums tubes to amplify the sound. This can produce a warmer sound, often at the cost of distorting the audio signal.  A solid state pre-amp generally produces a cleaner sound  Phantom Power allows them to power condenser microphones

Audio Interface  Built in pre-amps  Digital / analog ins and outs  Bit rate 16, 24  Bit rate - connection speed, transfer rate, channel capacity, etc.  Sampling rate - samples per second khz  USB  Firewire  Headphone jack

Hard Disk Recorders  Complete recording tool  Inexpensive  Portable  Limited editing  Limited FX

Monitoring  Headphones  Room doesn’t influence sound  Flat response  Inexpensive

Condenser mics  Requires phantom power  Large diaphragm has extended low end  Some guitars may sound too boomy  Use built-in bass roll-off switch

Dynamic mic  Works like a speaker in reverse  Great for miking guitar amps  Not recommended for acoustic guitar

Ribbon Mic  Ribbon microphones consist of a thin, narrow metal ribbon (usually aluminum) positioned between two magnets.  Smooth natural sounding, though a bit darker than darker than condenser mic  Ribbons can be more fragile than other types of microphones

Omnidirectional  Equally sensitive to sound waves on all sides  Great for natural sounding recordings with an entire ensemble  Less desirable in live sessions when monitors are used

Cardioid  This pattern resembles a heart and is more sensitive on front and sides than on the back  Cardioid patterns diminish bleed when miking separate instruments in the same room

Hypercardioid  Narrower then cardioid  Pattern is highly sensitive in front and less on sides  Pattern lessens potential for feedback in live situations

Bi-directional or figure 8  Pattern is sensitive on front and back but not on sides  Useful for recording two musicians facing each other

Stereo miking techniques  XY  ORTF  Spaced pair  Stereo mics  Matched pair  Two different mics

XY  Simplest and most popular  Typically angled 90 to 135 degrees apart  The wider the angle, the broader the stereo spread  Use directional mics – cardioid or hypercardioid

ORTF O ffice of R adio T elevision F rance  Two cardioid mics with capsules spaced 6.69 inches apart and angled at 110 degrees  Designed to mimic human hearing – accurate image and good sense of depth

Spaced pair  Two identical mics placed several feet apart and aimed directly at sound source  Any polar pattern but each mic must use same pattern  Usually placed parallel to each other

Stereo mics  Some are simply two capsules in a single housing  Used to avoid the hassle of setting up two mics  Microphone bar

Two different mics  Create a more complex stereo picture of the guitar by using two different mics  One aimed below the strings to capture sparkle  The other set to omni –reproduces a broader, ambient sound

Matched pair  Two identical microphones set to either an omni or cardioid mode  Omni - too much room sound may interfere with recording

A word about acoustic pickups  Piezo pickups – usually sound thin, tinny an excruciatingly buzzy  Fishman  Taylor expression system  Combine with mic sound

Mic Placement  Matter of personal preference and taste  Generally use close miking between six inches and three feet  Moving a mic a few inches can change the character drastically  Proximity effect – low frequency boost when mic is placed very close to the instrument  Off axis coloration loss of high frequency response from sound arriving at the back or sides  Omni do not suffer from this phenomena

Guitar design

Martin  Invented modern steel string  Most imitated guitar design  Rich, woody sound, thick with texture  High notes sweet not sharp  Large Martins are tough to record  Be careful placing mics to avoid boomy, muddy sound  Suggest small diaphragm condenser

Gibson  Sound of the guitar depends on the era  Gibsons seemed to share a shorter sustain especially in the bass  The quick decay gives a punchy sound that is hard to get from other designs  Many blues players treasure these instruments

Taylor  Emphasized clarity instead of a thick texture  Each note comes through clean and well defined whether high or low  Recording engineers’ dream

Electric guitar  Can be recorded DI (direct interject) without a speaker and mic in the signal chain  Direct box  Transformer plug  FX stomp box

Electric guitar (con’t)  Close mic the amp  Point mic directly at the speaker about 2/3 the distance between the edge and center of dome  1” to 2 feet away…listen  Use second mic to pick up room ambience – 3 feet to the length of room and may combine with other mic

Electric guitar (con’t)  If not sure and have enough tracks – record all mics and direct signals to separate tracks  Re-amp – record dry DI signal and send it back through an amp, FX box or software plug-in

EQ Equalization (EQ) is the process of changing the frequency envelope of a sound

EQ  Frequency. The specific frequency (in hz or khz) that is being boosted or cut.  Boost/Cut. The amount (usually in decibels) that the specific frequency is boosted or cut.  Q (Bandwidth). Q is the range of frequencies around the center point that is boosted or cut. Low Q settings indicate a wider bandwidth and are useful for gentle, sweeping EQ settings.

EQ  Parametric EQ is an equalizer which has controls for Frequency, Bandwidth or Q, and Gain.

EQ  A Low Shelf cuts or boosts all frequencies below the specified freqency. For example, a low shelf set at 250 Hz will affect all frequencies below 250 Hz.  A High Shelf cuts or boosts all frequencies above the specified frequency. A high shelf set a 12 KHz will affect all frequencies above 12 KHz

EQ  A High Pass (Low Cut) Filter is used to cut off frequencies below the set frequency  A Low Pass (High Cut) Filter is used to cut off frequencies above the set frequency.

EQ  Lose the mud  Cut at 80hz or 100hz if sound is boomy  Add body  Wimpy low mids punched up by boosting 250hz and 500hz

EQ  Tame the ring  Ugly mids can be diminished by cutting between 800hz and 500hz  Dead strings  Return the snap by boosting between 800hz and 5khz  Embrace the sparkle  Marvelous high end: boost between 10khz and 12khz

Compressor Control dynamics  The difference in loudness level between the softest and loudest sounds is reduced in order to make the audio audible in usual listening environments.  Your car

Resources  Monthly journals  Recording  EQ  Electronic musician  Mix  How to books  Mix bookshelf  Amazon  Web sites

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