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Some Recording Techniques
PRODUCTION TECHNIQUES
.. Producing Drums Drums are the fundamental component of music; "The Bed Track" as we call it. All other instruments are recorded to the rhythms of the drum performance. All instruments eventually trace their roots back to Africa where rhythm was essential to the spirituality of the tribal culture. To this day we notice the rhythm of the drum from the native peoples of Canada, to a dance hall, to someone just tapping their feet to a beat. We are all intertwined with rhythm. Recording drums is one of the most challenging situations you will ever come across in the studio. The microphones you use and how you place them is important in the initial preparation. A tuned kit with new heads is the standard operating procedure for all drummers. No amount of EQ or signal processing can resurrect a cardboard sounding drum kit after it's been recorded. The room you are recording in is very critical also. Rock prod/eng's prefer large live rooms to capture the ambience of the kit. As for pop drummers, they are often located in booths or small rooms that are reasonably dry sounding so you can get a present sound. The Kick Drum For the kick drum, you should use a dynamic mic - the bigger the diaphragm, the better low-end pick-up. I've used RE-20's and AKG-112's. The way I usually mic a kick drum is to stick the mic inside the kick drum (I always remove the front head) about 3-6 inches in front the front head. That's a good place to start - you can move the mic around and find the best sounding location. I usually stick a pillow or blankets against the rear of the drum head to minimize ring. You'll get more attack the closer the mic is to the beater - you'll get more overtones farther away. On certain occasions we use two mics. A small diaphragm dynamic (421) close to the beater to get the attack of the bass drum. The other mic, a large diaphragm, further away from the head to pickup the low end of the resonance of the bass drum. This allows you to have the flexibility to control the mix of the attack and resonance. With the close mic you can EQ from 2-4Khz to get the attack. Anything higher than 4Khz will just make the attack sound thin. With the close mic try to avoid aiming it directly at the beater. This prevents dramatic changes in the attack sound of the bass drum. If you place the mic slightly off axis and EQ the mid range (more than you would if the mic were on axis) the attack sound of the bass drum will be more even. With the large diaphragm mic place it closer to front of the drum (where the head has been removed) this will allow you to get more of the low end resonance. If using a large diaphragm condenser make sure to pad it down (use pad on mic) and place a Kleenex over the microphone to prevent the capsule from being overloaded by wind. With EQing the bottom end you need to know if you would like the bottom end to be heard or felt. EQing between 30-60Hz will allow you to "feel" the bottom end only on large speaker systems. If you need to hear the bottom end EQ between 60-100Hz. This will allow you to "hear" the attack of the low end on smaller speaker systems. The bass drum also produces a lot of low mid range frequencies that tend to not relate to themselves. This usually occurs between 300-600Hz. Be prepared to remove some of these frequencies, which will allow the bass drum to sound tighter and punchier. As in any situation using two mics you need to be prepared for phasing problems. This problem can be solved by flipping the phase on one of the mics or moving the position of one of the mics. The Snare Drum The best way to capture a great snare sound is by close miking it with a dynamic cardioid-pattern mic that can handle a high SPL and keep leakage to a minimum. The legendary SM-57 is an excellent mic for the snare, it is the choice of many professional engineers, and it's what I use myself. The classic approach for miking the snare is to place the mic 1-3 inches over the snare rim opposite the drummer and 1-3 inches above the top drum head. The mic should be at about a 35-degree angle downward. I usually try to also angle the mic inward (away from the hi-hats) to avoid leakage from the hi-hats. You can also mic the bottom snare head for some added top end but remember to reverse the phase. If the drummer is playing with brushes try using a small diaphragm condenser cardioid microphone. The condenser will have a larger pickup pattern to capture more of the performance. With EQ the snare drum has three basic regions: Low end 100Hz (depending on depth of snare drum), mid range (crack) 3-5 kHz and top end 10 kHz and above. In rock, snare drums you tend to desire a lot of the mid range/crack and low end. In Pop you tend to desire more of the top end over the mid range. The Toms It's best to mic each tom separately. Again, small diaphragm dynamic mics work the best, and SM-57's and Sennheiser 421's are a good choice for their tight pick-up pattern and high SPL. Small diaphragm condenser mics are great for getting more top end but remember to insert a pad so the mics don't overload and be prepared for cymbal leakage. The best approach to miking toms is to place the mic 4-6 inches above the drumhead at about a 45-degree angle over the head. If you pick up a lot of overtones, a little duct tape in the right spots will kill the overtones, or if you have a noise gate you can gate out the overtones. I always move the mics around to capture the right balance of attack and resonance. In EQing toms there are four different ranges: Low end 80-120Hz (depending on size of tom) Low Mid range 300-600Hz, High Mid range 2-4kHz and Top end 10kHz and above. In an average EQ setting on a tom you would see a boost in the Low end, High Mid range and High end as well as a cut in the Low Mid range. The Overheads The drum overhead mics are really supposed to capture the overall sound of the drums, not just the cymbals. Condenser mics such as U-87s and AKG 414s are the first choice for overheads, and one popular miking technique is with a spaced pair of mics (on boom stands) mounted 2-3 feet above the drums -the right mic pointed at the right cymbals, the left mic pointed at the left cymbals. Remember that when raising overheads the acoustics of the room will factor into the sonic equation. When mixing direct drum mics with the overheads this most likely causes acoustical phasing problems, this happens in the low frequency range. The low frequencies in phase with the snare drum mic have a tendency to be out of phase when the overheads are mixed in, due to the wavelength of low end frequencies. When checking for phasing problems on drums assign all mics to a mono listening position. It is hard to detect phasing problems with mics panned to different positions in the stereo image. If you notice phasing problems just reverse the phase button on the input strip or move the mic positions. EQ overheads if you need a brighter sound and insert shelving curves in the high end try to avoid rolling off the low end, for this will make your snare and toms sound thin. E.g. +3dB @10Khz (shelf). The Hi-hat Use a small diaphragm condenser mic like an AKG 451 placed about 6" above the high-hats, pointed straight down at the center of the top hat. Sometimes high-hats have a tendency to produce unwanted midrange frequencies around 1.5 kHz which tend to make the high-hat sound trashy. Omitting some of this frequency range will allow the high-hat to sound more defined in the high end. Room Mics Use at least 2 omni mics of the same model. Place them in the centre of the room to get an even room sound. This often requires the use of hard surface baffles between the room mics and the drum kit. This removes the initial direct sound in the pickup allowing the engineer/producer to utilize more of the room resonance. Drum Compression Drum compressing and limiting is often used to control dynamic problems and/or create a desired effect. When using a live performance you tend to get excessive dynamics. For example: when the drummer hits a kick drum and crash cymbal on the downbeat of a chorus, even though the transient is of short time duration it will limit you into how much level you can translate to a CD in mastering. This transient causes the drums to separate themselves from the rest of the elements in the mix. Because the duration of the transient is so short it is hard to correct this dynamic problem through manual fader riding. A good solution for this is to bus all the drums to two tracks and bring this two track stereo sub-mix of the drums back into more inputs. At this stage you can insert limiting to control the extension of the transient. You will need to incorporate an attack time of less then 1millisecond due to the transient nature of the drums. The release time should also be very fast 5-10ms so the only transient is affected and the rest of the performance is left untouched. A limiting ratio of 10:1 or higher will suffice. Remember to allow headroom so some amount of the transient will pass through, rather than being hard limited. This is accomplished by first setting a limiting ratio, with a fast attack time and a fast release time. Next, set the threshold to a setting where the limited audio information is approximately 2-3ms in duration for the nature of drum transients is a very fast attack and a very fast release with little duration in between. The goal here is to limit only this fast transient without affecting the resonance of the drum sound. Another advantageous use in dynamic control is getting your drums to sound punchier. This is achieved by first eliminating the random transients and then inserting compression with a ratio 4:1 to 8:1. The attack time should be any where from 20-50 ms which allows the louder attacks of sound to pass through unaffected. Once the attack is cleared the compressor will kick in, lowering the sustain part of the drum signal. Next set the release time (1-200ms) so the sustain part of the signal is compressed and decays until the approach of the next transient comp/limit. When you are sub-mixing drums to a stereo bus remember to insert the stereo link function on the comp/limiter. In dealing with dynamic control on separate drums allow yourself to create a certain characteristics to achieve great sounds. With snare drum a common problem is getting a good attack but with no sustain which causes the drum to sound inconsistent and weak. The problem here is that even though the attack of the drum is heard on a consistent basis the length and level of the sustain changes randomly. In dealing with this problem split the snare drum over two input channels. Over the first input try to maximize the transient quality of the snare drum by utilizing transparent limiting and EQ in the mid range and high end. On the other channel first gate the signal so all you hear is the snare drum. Next insert a limiter with a very fast attack and very fast release time. The goal here is to limit the attack of the signal heavily. This allows the sustain to be consistent in level and adds more length in duration. To add more body to the sound, EQ in the low mid range and low end. Now mix in this signal with the more transient snare drum signal which will allow you to add in more body to the snare drum that will make it sound bigger and more consistent. In effect, you are decreasing the dynamic range between the level of the transient nature of the drum and the sustain properties of the drum. Room Microphones Use two large diaphragm condensers of the same model placed at an even distance from each other and closest walls. If the room is 36' wide place the mics 12' from the walls to get maximum diffusion. If the room is 48' deep place the mics 18' from the walls. The biggest problem with room miking is the noticeable delay between the audio from the close mics and the original audio arriving to the room mics (diagram A). The solution is to remove the direct signal from the drums from entering the room mics (diagram B). This will allow the room mics to only pick up diffused early reflections and the room reverb, allowing you to mix it in at a higher level without any noticeable flam. Producing Bass One important element of a good production is capturing a good bottom-low end in the recording to help drive the rhythm by complimenting the drum (bass drum) pattern and also serve as the musical foundation for the production. With the great variety of music styles today, there is a myriad of desired musical ideas for the bass sound and its musical contribution. From heavy metal, pop to jazz; all require different approaches. Often synths are used instead of the bass guitar in a track, which requires s a totally different approach and much more flexibility in attaining a different desirable sound. It is important to note that the bass serves two functions. One is for a "feel" effect focusing on the 30-60Hz range and the other is to hear the actual musical notation of the bass performance 60-200Hz. In dance and hip-hop music the desired approach is to feel the bass. In pop music it is important to hear the bass, and in rock it is a combination of both. Another contributing factor in bass is the duration of the note which if longer will give you the illusion that the bass is louder in the mix, as in hip-hop music. Basic Requirements: 1) With Bass you need to know that larger gauge strings will produce more volume and sustain. With thinner strings you might not get enough basic level for the pick-up to grab without producing a lot of noise. Hard rock players often desire thin strings for it allows them to play faster and basically "Show-off". When in the early stages of pre-production have the bass player adapt to heavier gauge strings so the player will be well prepared when it comes time for recording. If the bass sound is squeaky, use a little oil on the strings. 2) Pick-ups: There are 2 different types of pick-ups, active and passive. Active pick-ups require dc power, usually from a 9-volt battery or phantom power. They also step-up the gain and produce a cleaner signal, for you don't need a lot of gain from the mic-pre, which might produce a lot of noise. You need to be careful though, for the amount of level coming from an active pick-up might overload the DI box and/or the mic-pre. With passive pick-ups there is no DC power required and no need to insert a pad on the DI. Passive pick-ups do not color the sound and are less expensive than active pick-ups. 3) Half-Cycle Distortion is common to bass. It occurs when the release time setting on the comp/limit is too short. Since low frequencies have long wavelengths the release time needs to be long enough so it does not release on the half cycle where it would produce distortion. If you need to have a quick release time, start with a long one and slowly shorten its duration until the onset of distortion and then lengthen it slightly. Hard Rock/Metal Bass With HR the bass's role is mainly to be felt, rather than hear what the player is playing. A good HR player will use medium to heavy gauge strings and active pick-ups. Most of the time the bass DI sound will not be used for it is too clean and dynamic. However, it is a good idea to record a DI bass for at a later stage you might want to send the clean signal back into an amp for a different sound. A lot of bass players will use a speaker cabinet that has a mid-range speaker (6"-8") and/or a bottom-end speaker (12"-15"). If using the mid-range speaker that supports the aggressive part of the sound, use a Senn 421 for it's good mid-range response and it's ability to handle high SPL. For the bottom end you might want to use a D-112 or any large diaphragm mic to capture the low frequencies. When using LD condenser mics be prepared to insert the mic pad to prevent distortion. The condenser mic will allow you to pick up all of the speaker's sound due to the fact that cardioid condensers have a wider pickup range than a dynamic cardioid. With compression and limiting, the desired effect will be to have the bottom end level remain a constant with very little dynamic range, for the bass will be mainly supporting the production as a sonic element. If the player is using a pick you will need to treat the sound so the attack will be noticed, with the sustain part of the sound. If the player uses their fingers the effect will be for support and sustain. A hard rock player will drive their amp hard for its compression effect and edge which helps the bass to sound aggressive and cut through the mix. With EQ you usually look at the bottom end (30Hz-60Hz), a shelf or wide bell curve will do. Make sure it's giving you what you need for an even bottom on all 4 strings when played opened. Next, a lot of players like to have some of the low-mids sucked out (300Hz-500Hz) to get rid of the musical part of the signal. For edge, try EQ around 2khz-4khz. The most common trouble in recording bass is its dynamics. A bass often has uncontrollable dynamics especially from string to string and from a fretted note to an open string note. Usually a medium attack time and medium release time are required. For more of a sustain effect use a long release time. Do not be afraid to overdrive the amp and heavily compres the sound. Pop Rock Bass Pop Rock bass requires the most work of all bass sounds. Listeners tend to want to feel the bass and also hear what it is playing musically. A careful balance between the two is sought. One of the elements will be a good clean DI sound usually from an active pickup and active DI box. You must be careful about distortion especially when the player plays quite loud. At the DI box you will split the signal and go into a bass amp usually with a 12" speaker for good low end and a little edge. Watch out for grounding problems that will produce a buzz/hum and/or potential live voltage. You will have at your disposal a ground lift switch on the power bar and a ground lift switch on the DI box to get rid of the ground problem. Once you have both desired elements from the DI and the amp you will then balance the level of the 2 to achieve the desired sound. When recording make sure you try to keep the 2 signals separate, for when mixing you might prefer a clean bass sound for the verses and an edgier sound for the chorus. With EQ you will add low end around the 80Hz-150Hz area and use a bell curve. Often I roll-off the lower part of the bottom end for it is not needed and might cause problems later. With the musical part of the sound, EQ from the 400Hz-800Hz range with a bell curve with a medium Q (2 - 3:1 ratio). As for the attack part of the sound 2khz -4khz should do. When getting your balance play with the phase reversal on one of the signals, you might be pleasantly surprised. For mics I would suggest a good large diaphragm condenser or LD dynamic or both. I have often had success putting the condenser right on axis with the speaker to get presence or to the side of the speaker to get more of the warmth. When compressing, use 2 comp/limit that are the same model and link them together. By linking them together, the bass dynamics get treated the same and the mix balance between the DI and the amp remain the same. Use a medium to fast attack time and a medium to slow release time. EQ before you compress, especially if you are treating the low and bottom end. You don't want to drive the compressor crazy with a lot of low end and unwanted frequencies. Jazz Bass Jazz bass is recorded with a large diaphragm condenser mic. A dynamic mic doesn't have the high-end response you need to capture the finger playing of the bass. Be careful on the mic distance, for if the mic is too close you don't get an overall approximation of the sound of the bass and you might run into proximity effect problems. A lot of players prefer not to EQ the bass and use a minimal amount of dynamic control; instead opting to work on finding a good mic and placement. Sometimes players will have a pick-up on the bridge of their bass for helping with isolation. I tend to not use this for I have not heard a good sounding pick-up yet Synth Bass Synth bass is used a lot these days for it offers the most flexibility. You can expand the musical range of the bass and also have greater control over it's attack sound, its sustain and the ability to control the differences in dynamics. If a hard rock band decides to use the key of "D" or "C" you can use a bass sample to play in that range with good sonic ability. In house music and rap music the bass is usually programmed to be in perfect time. I often like to put the synth bass through an amp to get a little more edge. Often you will only need a little EQ and little dynamic control. Keying The Bass When the Bass is playing the same pattern as the kick drum and the 2 of them are not together rhythmically, you can key the bass so it only plays when the kick drum is playing. This cleans up the problem when the bass payer gets ahead of the drums. You do this by sending a trigger signal from the kick and sending it to the key input of a gate over the bass and using a medium attack time. Producing Electric Guitar Producing good guitar sounds can be a real challenge for a prod/eng in the studio. There are so many variables that factor into the sound and the process of getting a great sound might require a lot of work and experimenting. First start with a good guitarist, with a good instrument and a good sound at the amplifier. Otherwise, there's nothing you can do in the control room to get a good sound. You can improve upon it, but you can't get a really great guitar sound if you don't have the basic ingredients. The first thing that you should do, whether it's with a guitar or another instrument, is go out and listen to the source (you might need ear plugs). You don't want to hear something for the first time after it has passed through a microphone, a mic cable, a fader and a pair of speakers. If there's a really killer sound coming out of the amplifier, try to capture that sound as you hear it. With electric guitar you must first look at the guitar and its set up. The string gauge will greatly influence the final sound. Within gauge strings, for example less than 10mm high E string will present problems in getting a full sound. With thinner gauge strings, less sound will be produced. You will often find when using thin-gauged strings with a lot of amplification the noise vs. music factor will be enhanced somewhat sounding like you're listening to a 747. Once the string gauge starts to get thicker, the more tonality is produced. If your guitar player is used to playing thin gauged strings, get them to move up to mediums and practice with this new set up for a couple of days before going into the studio. This will allow the guitar player to adjust to the new speed of playing that will be required. Also check to make sure the action is set up properly on the guitar, which will produce an accurate balance of the strings. With amplifiers, most guitar players tend to prefer tube amplification over transistor amplification. The tube amp will have a warmer and fuller sound where as the transistor amp will sound thin. Tube amps, also, when over driven, will bring out harmonic distortion that is more pleasing to the ear. Make sure that the guitar chord is the proper length. If it is too short it will require the player to perform too close to their amp causing feedback and inability to hear other performers. If the chord is too long it will affect the quality of the signal due to the increased impedance caused by the length of the chord. Often, guitar players like to overdub in the control room. In this case, have the guitar player get his sound with the amp on the floor and then move the amplifier into the control room and have a thick-gauged speaker cable running from the amp to the speakers in the studio. Beware of microphonic pickup when playing in the control room. With amplifiers, the speaker size will influence the over all sound especially in the low end. If you discover that you are adding a lot of bass to a cabinet that contains 8"-10" speakers, try moving up to a 12" speaker cabinet to process the low end. If you start to get up to a 15" speaker, you will soon discover that the sound will be sluggish with no punch, due to the larger mass of the speaker and the damping factor of the amp. It's just too difficult for that size of speaker to move efficiently. Remember to match the impedance from the amp to the speaker, especially if using multiple cabinets. If you decide to use more than one amp head by splitting the guitar signal, be aware of signal loss and degradation caused by impedance mis-matching. Grounding and ground lifting your amp should also be options that will easily rectify buzz and hum. It also will prevent you from getting a large shock across the heart if you are double grounded through your amp and the studio ground. Most good studios have a separate ground for all their equipment independent of the circuitry that is used for lights, heating...etc. This also prevents double grounding that may cause RF. When using effects in a guitarist's performance such as DDL, chorus and other effects pedals, integrate the processing in the recording. Sometimes it is difficult to regenerate the same effect with a piece of outboard gear in the control room rather than the personal effects of the guitar player. Remember when using effects you need to ask yourself "Is the effect important to the creation of the sound or is it just being used as a detached sounding effect?" When miking a guitar amp, there are basically two approaches. If you are working with a hard rock sound, it is best to go with one or more dynamic mics such as an SM57 and or a 421. This type of microphone will be able to handle the high SPLs coming from the amplifiers. If using more than one mic, make sure their distances from the speakers are the same to avoid phasing problems. These mics like to be placed almost on axis with the speaker to achieve that "in-your-face" sound. Bands like Linkin Park, Green Day and Tea Party utilize this approach today.... The other approach is to use a condenser with a pad. The condenser microphone has a larger pickup pattern and wider frequency response. Microphones like a U87 or 414 are good for this set up, especially if the melodic component is very important to the sound of the guitar. Try to keep the mic at least 6" from the speaker and experiment with the angle of the diaphragm to the speaker. This type of miking is used to capture the whole speaker sound and with the angle you can effectively control the mix between the music and presence in the mic pickup position. Bryan Adams, John Mayer and English rock bands use this approach. These guitar players will often play chords with three or more notes rather than the root and 5th of the heavy rockers. With getting room sounds, I find that placing a mic in front of the cabinet at least 6' away will give you an additional sound that will contain more resonance to the sound, but you need to be aware of how the acoustics of the room are contributing to the overall sound. If you are trying to get a room sound for the guitar, this miking technique has a major drawback with the mic further away still picking up the original direct sound from the amp. Try placing a reflective baffle on an angle in between the cabinet and the distant mic. This will allow you to remove the direct sound from the room mic, thus allowing you to bring up the more dispersed reflections of the room. Try using 2 mics like this for a stereo ambient effect; you will be amazed how much dimension you will be able to create in the sound. Taking a DI send from a guitar can be beneficial if you need to change the sound in the mix. I produced a band called Harem Scarem where the guitar player recorded his performances at home using a processing box that produced half decent overdriven guitar sounds. The guitar was also recorded as a DI to another track. When I was mixing I already had a half dozen guitar amplifiers and speaker arrangements set up for great and different guitar sounds. So when I mixed, I just took the DI performance, plugged it into one of the amplifiers on the studio floor and recorded the new amplified guitar sound. With this approach I was able to change the guitar sounds dramatically for mixing while always using a great performance. In EQing guitars you have the low end (80-200hz) the music range (200-800hz), mid range and high end. With hard rock it is important to get a consistent low end and mid range. You will often get low-end volume excursions that will drive compressors too hard and upset the overall harmonic content of the guitar. When the guitar player goes from a G6 chord to an open E chord you might get a surge in level of the low frequencies. If you notice this happening you will need to insert a multi-band compressor whereby you will just compress the low end of the guitar and the remaining frequency response will remain unchanged. Try to avoid the high end where the vocals might reside in the frequency range. If you are not getting enough of the music out of the guitar sound, add in a little bit of the musical range. With pop rock guitar sounds it is important to hear the actual musical characteristics of the performance. It will also need to be present sounding in the mid range. As always remember to not over EQ the mid range and separate the midrange from the musical characteristics. With comp/limit hard rock guitars will sound very compressed already but beware of quick transients sneaking through. If you get rid of these transients it will allow you to turn up the overall level of the guitar. With pop rock guitar you might need to use a bit of compression to keep it at a consistent level in the mix. With solo guitars limiting/compression will often be required. If your guitar will be the main musical component in a song behind the lead vocal try recording it with perspective as stated above. This can be achieved by placing two room mics that can be panned hard left and right to add dimension and more resonant to the guitar sound. Also try adding in delay to the sound. Quarter and eight note regenerated delays will provide a lot of body and sustain to the guitar. Make sure your delay settings are a fundamental of the rhythm of the track so the attack of the delays will be masked by the rhythm, allowing you to use more of the effect. Also try using different time signatures of the delays to create different feels to the track. Edge of U2 uses a quarter or eight-note delay with a quarter note triplet or eight-note triplet delay at the same time, "Where The Streets Have No Name". Ex; 120 Bpm; 250ms and 333ms. A dotted quarter note delay to a signal can make the signal feel like it's pushing the track, giving it a shuffle feel. In mixing remember that with guitars you're trying to slot them in the overall frequency range and perspective. Make sure that its frequency response does not interfere with the bass or the top end of a track. Producing Acoustic Guitar The acoustic guitar is very much in style today. Crossing between folk, pop and rock genres. While the acoustic guitar remains one of the most simple instruments, it also remains one of the hardest to get a great sound on in the studio. It's really not that difficult though, if you follow a few basic rules. The sound you get has a great deal to do with the quality of the player. Choose an appropriate type and gauge of string for the instrument and for the kind of sound you're after and make sure that the guitar's action is set up correctly so that it plays without buzzing. There are many different types of steel-cored wound string, all of which have subtly different properties. The most commonly used types on acoustic guitars are bronze, phosphor bronze and nickel wound. An instrument with lighter gauge strings (perhaps an 11 to 50 set) will generally be easier to play, but the sound will be thinner and low in volume. On the other hand, very heavy strings (perhaps a set beginning with a 15-gauge top E) can sometimes sound tubby and lacking in overtones on the wound strings. The best compromise is usually the heaviest set of strings that are still comfortable enough for the guitarist to play. Usually starting with medium gauge strings will give you a decent sound. The size of the acoustic guitar has a lot to do with the frequency range that it projects. The bigger the guitar, the more low end it'll provide. These guitars are most effective with strumming chords in the open position. These "jumbo" guitars are normally strum with medium to heavy gauge strings that are capable of producing more resonance due to the larger amount of wood that will resonate sympathetically. A medium size guitar will sound tighter and project the sound quickly, which makes it great for soloing. There is also the nylon-string guitar or better known as the classical guitar where the top three strings are nylon. This type of guitar produces a mellow and a very harmonically even sound. It obviously does not contain the same amount of mid-range and high frequencies that steel-string guitars have. Nylon guitars are becoming more popular in pop music due to their capability to produce harmonic content in a frequency range that will not affect the lead vocal. A great example of this is in the music of Sting. In a song like Fragile the nylon guitar can be mixed tighter to the lead vocal for it is not encroaching in the presence frequency range of the lead vocal. If Sting were to use a steel-string instead, he would have to lower the overall level of the guitar because of the high frequency encroachment produced by the steel-string guitar in comparison to the lead vocal. That would lower the musical harmonic content of the guitar whereby it would separate the vocal melody from the harmonic accompaniment provided by the guitar. The 12-string guitar is the grand piano of the guitar family. Usually played in a strumming fashion with a pick and chords in open positions. The 12-string guitar works most effectively by itself or with little accompaniment for it takes up a lot of the frequency and musical range. If you already have a basic 6-string performance and you feel you need a brighter guitar in addition try changing the 3 low strings with lighter gauge and tune them up an octave (Nashville tuning). Try to avoid capos', because they tend to choke the sound of the guitar. If the guitarist is using a pick, it is always worth trying one of a different thickness. With strumming you will tend to get a more even sound with a medium to light gauge pick. With soloing a thick or medium gauge pick works best for incorporating dynamics. Another thing to bear in mind is that the sound of acoustic guitar recordings can depend a great deal on the environment in which the instrument is played. Acoustic guitars thrive on live acoustics, and insufficient natural reverb is a common problem when recording them in small home studios. While artificial reverb can be used to liven up the sound of a dead room, getting a sympathetic natural acoustic always produces better results, even if you want to add more artificial reverb later. To get a more live sound out of your room, try to position the guitarist so that the instrument is played close to some reflective surfaces like hard floors, doors and solid furniture. If there is carpeting on the floor of your recording room try placing a sheet of plywood on the floor and get the guitar player the take off his/her shoes. Be prepared to have an additional pair of socks in case of gross air pollution. Most studios will have a broad range of different mics to choose from, there are few dynamic mics capable of doing justice to the acoustic guitar. It is best to use a small-diaphragm condenser mic for its greater high-frequency accuracy, and one with an omni polar pattern for a more transparent sound and removing any proximity effect. If the room has bad acoustics you will need to use a cardioid to minimize the influencing characteristics of the room. Capturing a natural sonic balance from the guitar is very important. There are different sounds coming from different places on the guitar that are important in contributing to an overall natural sound. If a mic is used too close to the guitar, the direct sound from that part of the guitar the mic is nearest to will dominate the sound from other parts of the instrument and from the room. You risk miking up only a part of the instrument when what you're really after is the bigger picture. Opposite if your mic is too far away from the guitar. You can end up with a lot of room ambience, leaving the original sound distant and unfocused. As for the specifics of mic placement, position your ear as if it were the microphone while somebody else is playing the guitar. Move your ear around to find the "sweet spot". A common approach is to set up the mic around 6-8" from the guitar, with the capsule aimed between the sound hole and where the neck joins the body. This will usually produce a well-integrated sound. The levels of direct and reflected sound will be about right and the sound hole's contribution will be controlled because the mic doesn't point directly at it. If you need more low-frequency content move the mic position closer to the sound hole. If you need a brighter sound move the mic closer to the 12th fret. This is where the first series of harmonic overtones originate that contribute more high-frequency content to he overall guitar sound. If you have a pair of enclosed headphones that are very accurate to a reference point that you have established, you can easily experiment with tweaking this mic placement while listening for the best sound. If you find a promising sound in this way, remember to check it out on your monitors before committing yourself. Headphones can sometimes be rather misleading. If you find a good position but feel the sound is too dead try switching the pattern to omni and if the opposite occurs switch the omni pattern to cardioid. Be careful to not get too close for this will create an unnatural balance from the guitar. If you are working with a studio musician they will most likely have a custom-made guitar. Ask them where the "sweet-spot" is on their guitar for the performance they are playing. If the guitar player is soloing and moving up the neck try placing the mic closer to the sound hole to give you a fuller sound of the guitar. This will obviously compensate for the lack of low-end that the guitar can produce when used in a soloing fashion. Selecting a microphone depends on the size of the guitar, if the player is playing open chords or soloing. If the player is strumming with open chords use a pencil condenser. If they are soloing, move to a large diaphragm condenser. Dynamic mics simply don't cut it. A guitar with a built-in pick up and a microphone will undoubtedly create some phase problems. Experiment with moving the mic closer and further away from the guitar. That will affect the phase relationship of the two sound sources. Phase, he can be a tricky bugger. This will work effectively if the guitar player is also singing whereby minimizing the vocal leakage into the guitar microphone. If you are cutting a track in a studio with drums try using the direct pickup only and replacing it with an acoustic pickup in an overdubbing stage. Even though direct pickups on acoustic guitars have come a long way I have yet to discover one that sounds as good as a microphone pickup. Stereo miking works well for solo applications. The XY technique is good but still falls short due to its lack of direct sound access. It will give you more of a big cardioid pickup but with less high-end than a single mic. Placing a mic over the 14th fret and another just slightly off-center from the sound hole provides a good starting point for stereo pickup. Make sure both mics are pencil condensers, the same model and miked with the same distance from the guitar. Also incorporate a slight off-axis pickup. The main challenge when using a stereo technique is to make sure that all the different signals are in time with each other when mixed; if there are delays between signals this could cause phasing problems. Some prod/eng's get around this problem by placing all the different mics at exactly the same distance from the guitar's sound hole and this can be successful. As with any studio recording, the composition of the cue mix you feed to the guitarist will be extremely important, so be prepared to take a little time in preparing it given the sensitivity of the mics traditionally used in acoustic guitar recording, it's easy to pick up unwanted leakage from the headphones. Solo the recorded track to check for this and if there's a lot of leakage coming through (from a click track, in particular) then consider turning down the overall headphone mix level or using a different pair of headphones. Closed-back models are obviously best in this application and reduce the possibility of feedback. Recorded acoustic guitar sounds will usually benefit from a little processing. This should be kept to a minimum while recording, so that you leave your options open for the mix. In recording roll-off any problems in the low-end such as rumble by inserting a high-pass filter. As always stated, it's always safer to leave EQ and dynamic processing until the mixing stage. Equalization of the acoustic guitar is very common but used very subtly. The first thing to try is just rolling off some boominess bass, if there is some, using a high-pass or shelving equalizer at 60-80Hz. This can prevent the compressor from working too hard and maintaining an even harmonic balance. It can make a big difference, for example, if other sounds in the mix have strong low mid-range components and if you listen carefully to rock or pop mixes that include acoustic guitar, you'll notice that the low end is quite even. Most acoustic guitars performing in a strumming or fingerpicking style have a mid-range and/or high frequency boost. With the mid-range use a wide Q centered anywhere between 3-7K. If high-end is needed, try a shelving EQ from 8-12K which will produce a silky top-end sound. Be aware of making the acoustic guitar brighter than the lead vocal, if it is mixed at a loud level. If you need musical body, boost in the 600Hz-1.5K range with a medium Q. With acoustic solos you might need to enhance the low end between 100-200Hz to add more body to the performance especially if the guitarist is soloing high up on the neck. With compression for strumming a ratio of 2:1 - 4:1 with a medium attack and medium release should be used, if required. Remember that the transient sound of using a pick identifies the rhythmic component of the performance. If the attack time was too quick it would create the illusion that the guitar player is playing behind the beat. For soloing you might need to limit the transients slightly, then EQ and then compress. With processing on an acoustic guitar it should be done with transparency in mind. If the guitar performance is continuous strumming, there will most likely be no need for reverb. Reverb may be needed if the recording was made in a small room or studio. Mono recording can also be given a sense of space and width by adding a little stereo reverb. Ambience settings with pronounced early reflections are particularly effective in adding life and realism to the acoustic guitar. With strumming use a short pre-delay of 30-50ms and a bright reverb with a 1-2 sec decay time. With a guitar solo use a pre-delay of 100-150ms with a warm reverb with a decay time of 2-4 seconds. De-ess the send to the reverb if there is a lot of high frequency finger noise. Extra Attack To Rhythm Guitars Producing Grand Piano The grand piano is the most acoustically complex instrument to record, with its great dynamic range and wide musical range. From classical, jazz to pop music it lends itself very well to recording. There are numerous miking and processing techniques you may utilize depending on the desired effect you are looking for. Grand pianos vary in size from 7'-9'6" with the larger pianos sounding bigger due to the size of the resonating sound board. Achieving the precise tonal characteristics can be challenging yet will prove to be very satisfying when achieved. One thing to acknowledge is that the same grand piano with the same miking set-up will most likely sound very different with another player even if they are playing the same musical piece. How a player strikes the keys and uses the sustain pedal are just some of the personal performing characteristics that define many different styles and sounds. With hard hammers and close miking you may get transients that meter too slowly to read and you'll have to use your ears to identify them. The mechanics of the piano can inhibit a good pick-up with the extraneous noises from the pedal, hammers and resonating buzzes. The acoustic ambient characteristics associated with the recording environment also influence the sound you are striving for. With pop piano (Alicia Keys, Elton John), we tend to prefer a close pick-up. This allows for good clarity, minimal ambient influences. As we move into jazz-pop (Norah Jones, Dianna Krall) we discover that the grand piano sound starts to play a bigger role in a production and needs to be treated accordingly and isolation from the live singing is a factor. With jazz improvisation (Oscar Peterson, Keith Jarrett) the use of the piano harmonically and sonically are greater and miking set-ups are more challenging and need to be very accurate. Last but not least is classical piano where certain rules are applied for achieving an excellent pick-up that requires the ambient acoustics to play a major role in the overall sound. Pop Piano Pop piano is a situation where the piano plays a contributing role in the production by defining the chord changes. It needs to be able to be heard amongst various other instruments yet not overpowering or attracting too much focus especially if the artist is not known as a piano player. Close miking is the preferred way to go which allows for clarity and isolation. I first ask the player where in the range on the piano they will be playing. A well disciplined player will play between 3-4 octaves, shying away from playing too many bass octaves with the left hand; respecting the bass player, avoid getting in the way of the lead vocals both harmonically and rhythmically and using the sustain pedal only when needed. Too much sustain pedal makes the piano sound too reverberant and muddy. For mics I prefer pencil condensers for there ability to pick up an accurate mid-range and high-end. Because the diaphragms are small in mass, they tend to react faster than large Diaphragm condensers and therefore pick up higher frequencies more efficiently. I don't really need a lot of low end from the piano for with a good arrangement a bass player will cover the fundamentals of the chord changes. If the player is playing a lot around or slightly below middle "C" and not to dynamically I'll use large diaphragm condensers to capture the low end. I'll position the 2 mics approx 8"-12" above the strings and approx 12'-18" apart. Try to position them over the same harmonic points of the strings and slightly angle them between 35 - 45 =B0. If the mics are positioned on axis (0*), some of the notes will sound brighter than other notes due to the cardiod pick-up patterns of the mics. I'll also watch that the mics are not too far apart to avoid getting "the hole in the middle" sound. If the mics are too close to the strings the balance of the different notes both musically and sonically will be affected and I'll not get much of an even resonance from the soundboard. I'll try to leave the lid open but if isolation is required I'll slightly lower the mic position and lower the lid to the half way position and use some type of blanketing to prevent leakage. With EQ, pop piano requires harmonic clarity. The music of the piano needs to come through clearly. I might add a little mid range 3khz-5khz and/or a little top end 10khz shelving (Wide "Q"). For some situations I'll just use a top end shelving curve and lower the activating frequency point anywhere down to 3khz. You need to remember that if you boost the mids and the highs you will get more clarity but eventually start to separate the brightness from the music of the piano. When we listen to a grand piano we tend to prefer to hear the left hand or low part in the left speaker and the right hand high part in the right speaker. When EQ is required it must be done to both tracks equally. As to not create individual sonic characteristics between the low end (left hand) and the high end (right hand). For example; if the piano needs to be brighter at 10khz, then boost the left and right channel the same amount. If you treat each channel differently in the sonic ranges the ear will tend to focus on the speaker with the brighter sound source. Applying the same EQ to both channels keeps the sonic characteristics the same and helps to retain good stereo imaging. If you need to EQ in the low-mids (music range) to create some separation, do it subtly if the EQ points are somewhat different. With low end add a little if you need to get warmth but be aware of clouding the production. Avoid bottom end boosting and if anything roll off the bottom end if the piano sounds boomy. If the player hits the occasional chord too loud you might need to limit random transients to prevent distortion and/or the piano audibly jumping out in level. The best way to do this is to treat the transients in a sonic transparent fashion. That is to have some dynamic control without affecting the sound of the piano. The goal is to manage the transient problem without noticing its effect. With transients you need to limit only the upper part of the transient by using a very fast attack time; 1msec-10msec and fast release time; 10msec-20msec(link the channels together). The idea is to get in and out as quickly as possible, to manage the transient without affecting the intended dynamics. If the piano does not define the chord changes enough and the attack sounds soft you can make it sound punchier and livelier by compression. The idea here is to get the attack of the sound to come through more. You do this by using a med-slow attack time 50msec-200msec, and a slow release time 250msec or greater. This compresses the sustain part of the chord playing which gives you the sensation that the piano was played more aggressively. I would suggest limiting first if necessary, then EQ (high-end) and then compress. A ratio of 3:1 to 6:1 should get you started. Bruce Hornsby uses this technique for getting his piano sound. At certain times you might want to get a sustain sound from the piano. This is achieved by high comp/limit ratios, fast attack times and very slow release times. A good example of this can be found at the end of The Beatles song "A Day In The Life". Here the release times on the compressor were modified to release very, very slowly. Jazz Pop Piano These days' female jazz/pop singers and pianists dominate the charts. Norah Jones and Dianna Krall are 2 of the best. Here we acknowledge that the lead vocal is the most important element but is immediately followed by the grand piano. Everything else plays a supportive role. One thing in common is that these types of artists are highly skilled pianist and will use the entire piano both musically and dynamically. These types of artists sometimes record their lead vocals while they are playing piano, which makes capturing the best performance very challenging and trade offs are sometimes required. When performing place a piece of 4' x 4' foam, a foot thick right on top of where the sheet music tray sits. I actually remove the tray for it usually produces sympathetic noises. This gives me great isolation between the vocal mic and the piano mics. Because there playing at times maximizing the full range of the piano I'll use large diaphragm condensers for their ability to capture low end. I'll place them about 12"-16" above the strings so I can get more of the sound board resonance and 16"-24" apart for the range of playing will be wider. Because the higher strings on a piano do not have dampers they will sustain. If the top end mic is not positioned to capture this range it will sound distant and reverb like (basically a little higher and wider pick-up than pop piano). I will leave the lid fully open for I don't want to choke the sound. If I need more low end from the piano I'll introduce a third mic over the lower range in an effort to capture the sonic fullness of the piano. I will add this mic in to both left and right channels and use it more for sonic purposes than musical purposes. I will always rely on the full stereo imaging coming from the other 2 mics. If I have to roll off the mid to high frequency range of the 3rd mic to achieve accurate stereo imaging I'll do it. With EQ you will need to make sure the top end of the piano does not interfere with the presence of the lead vocal. If the piano is to bright you will invariably have to bring down its overall level. When you do this you also lower the music element of the piano. All of a sudden your vocalist sounds barren for they are musically out there exposed on their own and even though the piano can be heard clearly it will not contain enough of the harmonic information from the low mid-range to support the lead vocal. Even though the levels of the piano and vocalist are close they are quite detached musically. "Be Aware" With Compression/limiting and EQ I tend to use it minimally. As with all piano EQ and dynamic control what you do to one channel you do exactly to the other. Jazz Piano With traditional Jazz pianists like Oscar Peterson and Keith Jarrett you will get performances that are highly complex in dynamics and musical content. These types of pianists are always improvising on the spot where they are literally are all over the vast range of the keyboard with incredible speed with dramatic dynamic changes. These random changes in performing are happening all the time and you need to prepare yourself to capture this type of performing. Experiment with mic positions and different condenser mics. Of all pianists, jazz players are the most articulate when it comes to meeting their needs. They "speak our technical language". I usually use pencil condensers like the B&K (DAP) 4000 series. They can handle a lot of level without distorting and can translate the percussive nature of jazz playing. As I said previously small diaphragm condensers capture very fast transients more accurately than large diaphragm. I'll often place the 2 mics slightly higher in the range and factor in a 3rd low end mic assigned to both left and right. If the room has good ambient characteristics I'll pull the mics further back and get an overall sound from the piano. With Jazz it's nice to get the articulation and the resonance of the piano. For dynamic control I'll get the player to play very loud and I'll still back off the level to allow for more headroom. With traditional jazz playing you do not want to be in a position to have to reset levels to prevent distortion. If any EQ is required it's usually in the high end just too add a little shimmer to the sound. With dynamic control, it will be used rarely for the dynamics are often exaggerated to highlight the performance. If any limiting is required it will be for getting more level on a CD, but only if it is not that noticeable. Classical Piano In recording classical piano factoring in a good recording ambience is very important to the overall sound. Recordings by the greatest classical pianist were mostly done in good concert halls and large studios. The conventional and traditional way to record piano is to set up 2-3 large diaphragm condensers at different angles approx 8ft-12ft away facing the piano. The mics are angled similar to the angle of the piano lid opening and are usually set up high (6ft-12ft). Large diaphragm condensers are used to capture the low end of the piano and are often used in an omni pattern to allow the acoustics of the space to be used and mics used in an omni have a flatter frequency response than mics in cardioid patterns. The distance between the mics and the piano dictates the ratio between the direct sound and the ambient sound. The goal of this type of recording is to place the piano and the mics in a strategic place for optimum clarity and room ambience. However I find this type of pick up limiting. If the tempo changes dramatically from adagio (slow) to allegro (fast) the piano sound can vary. If you found a mic position that suited an overall good pick up, you might discover that the piano sounds detached and dry with the slower moving pieces and quite muddy at faster tempos. What is perceived to be happening is that this type of pick up has dead spots in it, where once the ambience completely decays you hear dead air between the notes. The opposite happens when the tempo picks up and is quick. The piano begins to sound muddy and reverberant, for the decay is hanging over too much into the next note. This can be very apparent in there are sudden dynamic changes where the piano goes from a loud dynamic and quick tempo to a softer dynamic and slower tempo in a short period of time. The piano sound appears to have too much reverb in amplitude and decay time. Other than taking the time to find suitable mic positions and piano placement and risking losing a good basic mic position and piano placement most often the people involved will settle for a basic good all round position. I find this limiting. I was very fortunate to work with Glenn Gould the greatest classical pianist of the 20th century who was very much into sound innovation. With his recordings I would find a good position for the placement of the piano, usually in the center of the room away from any close walls. Next I would place 3 large diaphragm condensers approx 8ft-12ft from the piano in cardioid pick up patterns. With this placement I would strive for a sound that would be clear and balanced if the music was at a quick tempo (Allegro). Next I would place a stereo mic or 2 matching condensers between 12ft-18ft from the piano in omni to capture a medium reverb time that would include early reflections. Next, I would set up another stereo mic or 2 matched condensers approx 20ft-30ft from the piano for a reverb effect. This would allow for smooth decay times if the tempo was slow (adagio) and avoid any dead air. With this type of pick up I have maximum control over the recording situation. With 3 different mic setups at various distances I can change the piano sound from a clear distinct sound to a very warm and reverberant sound without changing the mic positions and having to constantly go back into the studio to alter mic and piano positions. With Glenn I would preview and mark the score where changes would be required if I was recording to a 2 track final mix or record to a multi-track and have control when I was mixing. Microphones B&K 4000 series, Neumann M149, 87, U-67, U-47, Akg stereo C-24 Excellent transient response, quiet, flat frequency response Pre-amps GML, Millenia, Neve, --any high quality pre that is quiet and good transient response EQ Neve, GML, API, Manly; --4 band, quiet, no colouration effect; more edge around 3khz-5khz bell curve wide "Q"; presence 10khz and up shelving; low end fullness 80hz-150hz Limiting Very little, not perceivable when inserted, fast attack and fast release times Compression Usually for pop; level control, creating more attack to the sound Med attack-medium release Producing Lead Vocals There are many types of singing and various methods of recording vocals from classical, crooning, rock etc. You will discover that you need to develop personal styles and techniques of capturing and enhancing their performance. As a producer or engineer you need to know what is required of your talents to effectively fulfill your role in capturing a good take and sound. Listening to various successful recordings will provide you with not only a reference point but also with a framework to further enhance your goals and objectives in capturing a solid quality performance. Audition some CDs of vocalist's sounds that can be related to what you require. On a reference monitoring system, this should give you a starting point in where to go with equalization, processing, and balance in a mix. You will require a good quality microphone (condenser), a preamp (that can amplify a very dynamic performance and maintain a quiet noise floor), a versatile equalizer and a transparent compressor/limiter. Because recording vocals is often a sensitive and emotional issue for singers, it is a good idea to consistently give the singer positive feedback of words of accomplishment and encouragement. Microphones For most vocalists a high quality large diaphragm condenser microphone is often the choice. If you have access to a tube mic, even better. The tube mic will sound warmer and if there is any distortion, it will be less offensive to the ear. U-47, AT3035, C-12, M-49, C-4000B are often found in better studios and work remarkably well. U-87, AKG 414 and Rhode mics will be found in about every studio and often work quite well. The U-87 will have an even frequency response, where the 414 will accentuate the high end. If recording a rock vocalist try a Shure SM-57. You will get an enhanced mid-range sound with no distortion.Ribbon mics like the RCA models are very good but most have a high noise floor. When recording bed tracks, change the mic from song to song to get a general idea of which mic sounds the best. Also when ready to record final vocals, line up 3-4 mics and quickly have the vocalist go from one to the other to see which mic is the most desirable. Remember to check all the dynamic parts of the song; certain mics sound good in verses but might be to thin sounding in the choruses. Microphone placement For a lead vocal place the mic around 3"-6" from the singer. A pop filter may be required. In choosing a pop filter, make sure it stops a lot of wind transmission (blow at the filter and place your hand on the other side to check) and does not affect the frequency response too much. (Place the pop filter between your ear and a speaker and move it in and out of the way and listen for any sound degradation). Place the pop filter as close to microphone as possible for vocalist's do not like singing close to a pop filter. If the singer is too bassy from the proximity effect, either change the pattern from cardiod to omni, insert a high pass filter or simply have the singer stand a couple of inches further back from the mic. Take note that when a vocalist is moving back and forth from the mic in an area from 1"-3", the low end will drastically change and become very hard to control. Make sure the microphone is suspended in a cradle to remove or to prevent unwanted rumble coming through the mic stand. Make sure the acoustics of the room do not influence the desired vocal sound, which occurs when the vocalist stands too far back from the microphone. If the room is too live try to have the singer move in closer to the mic or dampen the room with blankets or baffles usually close to the singer. If there is a music stand involved for the singer to read lyrics make sure it is dampened down and the stand doesn't ring sympathetically with the vocal performance. Creating The Right Environment Before recording vocals, ask the singer what they need to feel comfortable in the studio when recording. Remember singing is an emotional and mental experience, so having the singer feeling relaxed is very critical. Try to set up baffles covered in quilts and blankets close to the vocalist, this makes the studio seem more comfortable and helps reduce the room acoustics in the sound of the singer. Keep the lighting tapered with a lamp or candles. You might need a small lamp to place on the music stand so the lyrics will be seen easily. Have a comfortable chair and table to place things on and a pitcher of water and a glass for vocalist's throats dry up quickly. Make sure there are pencils on the music stand for singers have a habit of changing lyrics at the last minute. Also place them in an area of the studio that they will be in a position to not have to look at the control room all the time. Standing in the middle of a big studio with bright lighting and people staring at you can be very intimidating for a vocalist, so creating a very comfortable and relaxed environment is very important. Equalization Male Vocalist: High pass filter at 50hz Low end 100hz-200hz Low mids 400hz-800hz; med "Q" Mid range 3khz-5khz Top end 10khz and up Female Vocalist: High Pass filter at 80hz Low end 200hz-300hz Lo mids 400hz-800hz Mid range 3khz-5khz Top end 10khz and up Limiting and Compression A good vocalist will work with mic distance in relationship to dynamics. During soft and loud passages they will intuitively move back and forth from the mic. This will lower the effect of the dynamic control function and maintain a high quality sound. However, when starting out as an engineer or producer you will most likely not have this luxury or feel intimidated to solicit advice to the vocalist. Even with a good microphone and good mic preamp, recording vocalists can be a major problem if various processing is inserted in the wrong sequence. For example: if you insert a compressor or limiter with too slow of an attack time what ends up happening is the dynamics of the vocal performance expands. This is caused by too slow of an attack time on your comp/limiter whereby the initial transient passes through the comp/limiter unaffected and the remaining vocal dynamic is affected. If inserting EQ that enhances the mid range or high end, before this type of setting on the comp limiter it will exacerbate the problem even further. You could also introduce sibilance problems into the sound. To play it safe I would suggest this technique: First limit the vocal with a quick attack and quick release time - this will allow you to manage the transients of the vocal. This will make the vocal more suitable for compression, if desired. Do not EQ the vocal before limiting. Insert the EQ directly after limiting but before compressing. With compression the limited vocal will allow you to use a medium to slow attack time and medium to slow release time. This affectively compresses the tonality or vowel sounds of the vocal, which often require level management. A ratio of 2:1 to 4:1 should suffice. An attack time between 25-100 ms and a release time of 200-500 ms, or better yet use your ears to get the right attack and release settings. Make sure the release time is slow enough to prevent pumping and breathing yet fast enough to not affect the next part of the signal that might not need to be compressed. When dynamically processing a vocal try to have the vocal go back to unity gain as often as you can for example: with a 4:1 ratio the meter should be moving from 0VU to -4VU. If you see the meter moving from -8VU to -4VU you are over-compressing and corrupting the quality of the vocal. Remember, the more you dynamically process a signal, the thinner the sound will get. Dynamic processing does not process evenly over the frequency range, especially in low-priced compressor/limiters. EQ before compresssing. For example if the vocal has too much low-end and is not EQed the compression will be triggered by the low end which will only thin out the sound leaving dynamic problems untouched. Also, if you are EQing mid-range into the vocal the compression will factor in the EQ and compress effectively. Sibilance Sibilance is a problem that can destroy the fidelity of a production - a singer who's every S and T is accompanied by a burst of high-frequency noise. This isn't anybody's fault, it's all down to how an individual's mouth works, but it seems that the better the microphone the more sibilance is captured. This is especially true of some condenser mics, but unfortunately some people tend to equate a very bright vocal sound as being more refined or better produced. What's more, adding effects such as reverb or using heavy compression can make sibilance noticeably worse. As sibilance is a high-frequency problem, and equalizers are designed to emphasize high-frequency detail, it's hardly surprising that using an enhancer tends to exaggerate sibilance even more. The best place to tackle this problem is back at the source, and if you have a mic that's less susceptible to the offending frequencies, try this first. Don't worry if it's not as bright as the original mic; you can use equalization to help compensate for that. Be aware of high frequency distortion that might sound similar to sibilance. The high frequency distortion will most likely be coming from the mic or mic pre-amp. Changing the position of the singer relative to the mic may help in decreasing the sibilance, but in serious cases, you may need to resort to using a de-esser. If you need to de-ess, do it before you EQ and comp/limit. Any high end equalization before the de-esser will make it work harder. Also focus on the problem frequency range of the sibilance. If you notice a "shzzz" sound, the problem area will be in the 3kHz-7kHz range. If it sounds "ssss" it is in the 8kHz-12kHz range. Most de-essers have a mode where you can listen to what is being removed from the signal called a side-chain monitor. This will effectively let you target the problem frequencies accurately and also indicate how much of the sibilance you are removing. When de-essing try to avoid looking at the reduction meter and use your ears. De-ess as much as necessary without creating a lisp problem. De-essing is "frequency select limiting". It uses very fast attack and release times due to the short waves lengths common to sibilance. Most DAWs have plug-ins that will de-ess but actual analog multi-band compressors work best. You can vary the Q, the ratio, the attack and release times and the amount of gain reduction. The Brook Sirens unit in studio 2 is one of the best de-essers out there. De-essing the reverb send from vocals will greatly reduce the level and duration in the reverb. Remember that sibilance is just noise; there is no musical component to it. In most natural reverb settings you will rarely hear a sibilance problem in the decay of a sound. By de-essing the sibilance the reverb will still produce high frequency reverb content that might be desired when mixing especially if there is a lot of EQ in the 12-15K range used for creating a breathy intimate effect. If you are adding mid-range and high-frequency to a vocal always de-ess before you EQ. This will prevent the compressor from creating more of a sibilance problem, keeping in mind that high frequencies contribute a small amount to the overall lead vocal level. For example: in a word like SPARK the S content will meter -20VU and the PARK will meter 0VU. If I compress the signal without de-essing before hand the S will remain at -20VU and the PARK will drop to -6VU. What you have done is taken the original 20db difference between the S and the PARK and now made it 14db effectively creating more of a sibilance problem. If you were to EQ the high frequency range this will exacerbate the problem even further. The trick is to get the PARK sounding as compressed and EQed as you like and then with the de-esser inserted before the compressor and the EQ, take away the amount of sibilance you want. Headphone Mix It is very important that you take the time to provide an excellent headphone monitor mix to the vocalist for singing. Most vocalists will need to hear a clear band mix with sufficient harmonic and rhythm content. If the vocalist is getting ahead or behind the beat you will need to send more drums or instruments with a rhythmic component. If the song when finished will have only a lead vocal and a solo instrument for the intro and first verse, you might suggest to the drummer to keep time by playing the hi-hat softly so it can be used to keep everybody in time and then can be removed for the final mix. Note that most singers do sing ahead of the beat. If the vocalist's pitch is a problem then you might need to send more harmonic instrumentation to the headphone mix. If there is not enough there you might put down a synth pad guide track for the vocalist may reference their pitch too and then not use it in the final mix. If the vocalist has to come in before the downbeat insert a pitch reference a couple of seconds before the song starts. This works especially well if there are key changes in the song and you always have to back to the beginning. This is also a good time to experiment with reverb settings; compression, EQ and effects for singers love to hear an enhanced sound in their headphones. If you find the singer projecting too much or singing too softly then they are not hearing themselves properly in the headphones and this will cause numerous technical and performance problems. Try to set up to record at least 4 tracks so you can have 4 takes to choose from to make a master take. Copyright Kevin Doyle 2005 |
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On 13 Feb 2005 08:03:20 -0800, "kevindoylemusic"
wrote: PRODUCTION TECHNIQUES -------Snip, copy & paste-------------------------- I'd like to thank you for an excellent reading. Edi Zubovic, Crikvenica, Croatia |
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BIG SNIP
Copyright Kevin Doyle 2005 Wow. You own the copyright on how to record music? COOL! |
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i knew someone would make a comment like this. obviously this is a
template based on solid recording techniques. it's something any self-respecting engineer should know. what you do beyond this is up to you. i'd compare it to the difference between realist and abstract art. he's giving you the da vinci version. if you wanna be picasso, go ahead. but rest assured that picasso possessed a solid command of realist techniques before he ever moved on into cubism. make sense? david morley wrote: BIG SNIP Copyright Kevin Doyle 2005 Wow. You own the copyright on how to record music? COOL! |
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This is part of a document that contains well over 100 pages and
diagrams. Naturally I'd be upset if you copied it and sold it for your own profit. But if you need to sell it for your own profit, you have my blessing. kevin |
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This is part of a document that contains well over 100 pages and
diagrams. Naturally I'd be upset if you copied it and sold it for your own profit. But if you need to sell it for your own profit, you have my blessing. kevin |
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"floatingboy" wrote in message oups.com... i knew someone would make a comment like this. obviously this is a template based on solid recording techniques. it's something any self-respecting engineer should know. what you do beyond this is up to you. i'd compare it to the difference between realist and abstract art. he's giving you the da vinci version. if you wanna be picasso, go ahead. but rest assured that picasso possessed a solid command of realist techniques before he ever moved on into cubism. make sense? david morley wrote: BIG SNIP Copyright Kevin Doyle 2005 Wow. You own the copyright on how to record music? COOL! Of course it's a 'template'; that of which we all know is not necessarily transferable from situation to situation. It's nicely done, although at 75kb it's a little on the 'hefty' side for a Usenet posting that may not develop much in the way of discussion. Yes... it's something to know, but until you put your hands on the gear and DO the work yourself, over and over again, and then examine your results over and over again, it's just words on the screen - or words on paper if you decide print it out and treat it like a historical revelation. The glorious thing about this business is that is NO fixed set of rights and wrongs -- there are thousands of ways to achieve similar results, and thousands of results to similar approaches. OK... I sorta' take that back.... I think there are some 'wrongs'. A couple of them. One is to operate a piece of equipment so as to damage it; and the other is to do something a client has asked you specifically *not* to do. Other than that, the sky is the limit, and possibility of interpretation and application are almost infinite. Call it Da Vinci (with capital letters) of recording technique if you like, but it will always be just another painting (with an overly large canvas in this case) to a lot of people. Personally... I'd rarely ever consider a set of 414s or U-87s as drum overheads, let alone swallow the thought of someone telling me that they are simply "THE" first choice. Duct tape on drum heads(?)... not for me. Mandatory 45 degree angle to tom mics? What mics? Why? And this is just from observing three sentences from one paragraph of one section. No... as an _assertion_, this isn't something I'd jump to compare to Da Vinci or Picasso. Variety is the spice of life and the core of non 'cookie-cutter' creativity in audio production. There are no stone tablets. Unless, like Kevin, you have the experience to justify them. And even then, they aren't really carved in stone and should not be presented that way. A re-write that includes 'options', reasons for a given choice or preference, and that leaves room for an individual's creativity & room for disagreement would make the article a lot more 'readable'. -- David Morgan (MAMS) http://www.m-a-m-s DOT com Morgan Audio Media Service Dallas, Texas (214) 662-9901 _______________________________________ http://www.artisan-recordingstudio.com |
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"kevindoylemusic" wrote in message ... But if you need to sell it for your own profit, you have my blessing. kevin I was wondering... ;-) |
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Quote:
That started out something like: Quote:
Quote:
Have you ever considered that you are providing a disservice to the industry with this kind of sub par, sub rudimentary nonsense? If you haven't had that consideration, he is an invitation for self reflection.
__________________
Fletcher http://www.mercenary.com Roscoe Ambel once said: Pro-Tools is to audio what fluorescent is to light Last edited by Fletcher : February 14th 05 at 05:27 PM |
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Like wow.
If you are a professor of music, then make way for the old guard. We obviously have a method of making money to support our little efforts towards recording dynamite groups, but we'll obviously not be using your notes as the starting, middle or end points. -- Roger W. Norman SirMusic Studio "kevindoylemusic" wrote in message ups.com... Totally! |
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And what mics would you suggest for a double bass drum setup on kick? Two
different mics like an RE20 in one and an SM7 in the other? Or would you perhaps want to go whole hog and say an RE20 on the kick head and a condensor on the resonant head? What difference does a large room make on recording drums if you close mic them all? And if a pop drummer is in the mix, would you treat them like the drummer from White Stripe or Peter Gabriel? How about Buddy Rich? If you could record him, what would you do to make his sound his sound? If these are your musings on recording, you still have a long way to go, although I understand that you've somewhat got some credentials. I'd like to have you on stage duty for 5 days of live festival recording and see what you can really come up with. I'd rather see your experience come to the fore in a live situation rather than this regurgitation of "facts" as if they actually had any bearing today as opposed to yesterday or tomorrow. -- Roger W. Norman SirMusic Studio "kevindoylemusic" wrote in message oups.com... PRODUCTION TECHNIQUES .. Producing Drums Drums are the fundamental component of music; "The Bed Track" as we call it. All other instruments are recorded to the rhythms of the drum performance. All instruments eventually trace their roots back to Africa where rhythm was essential to the spirituality of the tribal culture. To this day we notice the rhythm of the drum from the native peoples of Canada, to a dance hall, to someone just tapping their feet to a beat. We are all intertwined with rhythm. Recording drums is one of the most challenging situations you will ever come across in the studio. The microphones you use and how you place them is important in the initial preparation. A tuned kit with new heads is the standard operating procedure for all drummers. No amount of EQ or signal processing can resurrect a cardboard sounding drum kit after it's been recorded. The room you are recording in is very critical also. Rock prod/eng's prefer large live rooms to capture the ambience of the kit. As for pop drummers, they are often located in booths or small rooms that are reasonably dry sounding so you can get a present sound. The Kick Drum For the kick drum, you should use a dynamic mic - the bigger the diaphragm, the better low-end pick-up. I've used RE-20's and AKG-112's. The way I usually mic a kick drum is to stick the mic inside the kick drum (I always remove the front head) about 3-6 inches in front the front head. That's a good place to start - you can move the mic around and find the best sounding location. I usually stick a pillow or blankets against the rear of the drum head to minimize ring. You'll get more attack the closer the mic is to the beater - you'll get more overtones farther away. On certain occasions we use two mics. A small diaphragm dynamic (421) close to the beater to get the attack of the bass drum. The other mic, a large diaphragm, further away from the head to pickup the low end of the resonance of the bass drum. This allows you to have the flexibility to control the mix of the attack and resonance. With the close mic you can EQ from 2-4Khz to get the attack. Anything higher than 4Khz will just make the attack sound thin. With the close mic try to avoid aiming it directly at the beater. This prevents dramatic changes in the attack sound of the bass drum. If you place the mic slightly off axis and EQ the mid range (more than you would if the mic were on axis) the attack sound of the bass drum will be more even. With the large diaphragm mic place it closer to front of the drum (where the head has been removed) this will allow you to get more of the low end resonance. If using a large diaphragm condenser make sure to pad it down (use pad on mic) and place a Kleenex over the microphone to prevent the capsule from being overloaded by wind. With EQing the bottom end you need to know if you would like the bottom end to be heard or felt. EQing between 30-60Hz will allow you to "feel" the bottom end only on large speaker systems. If you need to hear the bottom end EQ between 60-100Hz. This will allow you to "hear" the attack of the low end on smaller speaker systems. The bass drum also produces a lot of low mid range frequencies that tend to not relate to themselves. This usually occurs between 300-600Hz. Be prepared to remove some of these frequencies, which will allow the bass drum to sound tighter and punchier. As in any situation using two mics you need to be prepared for phasing problems. This problem can be solved by flipping the phase on one of the mics or moving the position of one of the mics. The Snare Drum The best way to capture a great snare sound is by close miking it with a dynamic cardioid-pattern mic that can handle a high SPL and keep leakage to a minimum. The legendary SM-57 is an excellent mic for the snare, it is the choice of many professional engineers, and it's what I use myself. The classic approach for miking the snare is to place the mic 1-3 inches over the snare rim opposite the drummer and 1-3 inches above the top drum head. The mic should be at about a 35-degree angle downward. I usually try to also angle the mic inward (away from the hi-hats) to avoid leakage from the hi-hats. You can also mic the bottom snare head for some added top end but remember to reverse the phase. If the drummer is playing with brushes try using a small diaphragm condenser cardioid microphone. The condenser will have a larger pickup pattern to capture more of the performance. With EQ the snare drum has three basic regions: Low end 100Hz (depending on depth of snare drum), mid range (crack) 3-5 kHz and top end 10 kHz and above. In rock, snare drums you tend to desire a lot of the mid range/crack and low end. In Pop you tend to desire more of the top end over the mid range. The Toms It's best to mic each tom separately. Again, small diaphragm dynamic mics work the best, and SM-57's and Sennheiser 421's are a good choice for their tight pick-up pattern and high SPL. Small diaphragm condenser mics are great for getting more top end but remember to insert a pad so the mics don't overload and be prepared for cymbal leakage. The best approach to miking toms is to place the mic 4-6 inches above the drumhead at about a 45-degree angle over the head. If you pick up a lot of overtones, a little duct tape in the right spots will kill the overtones, or if you have a noise gate you can gate out the overtones. I always move the mics around to capture the right balance of attack and resonance. In EQing toms there are four different ranges: Low end 80-120Hz (depending on size of tom) Low Mid range 300-600Hz, High Mid range 2-4kHz and Top end 10kHz and above. In an average EQ setting on a tom you would see a boost in the Low end, High Mid range and High end as well as a cut in the Low Mid range. The Overheads The drum overhead mics are really supposed to capture the overall sound of the drums, not just the cymbals. Condenser mics such as U-87s and AKG 414s are the first choice for overheads, and one popular miking technique is with a spaced pair of mics (on boom stands) mounted 2-3 feet above the drums -the right mic pointed at the right cymbals, the left mic pointed at the left cymbals. Remember that when raising overheads the acoustics of the room will factor into the sonic equation. When mixing direct drum mics with the overheads this most likely causes acoustical phasing problems, this happens in the low frequency range. The low frequencies in phase with the snare drum mic have a tendency to be out of phase when the overheads are mixed in, due to the wavelength of low end frequencies. When checking for phasing problems on drums assign all mics to a mono listening position. It is hard to detect phasing problems with mics panned to different positions in the stereo image. If you notice phasing problems just reverse the phase button on the input strip or move the mic positions. EQ overheads if you need a brighter sound and insert shelving curves in the high end try to avoid rolling off the low end, for this will make your snare and toms sound thin. E.g. +3dB @10Khz (shelf). The Hi-hat Use a small diaphragm condenser mic like an AKG 451 placed about 6" above the high-hats, pointed straight down at the center of the top hat. Sometimes high-hats have a tendency to produce unwanted midrange frequencies around 1.5 kHz which tend to make the high-hat sound trashy. Omitting some of this frequency range will allow the high-hat to sound more defined in the high end. Room Mics Use at least 2 omni mics of the same model. Place them in the centre of the room to get an even room sound. This often requires the use of hard surface baffles between the room mics and the drum kit. This removes the initial direct sound in the pickup allowing the engineer/producer to utilize more of the room resonance. Drum Compression Drum compressing and limiting is often used to control dynamic problems and/or create a desired effect. When using a live performance you tend to get excessive dynamics. For example: when the drummer hits a kick drum and crash cymbal on the downbeat of a chorus, even though the transient is of short time duration it will limit you into how much level you can translate to a CD in mastering. This transient causes the drums to separate themselves from the rest of the elements in the mix. Because the duration of the transient is so short it is hard to correct this dynamic problem through manual fader riding. A good solution for this is to bus all the drums to two tracks and bring this two track stereo sub-mix of the drums back into more inputs. At this stage you can insert limiting to control the extension of the transient. You will need to incorporate an attack time of less then 1millisecond due to the transient nature of the drums. The release time should also be very fast 5-10ms so the only transient is affected and the rest of the performance is left untouched. A limiting ratio of 10:1 or higher will suffice. Remember to allow headroom so some amount of the transient will pass through, rather than being hard limited. This is accomplished by first setting a limiting ratio, with a fast attack time and a fast release time. Next, set the threshold to a setting where the limited audio information is approximately 2-3ms in duration for the nature of drum transients is a very fast attack and a very fast release with little duration in between. The goal here is to limit only this fast transient without affecting the resonance of the drum sound. Another advantageous use in dynamic control is getting your drums to sound punchier. This is achieved by first eliminating the random transients and then inserting compression with a ratio 4:1 to 8:1. The attack time should be any where from 20-50 ms which allows the louder attacks of sound to pass through unaffected. Once the attack is cleared the compressor will kick in, lowering the sustain part of the drum signal. Next set the release time (1-200ms) so the sustain part of the signal is compressed and decays until the approach of the next transient comp/limit. When you are sub-mixing drums to a stereo bus remember to insert the stereo link function on the comp/limiter. In dealing with dynamic control on separate drums allow yourself to create a certain characteristics to achieve great sounds. With snare drum a common problem is getting a good attack but with no sustain which causes the drum to sound inconsistent and weak. The problem here is that even though the attack of the drum is heard on a consistent basis the length and level of the sustain changes randomly. In dealing with this problem split the snare drum over two input channels. Over the first input try to maximize the transient quality of the snare drum by utilizing transparent limiting and EQ in the mid range and high end. On the other channel first gate the signal so all you hear is the snare drum. Next insert a limiter with a very fast attack and very fast release time. The goal here is to limit the attack of the signal heavily. This allows the sustain to be consistent in level and adds more length in duration. To add more body to the sound, EQ in the low mid range and low end. Now mix in this signal with the more transient snare drum signal which will allow you to add in more body to the snare drum that will make it sound bigger and more consistent. In effect, you are decreasing the dynamic range between the level of the transient nature of the drum and the sustain properties of the drum. Room Microphones Use two large diaphragm condensers of the same model placed at an even distance from each other and closest walls. If the room is 36' wide place the mics 12' from the walls to get maximum diffusion. If the room is 48' deep place the mics 18' from the walls. The biggest problem with room miking is the noticeable delay between the audio from the close mics and the original audio arriving to the room mics (diagram A). The solution is to remove the direct signal from the drums from entering the room mics (diagram B). This will allow the room mics to only pick up diffused early reflections and the room reverb, allowing you to mix it in at a higher level without any noticeable flam. Producing Bass One important element of a good production is capturing a good bottom-low end in the recording to help drive the rhythm by complimenting the drum (bass drum) pattern and also serve as the musical foundation for the production. With the great variety of music styles today, there is a myriad of desired musical ideas for the bass sound and its musical contribution. From heavy metal, pop to jazz; all require different approaches. Often synths are used instead of the bass guitar in a track, which requires s a totally different approach and much more flexibility in attaining a different desirable sound. It is important to note that the bass serves two functions. One is for a "feel" effect focusing on the 30-60Hz range and the other is to hear the actual musical notation of the bass performance 60-200Hz. In dance and hip-hop music the desired approach is to feel the bass. In pop music it is important to hear the bass, and in rock it is a combination of both. Another contributing factor in bass is the duration of the note which if longer will give you the illusion that the bass is louder in the mix, as in hip-hop music. Basic Requirements: 1) With Bass you need to know that larger gauge strings will produce more volume and sustain. With thinner strings you might not get enough basic level for the pick-up to grab without producing a lot of noise. Hard rock players often desire thin strings for it allows them to play faster and basically "Show-off". When in the early stages of pre-production have the bass player adapt to heavier gauge strings so the player will be well prepared when it comes time for recording. If the bass sound is squeaky, use a little oil on the strings. 2) Pick-ups: There are 2 different types of pick-ups, active and passive. Active pick-ups require dc power, usually from a 9-volt battery or phantom power. They also step-up the gain and produce a cleaner signal, for you don't need a lot of gain from the mic-pre, which might produce a lot of noise. You need to be careful though, for the amount of level coming from an active pick-up might overload the DI box and/or the mic-pre. With passive pick-ups there is no DC power required and no need to insert a pad on the DI. Passive pick-ups do not color the sound and are less expensive than active pick-ups. 3) Half-Cycle Distortion is common to bass. It occurs when the release time setting on the comp/limit is too short. Since low frequencies have long wavelengths the release time needs to be long enough so it does not release on the half cycle where it would produce distortion. If you need to have a quick release time, start with a long one and slowly shorten its duration until the onset of distortion and then lengthen it slightly. Hard Rock/Metal Bass With HR the bass's role is mainly to be felt, rather than hear what the player is playing. A good HR player will use medium to heavy gauge strings and active pick-ups. Most of the time the bass DI sound will not be used for it is too clean and dynamic. However, it is a good idea to record a DI bass for at a later stage you might want to send the clean signal back into an amp for a different sound. A lot of bass players will use a speaker cabinet that has a mid-range speaker (6"-8") and/or a bottom-end speaker (12"-15"). If using the mid-range speaker that supports the aggressive part of the sound, use a Senn 421 for it's good mid-range response and it's ability to handle high SPL. For the bottom end you might want to use a D-112 or any large diaphragm mic to capture the low frequencies. When using LD condenser mics be prepared to insert the mic pad to prevent distortion. The condenser mic will allow you to pick up all of the speaker's sound due to the fact that cardioid condensers have a wider pickup range than a dynamic cardioid. With compression and limiting, the desired effect will be to have the bottom end level remain a constant with very little dynamic range, for the bass will be mainly supporting the production as a sonic element. If the player is using a pick you will need to treat the sound so the attack will be noticed, with the sustain part of the sound. If the player uses their fingers the effect will be for support and sustain. A hard rock player will drive their amp hard for its compression effect and edge which helps the bass to sound aggressive and cut through the mix. With EQ you usually look at the bottom end (30Hz-60Hz), a shelf or wide bell curve will do. Make sure it's giving you what you need for an even bottom on all 4 strings when played opened. Next, a lot of players like to have some of the low-mids sucked out (300Hz-500Hz) to get rid of the musical part of the signal. For edge, try EQ around 2khz-4khz. The most common trouble in recording bass is its dynamics. A bass often has uncontrollable dynamics especially from string to string and from a fretted note to an open string note. Usually a medium attack time and medium release time are required. For more of a sustain effect use a long release time. Do not be afraid to overdrive the amp and heavily compres the sound. Pop Rock Bass Pop Rock bass requires the most work of all bass sounds. Listeners tend to want to feel the bass and also hear what it is playing musically. A careful balance between the two is sought. One of the elements will be a good clean DI sound usually from an active pickup and active DI box. You must be careful about distortion especially when the player plays quite loud. At the DI box you will split the signal and go into a bass amp usually with a 12" speaker for good low end and a little edge. Watch out for grounding problems that will produce a buzz/hum and/or potential live voltage. You will have at your disposal a ground lift switch on the power bar and a ground lift switch on the DI box to get rid of the ground problem. Once you have both desired elements from the DI and the amp you will then balance the level of the 2 to achieve the desired sound. When recording make sure you try to keep the 2 signals separate, for when mixing you might prefer a clean bass sound for the verses and an edgier sound for the chorus. With EQ you will add low end around the 80Hz-150Hz area and use a bell curve. Often I roll-off the lower part of the bottom end for it is not needed and might cause problems later. With the musical part of the sound, EQ from the 400Hz-800Hz range with a bell curve with a medium Q (2 - 3:1 ratio). As for the attack part of the sound 2khz -4khz should do. When getting your balance play with the phase reversal on one of the signals, you might be pleasantly surprised. For mics I would suggest a good large diaphragm condenser or LD dynamic or both. I have often had success putting the condenser right on axis with the speaker to get presence or to the side of the speaker to get more of the warmth. When compressing, use 2 comp/limit that are the same model and link them together. By linking them together, the bass dynamics get treated the same and the mix balance between the DI and the amp remain the same. Use a medium to fast attack time and a medium to slow release time. EQ before you compress, especially if you are treating the low and bottom end. You don't want to drive the compressor crazy with a lot of low end and unwanted frequencies. Jazz Bass Jazz bass is recorded with a large diaphragm condenser mic. A dynamic mic doesn't have the high-end response you need to capture the finger playing of the bass. Be careful on the mic distance, for if the mic is too close you don't get an overall approximation of the sound of the bass and you might run into proximity effect problems. A lot of players prefer not to EQ the bass and use a minimal amount of dynamic control; instead opting to work on finding a good mic and placement. Sometimes players will have a pick-up on the bridge of their bass for helping with isolation. I tend to not use this for I have not heard a good sounding pick-up yet Synth Bass Synth bass is used a lot these days for it offers the most flexibility. You can expand the musical range of the bass and also have greater control over it's attack sound, its sustain and the ability to control the differences in dynamics. If a hard rock band decides to use the key of "D" or "C" you can use a bass sample to play in that range with good sonic ability. In house music and rap music the bass is usually programmed to be in perfect time. I often like to put the synth bass through an amp to get a little more edge. Often you will only need a little EQ and little dynamic control. Keying The Bass When the Bass is playing the same pattern as the kick drum and the 2 of them are not together rhythmically, you can key the bass so it only plays when the kick drum is playing. This cleans up the problem when the bass payer gets ahead of the drums. You do this by sending a trigger signal from the kick and sending it to the key input of a gate over the bass and using a medium attack time. Producing Electric Guitar Producing good guitar sounds can be a real challenge for a prod/eng in the studio. There are so many variables that factor into the sound and the process of getting a great sound might require a lot of work and experimenting. First start with a good guitarist, with a good instrument and a good sound at the amplifier. Otherwise, there's nothing you can do in the control room to get a good sound. You can improve upon it, but you can't get a really great guitar sound if you don't have the basic ingredients. The first thing that you should do, whether it's with a guitar or another instrument, is go out and listen to the source (you might need ear plugs). You don't want to hear something for the first time after it has passed through a microphone, a mic cable, a fader and a pair of speakers. If there's a really killer sound coming out of the amplifier, try to capture that sound as you hear it. With electric guitar you must first look at the guitar and its set up. The string gauge will greatly influence the final sound. Within gauge strings, for example less than 10mm high E string will present problems in getting a full sound. With thinner gauge strings, less sound will be produced. You will often find when using thin-gauged strings with a lot of amplification the noise vs. music factor will be enhanced somewhat sounding like you're listening to a 747. Once the string gauge starts to get thicker, the more tonality is produced. If your guitar player is used to playing thin gauged strings, get them to move up to mediums and practice with this new set up for a couple of days before going into the studio. This will allow the guitar player to adjust to the new speed of playing that will be required. Also check to make sure the action is set up properly on the guitar, which will produce an accurate balance of the strings. With amplifiers, most guitar players tend to prefer tube amplification over transistor amplification. The tube amp will have a warmer and fuller sound where as the transistor amp will sound thin. Tube amps, also, when over driven, will bring out harmonic distortion that is more pleasing to the ear. Make sure that the guitar chord is the proper length. If it is too short it will require the player to perform too close to their amp causing feedback and inability to hear other performers. If the chord is too long it will affect the quality of the signal due to the increased impedance caused by the length of the chord. Often, guitar players like to overdub in the control room. In this case, have the guitar player get his sound with the amp on the floor and then move the amplifier into the control room and have a thick-gauged speaker cable running from the amp to the speakers in the studio. Beware of microphonic pickup when playing in the control room. With amplifiers, the speaker size will influence the over all sound especially in the low end. If you discover that you are adding a lot of bass to a cabinet that contains 8"-10" speakers, try moving up to a 12" speaker cabinet to process the low end. If you start to get up to a 15" speaker, you will soon discover that the sound will be sluggish with no punch, due to the larger mass of the speaker and the damping factor of the amp. It's just too difficult for that size of speaker to move efficiently. Remember to match the impedance from the amp to the speaker, especially if using multiple cabinets. If you decide to use more than one amp head by splitting the guitar signal, be aware of signal loss and degradation caused by impedance mis-matching. Grounding and ground lifting your amp should also be options that will easily rectify buzz and hum. It also will prevent you from getting a large shock across the heart if you are double grounded through your amp and the studio ground. Most good studios have a separate ground for all their equipment independent of the circuitry that is used for lights, heating...etc. This also prevents double grounding that may cause RF. When using effects in a guitarist's performance such as DDL, chorus and other effects pedals, integrate the processing in the recording. Sometimes it is difficult to regenerate the same effect with a piece of outboard gear in the control room rather than the personal effects of the guitar player. Remember when using effects you need to ask yourself "Is the effect important to the creation of the sound or is it just being used as a detached sounding effect?" When miking a guitar amp, there are basically two approaches. If you are working with a hard rock sound, it is best to go with one or more dynamic mics such as an SM57 and or a 421. This type of microphone will be able to handle the high SPLs coming from the amplifiers. If using more than one mic, make sure their distances from the speakers are the same to avoid phasing problems. These mics like to be placed almost on axis with the speaker to achieve that "in-your-face" sound. Bands like Linkin Park, Green Day and Tea Party utilize this approach today.... The other approach is to use a condenser with a pad. The condenser microphone has a larger pickup pattern and wider frequency response. Microphones like a U87 or 414 are good for this set up, especially if the melodic component is very important to the sound of the guitar. Try to keep the mic at least 6" from the speaker and experiment with the angle of the diaphragm to the speaker. This type of miking is used to capture the whole speaker sound and with the angle you can effectively control the mix between the music and presence in the mic pickup position. Bryan Adams, John Mayer and English rock bands use this approach. These guitar players will often play chords with three or more notes rather than the root and 5th of the heavy rockers. With getting room sounds, I find that placing a mic in front of the cabinet at least 6' away will give you an additional sound that will contain more resonance to the sound, but you need to be aware of how the acoustics of the room are contributing to the overall sound. If you are trying to get a room sound for the guitar, this miking technique has a major drawback with the mic further away still picking up the original direct sound from the amp. Try placing a reflective baffle on an angle in between the cabinet and the distant mic. This will allow you to remove the direct sound from the room mic, thus allowing you to bring up the more dispersed reflections of the room. Try using 2 mics like this for a stereo ambient effect; you will be amazed how much dimension you will be able to create in the sound. Taking a DI send from a guitar can be beneficial if you need to change the sound in the mix. I produced a band called Harem Scarem where the guitar player recorded his performances at home using a processing box that produced half decent overdriven guitar sounds. The guitar was also recorded as a DI to another track. When I was mixing I already had a half dozen guitar amplifiers and speaker arrangements set up for great and different guitar sounds. So when I mixed, I just took the DI performance, plugged it into one of the amplifiers on the studio floor and recorded the new amplified guitar sound. With this approach I was able to change the guitar sounds dramatically for mixing while always using a great performance. In EQing guitars you have the low end (80-200hz) the music range (200-800hz), mid range and high end. With hard rock it is important to get a consistent low end and mid range. You will often get low-end volume excursions that will drive compressors too hard and upset the overall harmonic content of the guitar. When the guitar player goes from a G6 chord to an open E chord you might get a surge in level of the low frequencies. If you notice this happening you will need to insert a multi-band compressor whereby you will just compress the low end of the guitar and the remaining frequency response will remain unchanged. Try to avoid the high end where the vocals might reside in the frequency range. If you are not getting enough of the music out of the guitar sound, add in a little bit of the musical range. With pop rock guitar sounds it is important to hear the actual musical characteristics of the performance. It will also need to be present sounding in the mid range. As always remember to not over EQ the mid range and separate the midrange from the musical characteristics. With comp/limit hard rock guitars will sound very compressed already but beware of quick transients sneaking through. If you get rid of these transients it will allow you to turn up the overall level of the guitar. With pop rock guitar you might need to use a bit of compression to keep it at a consistent level in the mix. With solo guitars limiting/compression will often be required. If your guitar will be the main musical component in a song behind the lead vocal try recording it with perspective as stated above. This can be achieved by placing two room mics that can be panned hard left and right to add dimension and more resonant to the guitar sound. Also try adding in delay to the sound. Quarter and eight note regenerated delays will provide a lot of body and sustain to the guitar. Make sure your delay settings are a fundamental of the rhythm of the track so the attack of the delays will be masked by the rhythm, allowing you to use more of the effect. Also try using different time signatures of the delays to create different feels to the track. Edge of U2 uses a quarter or eight-note delay with a quarter note triplet or eight-note triplet delay at the same time, "Where The Streets Have No Name". Ex; 120 Bpm; 250ms and 333ms. A dotted quarter note delay to a signal can make the signal feel like it's pushing the track, giving it a shuffle feel. In mixing remember that with guitars you're trying to slot them in the overall frequency range and perspective. Make sure that its frequency response does not interfere with the bass or the top end of a track. Producing Acoustic Guitar The acoustic guitar is very much in style today. Crossing between folk, pop and rock genres. While the acoustic guitar remains one of the most simple instruments, it also remains one of the hardest to get a great sound on in the studio. It's really not that difficult though, if you follow a few basic rules. The sound you get has a great deal to do with the quality of the player. Choose an appropriate type and gauge of string for the instrument and for the kind of sound you're after and make sure that the guitar's action is set up correctly so that it plays without buzzing. There are many different types of steel-cored wound string, all of which have subtly different properties. The most commonly used types on acoustic guitars are bronze, phosphor bronze and nickel wound. An instrument with lighter gauge strings (perhaps an 11 to 50 set) will generally be easier to play, but the sound will be thinner and low in volume. On the other hand, very heavy strings (perhaps a set beginning with a 15-gauge top E) can sometimes sound tubby and lacking in overtones on the wound strings. The best compromise is usually the heaviest set of strings that are still comfortable enough for the guitarist to play. Usually starting with medium gauge strings will give you a decent sound. The size of the acoustic guitar has a lot to do with the frequency range that it projects. The bigger the guitar, the more low end it'll provide. These guitars are most effective with strumming chords in the open position. These "jumbo" guitars are normally strum with medium to heavy gauge strings that are capable of producing more resonance due to the larger amount of wood that will resonate sympathetically. A medium size guitar will sound tighter and project the sound quickly, which makes it great for soloing. There is also the nylon-string guitar or better known as the classical guitar where the top three strings are nylon. This type of guitar produces a mellow and a very harmonically even sound. It obviously does not contain the same amount of mid-range and high frequencies that steel-string guitars have. Nylon guitars are becoming more popular in pop music due to their capability to produce harmonic content in a frequency range that will not affect the lead vocal. A great example of this is in the music of Sting. In a song like Fragile the nylon guitar can be mixed tighter to the lead vocal for it is not encroaching in the presence frequency range of the lead vocal. If Sting were to use a steel-string instead, he would have to lower the overall level of the guitar because of the high frequency encroachment produced by the steel-string guitar in comparison to the lead vocal. That would lower the musical harmonic content of the guitar whereby it would separate the vocal melody from the harmonic accompaniment provided by the guitar. The 12-string guitar is the grand piano of the guitar family. Usually played in a strumming fashion with a pick and chords in open positions. The 12-string guitar works most effectively by itself or with little accompaniment for it takes up a lot of the frequency and musical range. If you already have a basic 6-string performance and you feel you need a brighter guitar in addition try changing the 3 low strings with lighter gauge and tune them up an octave (Nashville tuning). Try to avoid capos', because they tend to choke the sound of the guitar. If the guitarist is using a pick, it is always worth trying one of a different thickness. With strumming you will tend to get a more even sound with a medium to light gauge pick. With soloing a thick or medium gauge pick works best for incorporating dynamics. Another thing to bear in mind is that the sound of acoustic guitar recordings can depend a great deal on the environment in which the instrument is played. Acoustic guitars thrive on live acoustics, and insufficient natural reverb is a common problem when recording them in small home studios. While artificial reverb can be used to liven up the sound of a dead room, getting a sympathetic natural acoustic always produces better results, even if you want to add more artificial reverb later. To get a more live sound out of your room, try to position the guitarist so that the instrument is played close to some reflective surfaces like hard floors, doors and solid furniture. If there is carpeting on the floor of your recording room try placing a sheet of plywood on the floor and get the guitar player the take off his/her shoes. Be prepared to have an additional pair of socks in case of gross air pollution. Most studios will have a broad range of different mics to choose from, there are few dynamic mics capable of doing justice to the acoustic guitar. It is best to use a small-diaphragm condenser mic for its greater high-frequency accuracy, and one with an omni polar pattern for a more transparent sound and removing any proximity effect. If the room has bad acoustics you will need to use a cardioid to minimize the influencing characteristics of the room. Capturing a natural sonic balance from the guitar is very important. There are different sounds coming from different places on the guitar that are important in contributing to an overall natural sound. If a mic is used too close to the guitar, the direct sound from that part of the guitar the mic is nearest to will dominate the sound from other parts of the instrument and from the room. You risk miking up only a part of the instrument when what you're really after is the bigger picture. Opposite if your mic is too far away from the guitar. You can end up with a lot of room ambience, leaving the original sound distant and unfocused. As for the specifics of mic placement, position your ear as if it were the microphone while somebody else is playing the guitar. Move your ear around to find the "sweet spot". A common approach is to set up the mic around 6-8" from the guitar, with the capsule aimed between the sound hole and where the neck joins the body. This will usually produce a well-integrated sound. The levels of direct and reflected sound will be about right and the sound hole's contribution will be controlled because the mic doesn't point directly at it. If you need more low-frequency content move the mic position closer to the sound hole. If you need a brighter sound move the mic closer to the 12th fret. This is where the first series of harmonic overtones originate that contribute more high-frequency content to he overall guitar sound. If you have a pair of enclosed headphones that are very accurate to a reference point that you have established, you can easily experiment with tweaking this mic placement while listening for the best sound. If you find a promising sound in this way, remember to check it out on your monitors before committing yourself. Headphones can sometimes be rather misleading. If you find a good position but feel the sound is too dead try switching the pattern to omni and if the opposite occurs switch the omni pattern to cardioid. Be careful to not get too close for this will create an unnatural balance from the guitar. If you are working with a studio musician they will most likely have a custom-made guitar. Ask them where the "sweet-spot" is on their guitar for the performance they are playing. If the guitar player is soloing and moving up the neck try placing the mic closer to the sound hole to give you a fuller sound of the guitar. This will obviously compensate for the lack of low-end that the guitar can produce when used in a soloing fashion. Selecting a microphone depends on the size of the guitar, if the player is playing open chords or soloing. If the player is strumming with open chords use a pencil condenser. If they are soloing, move to a large diaphragm condenser. Dynamic mics simply don't cut it. A guitar with a built-in pick up and a microphone will undoubtedly create some phase problems. Experiment with moving the mic closer and further away from the guitar. That will affect the phase relationship of the two sound sources. Phase, he can be a tricky bugger. This will work effectively if the guitar player is also singing whereby minimizing the vocal leakage into the guitar microphone. If you are cutting a track in a studio with drums try using the direct pickup only and replacing it with an acoustic pickup in an overdubbing stage. Even though direct pickups on acoustic guitars have come a long way I have yet to discover one that sounds as good as a microphone pickup. Stereo miking works well for solo applications. The XY technique is good but still falls short due to its lack of direct sound access. It will give you more of a big cardioid pickup but with less high-end than a single mic. Placing a mic over the 14th fret and another just slightly off-center from the sound hole provides a good starting point for stereo pickup. Make sure both mics are pencil condensers, the same model and miked with the same distance from the guitar. Also incorporate a slight off-axis pickup. The main challenge when using a stereo technique is to make sure that all the different signals are in time with each other when mixed; if there are delays between signals this could cause phasing problems. Some prod/eng's get around this problem by placing all the different mics at exactly the same distance from the guitar's sound hole and this can be successful. As with any studio recording, the composition of the cue mix you feed to the guitarist will be extremely important, so be prepared to take a little time in preparing it given the sensitivity of the mics traditionally used in acoustic guitar recording, it's easy to pick up unwanted leakage from the headphones. Solo the recorded track to check for this and if there's a lot of leakage coming through (from a click track, in particular) then consider turning down the overall headphone mix level or using a different pair of headphones. Closed-back models are obviously best in this application and reduce the possibility of feedback. Recorded acoustic guitar sounds will usually benefit from a little processing. This should be kept to a minimum while recording, so that you leave your options open for the mix. In recording roll-off any problems in the low-end such as rumble by inserting a high-pass filter. As always stated, it's always safer to leave EQ and dynamic processing until the mixing stage. Equalization of the acoustic guitar is very common but used very subtly. The first thing to try is just rolling off some boominess bass, if there is some, using a high-pass or shelving equalizer at 60-80Hz. This can prevent the compressor from working too hard and maintaining an even harmonic balance. It can make a big difference, for example, if other sounds in the mix have strong low mid-range components and if you listen carefully to rock or pop mixes that include acoustic guitar, you'll notice that the low end is quite even. Most acoustic guitars performing in a strumming or fingerpicking style have a mid-range and/or high frequency boost. With the mid-range use a wide Q centered anywhere between 3-7K. If high-end is needed, try a shelving EQ from 8-12K which will produce a silky top-end sound. Be aware of making the acoustic guitar brighter than the lead vocal, if it is mixed at a loud level. If you need musical body, boost in the 600Hz-1.5K range with a medium Q. With acoustic solos you might need to enhance the low end between 100-200Hz to add more body to the performance especially if the guitarist is soloing high up on the neck. With compression for strumming a ratio of 2:1 - 4:1 with a medium attack and medium release should be used, if required. Remember that the transient sound of using a pick identifies the rhythmic component of the performance. If the attack time was too quick it would create the illusion that the guitar player is playing behind the beat. For soloing you might need to limit the transients slightly, then EQ and then compress. With processing on an acoustic guitar it should be done with transparency in mind. If the guitar performance is continuous strumming, there will most likely be no need for reverb. Reverb may be needed if the recording was made in a small room or studio. Mono recording can also be given a sense of space and width by adding a little stereo reverb. Ambience settings with pronounced early reflections are particularly effective in adding life and realism to the acoustic guitar. With strumming use a short pre-delay of 30-50ms and a bright reverb with a 1-2 sec decay time. With a guitar solo use a pre-delay of 100-150ms with a warm reverb with a decay time of 2-4 seconds. De-ess the send to the reverb if there is a lot of high frequency finger noise. Extra Attack To Rhythm Guitars Producing Grand Piano The grand piano is the most acoustically complex instrument to record, with its great dynamic range and wide musical range. From classical, jazz to pop music it lends itself very well to recording. There are numerous miking and processing techniques you may utilize depending on the desired effect you are looking for. Grand pianos vary in size from 7'-9'6" with the larger pianos sounding bigger due to the size of the resonating sound board. Achieving the precise tonal characteristics can be challenging yet will prove to be very satisfying when achieved. One thing to acknowledge is that the same grand piano with the same miking set-up will most likely sound very different with another player even if they are playing the same musical piece. How a player strikes the keys and uses the sustain pedal are just some of the personal performing characteristics that define many different styles and sounds. With hard hammers and close miking you may get transients that meter too slowly to read and you'll have to use your ears to identify them. The mechanics of the piano can inhibit a good pick-up with the extraneous noises from the pedal, hammers and resonating buzzes. The acoustic ambient characteristics associated with the recording environment also influence the sound you are striving for. With pop piano (Alicia Keys, Elton John), we tend to prefer a close pick-up. This allows for good clarity, minimal ambient influences. As we move into jazz-pop (Norah Jones, Dianna Krall) we discover that the grand piano sound starts to play a bigger role in a production and needs to be treated accordingly and isolation from the live singing is a factor. With jazz improvisation (Oscar Peterson, Keith Jarrett) the use of the piano harmonically and sonically are greater and miking set-ups are more challenging and need to be very accurate. Last but not least is classical piano where certain rules are applied for achieving an excellent pick-up that requires the ambient acoustics to play a major role in the overall sound. Pop Piano Pop piano is a situation where the piano plays a contributing role in the production by defining the chord changes. It needs to be able to be heard amongst various other instruments yet not overpowering or attracting too much focus especially if the artist is not known as a piano player. Close miking is the preferred way to go which allows for clarity and isolation. I first ask the player where in the range on the piano they will be playing. A well disciplined player will play between 3-4 octaves, shying away from playing too many bass octaves with the left hand; respecting the bass player, avoid getting in the way of the lead vocals both harmonically and rhythmically and using the sustain pedal only when needed. Too much sustain pedal makes the piano sound too reverberant and muddy. For mics I prefer pencil condensers for there ability to pick up an accurate mid-range and high-end. Because the diaphragms are small in mass, they tend to react faster than large Diaphragm condensers and therefore pick up higher frequencies more efficiently. I don't really need a lot of low end from the piano for with a good arrangement a bass player will cover the fundamentals of the chord changes. If the player is playing a lot around or slightly below middle "C" and not to dynamically I'll use large diaphragm condensers to capture the low end. I'll position the 2 mics approx 8"-12" above the strings and approx 12'-18" apart. Try to position them over the same harmonic points of the strings and slightly angle them between 35 - 45 °. If the mics are positioned on axis (0*), some of the notes will sound brighter than other notes due to the cardiod pick-up patterns of the mics. I'll also watch that the mics are not too far apart to avoid getting "the hole in the middle" sound. If the mics are too close to the strings the balance of the different notes both musically and sonically will be affected and I'll not get much of an even resonance from the soundboard. I'll try to leave the lid open but if isolation is required I'll slightly lower the mic position and lower the lid to the half way position and use some type of blanketing to prevent leakage. With EQ, pop piano requires harmonic clarity. The music of the piano needs to come through clearly. I might add a little mid range 3khz-5khz and/or a little top end 10khz shelving (Wide "Q"). For some situations I'll just use a top end shelving curve and lower the activating frequency point anywhere down to 3khz. You need to remember that if you boost the mids and the highs you will get more clarity but eventually start to separate the brightness from the music of the piano. When we listen to a grand piano we tend to prefer to hear the left hand or low part in the left speaker and the right hand high part in the right speaker. When EQ is required it must be done to both tracks equally. As to not create individual sonic characteristics between the low end (left hand) and the high end (right hand). For example; if the piano needs to be brighter at 10khz, then boost the left and right channel the same amount. If you treat each channel differently in the sonic ranges the ear will tend to focus on the speaker with the brighter sound source. Applying the same EQ to both channels keeps the sonic characteristics the same and helps to retain good stereo imaging. If you need to EQ in the low-mids (music range) to create some separation, do it subtly if the EQ points are somewhat different. With low end add a little if you need to get warmth but be aware of clouding the production. Avoid bottom end boosting and if anything roll off the bottom end if the piano sounds boomy. If the player hits the occasional chord too loud you might need to limit random transients to prevent distortion and/or the piano audibly jumping out in level. The best way to do this is to treat the transients in a sonic transparent fashion. That is to have some dynamic control without affecting the sound of the piano. The goal is to manage the transient problem without noticing its effect. With transients you need to limit only the upper part of the transient by using a very fast attack time; 1msec-10msec and fast release time; 10msec-20msec(link the channels together). The idea is to get in and out as quickly as possible, to manage the transient without affecting the intended dynamics. If the piano does not define the chord changes enough and the attack sounds soft you can make it sound punchier and livelier by compression. The idea here is to get the attack of the sound to come through more. You do this by using a med-slow attack time 50msec-200msec, and a slow release time 250msec or greater. This compresses the sustain part of the chord playing which gives you the sensation that the piano was played more aggressively. I would suggest limiting first if necessary, then EQ (high-end) and then compress. A ratio of 3:1 to 6:1 should get you started. Bruce Hornsby uses this technique for getting his piano sound. At certain times you might want to get a sustain sound from the piano. This is achieved by high comp/limit ratios, fast attack times and very slow release times. A good example of this can be found at the end of The Beatles song "A Day In The Life". Here the release times on the compressor were modified to release very, very slowly. Jazz Pop Piano These days' female jazz/pop singers and pianists dominate the charts. Norah Jones and Dianna Krall are 2 of the best. Here we acknowledge that the lead vocal is the most important element but is immediately followed by the grand piano. Everything else plays a supportive role. One thing in common is that these types of artists are highly skilled pianist and will use the entire piano both musically and dynamically. These types of artists sometimes record their lead vocals while they are playing piano, which makes capturing the best performance very challenging and trade offs are sometimes required. When performing place a piece of 4' x 4' foam, a foot thick right on top of where the sheet music tray sits. I actually remove the tray for it usually produces sympathetic noises. This gives me great isolation between the vocal mic and the piano mics. Because there playing at times maximizing the full range of the piano I'll use large diaphragm condensers for their ability to capture low end. I'll place them about 12"-16" above the strings so I can get more of the sound board resonance and 16"-24" apart for the range of playing will be wider. Because the higher strings on a piano do not have dampers they will sustain. If the top end mic is not positioned to capture this range it will sound distant and reverb like (basically a little higher and wider pick-up than pop piano). I will leave the lid fully open for I don't want to choke the sound. If I need more low end from the piano I'll introduce a third mic over the lower range in an effort to capture the sonic fullness of the piano. I will add this mic in to both left and right channels and use it more for sonic purposes than musical purposes. I will always rely on the full stereo imaging coming from the other 2 mics. If I have to roll off the mid to high frequency range of the 3rd mic to achieve accurate stereo imaging I'll do it. With EQ you will need to make sure the top end of the piano does not interfere with the presence of the lead vocal. If the piano is to bright you will invariably have to bring down its overall level. When you do this you also lower the music element of the piano. All of a sudden your vocalist sounds barren for they are musically out there exposed on their own and even though the piano can be heard clearly it will not contain enough of the harmonic information from the low mid-range to support the lead vocal. Even though the levels of the piano and vocalist are close they are quite detached musically. "Be Aware" With Compression/limiting and EQ I tend to use it minimally. As with all piano EQ and dynamic control what you do to one channel you do exactly to the other. Jazz Piano With traditional Jazz pianists like Oscar Peterson and Keith Jarrett you will get performances that are highly complex in dynamics and musical content. These types of pianists are always improvising on the spot where they are literally are all over the vast range of the keyboard with incredible speed with dramatic dynamic changes. These random changes in performing are happening all the time and you need to prepare yourself to capture this type of performing. Experiment with mic positions and different condenser mics. Of all pianists, jazz players are the most articulate when it comes to meeting their needs. They "speak our technical language". I usually use pencil condensers like the B&K (DAP) 4000 series. They can handle a lot of level without distorting and can translate the percussive nature of jazz playing. As I said previously small diaphragm condensers capture very fast transients more accurately than large diaphragm. I'll often place the 2 mics slightly higher in the range and factor in a 3rd low end mic assigned to both left and right. If the room has good ambient characteristics I'll pull the mics further back and get an overall sound from the piano. With Jazz it's nice to get the articulation and the resonance of the piano. For dynamic control I'll get the player to play very loud and I'll still back off the level to allow for more headroom. With traditional jazz playing you do not want to be in a position to have to reset levels to prevent distortion. If any EQ is required it's usually in the high end just too add a little shimmer to the sound. With dynamic control, it will be used rarely for the dynamics are often exaggerated to highlight the performance. If any limiting is required it will be for getting more level on a CD, but only if it is not that noticeable. Classical Piano In recording classical piano factoring in a good recording ambience is very important to the overall sound. Recordings by the greatest classical pianist were mostly done in good concert halls and large studios. The conventional and traditional way to record piano is to set up 2-3 large diaphragm condensers at different angles approx 8ft-12ft away facing the piano. The mics are angled similar to the angle of the piano lid opening and are usually set up high (6ft-12ft). Large diaphragm condensers are used to capture the low end of the piano and are often used in an omni pattern to allow the acoustics of the space to be used and mics used in an omni have a flatter frequency response than mics in cardioid patterns. The distance between the mics and the piano dictates the ratio between the direct sound and the ambient sound. The goal of this type of recording is to place the piano and the mics in a strategic place for optimum clarity and room ambience. However I find this type of pick up limiting. If the tempo changes dramatically from adagio (slow) to allegro (fast) the piano sound can vary. If you found a mic position that suited an overall good pick up, you might discover that the piano sounds detached and dry with the slower moving pieces and quite muddy at faster tempos. What is perceived to be happening is that this type of pick up has dead spots in it, where once the ambience completely decays you hear dead air between the notes. The opposite happens when the tempo picks up and is quick. The piano begins to sound muddy and reverberant, for the decay is hanging over too much into the next note. This can be very apparent in there are sudden dynamic changes where the piano goes from a loud dynamic and quick tempo to a softer dynamic and slower tempo in a short period of time. The piano sound appears to have too much reverb in amplitude and decay time. Other than taking the time to find suitable mic positions and piano placement and risking losing a good basic mic position and piano placement most often the people involved will settle for a basic good all round position. I find this limiting. I was very fortunate to work with Glenn Gould the greatest classical pianist of the 20th century who was very much into sound innovation. With his recordings I would find a good position for the placement of the piano, usually in the center of the room away from any close walls. Next I would place 3 large diaphragm condensers approx 8ft-12ft from the piano in cardioid pick up patterns. With this placement I would strive for a sound that would be clear and balanced if the music was at a quick tempo (Allegro). Next I would place a stereo mic or 2 matching condensers between 12ft-18ft from the piano in omni to capture a medium reverb time that would include early reflections. Next, I would set up another stereo mic or 2 matched condensers approx 20ft-30ft from the piano for a reverb effect. This would allow for smooth decay times if the tempo was slow (adagio) and avoid any dead air. With this type of pick up I have maximum control over the recording situation. With 3 different mic setups at various distances I can change the piano sound from a clear distinct sound to a very warm and reverberant sound without changing the mic positions and having to constantly go back into the studio to alter mic and piano positions. With Glenn I would preview and mark the score where changes would be required if I was recording to a 2 track final mix or record to a multi-track and have control when I was mixing. Microphones B&K 4000 series, Neumann M149, 87, U-67, U-47, Akg stereo C-24 Excellent transient response, quiet, flat frequency response Pre-amps GML, Millenia, Neve, --any high quality pre that is quiet and good transient response EQ Neve, GML, API, Manly; --4 band, quiet, no colouration effect; more edge around 3khz-5khz bell curve wide "Q"; presence 10khz and up shelving; low end fullness 80hz-150hz Limiting Very little, not perceivable when inserted, fast attack and fast release times Compression Usually for pop; level control, creating more attack to the sound Med attack-medium release Producing Lead Vocals There are many types of singing and various methods of recording vocals from classical, crooning, rock etc. You will discover that you need to develop personal styles and techniques of capturing and enhancing their performance. As a producer or engineer you need to know what is required of your talents to effectively fulfill your role in capturing a good take and sound. Listening to various successful recordings will provide you with not only a reference point but also with a framework to further enhance your goals and objectives in capturing a solid quality performance. Audition some CDs of vocalist's sounds that can be related to what you require. On a reference monitoring system, this should give you a starting point in where to go with equalization, processing, and balance in a mix. You will require a good quality microphone (condenser), a preamp (that can amplify a very dynamic performance and maintain a quiet noise floor), a versatile equalizer and a transparent compressor/limiter. Because recording vocals is often a sensitive and emotional issue for singers, it is a good idea to consistently give the singer positive feedback of words of accomplishment and encouragement. Microphones For most vocalists a high quality large diaphragm condenser microphone is often the choice. If you have access to a tube mic, even better. The tube mic will sound warmer and if there is any distortion, it will be less offensive to the ear. U-47, AT3035, C-12, M-49, C-4000B are often found in better studios and work remarkably well. U-87, AKG 414 and Rhode mics will be found in about every studio and often work quite well. The U-87 will have an even frequency response, where the 414 will accentuate the high end. If recording a rock vocalist try a Shure SM-57. You will get an enhanced mid-range sound with no distortion.Ribbon mics like the RCA models are very good but most have a high noise floor. When recording bed tracks, change the mic from song to song to get a general idea of which mic sounds the best. Also when ready to record final vocals, line up 3-4 mics and quickly have the vocalist go from one to the other to see which mic is the most desirable. Remember to check all the dynamic parts of the song; certain mics sound good in verses but might be to thin sounding in the choruses. Microphone placement For a lead vocal place the mic around 3"-6" from the singer. A pop filter may be required. In choosing a pop filter, make sure it stops a lot of wind transmission (blow at the filter and place your hand on the other side to check) and does not affect the frequency response too much. (Place the pop filter between your ear and a speaker and move it in and out of the way and listen for any sound degradation). Place the pop filter as close to microphone as possible for vocalist's do not like singing close to a pop filter. If the singer is too bassy from the proximity effect, either change the pattern from cardiod to omni, insert a high pass filter or simply have the singer stand a couple of inches further back from the mic. Take note that when a vocalist is moving back and forth from the mic in an area from 1"-3", the low end will drastically change and become very hard to control. Make sure the microphone is suspended in a cradle to remove or to prevent unwanted rumble coming through the mic stand. Make sure the acoustics of the room do not influence the desired vocal sound, which occurs when the vocalist stands too far back from the microphone. If the room is too live try to have the singer move in closer to the mic or dampen the room with blankets or baffles usually close to the singer. If there is a music stand involved for the singer to read lyrics make sure it is dampened down and the stand doesn't ring sympathetically with the vocal performance. Creating The Right Environment Before recording vocals, ask the singer what they need to feel comfortable in the studio when recording. Remember singing is an emotional and mental experience, so having the singer feeling relaxed is very critical. Try to set up baffles covered in quilts and blankets close to the vocalist, this makes the studio seem more comfortable and helps reduce the room acoustics in the sound of the singer. Keep the lighting tapered with a lamp or candles. You might need a small lamp to place on the music stand so the lyrics will be seen easily. Have a comfortable chair and table to place things on and a pitcher of water and a glass for vocalist's throats dry up quickly. Make sure there are pencils on the music stand for singers have a habit of changing lyrics at the last minute. Also place them in an area of the studio that they will be in a position to not have to look at the control room all the time. Standing in the middle of a big studio with bright lighting and people staring at you can be very intimidating for a vocalist, so creating a very comfortable and relaxed environment is very important. Equalization Male Vocalist: High pass filter at 50hz Low end 100hz-200hz Low mids 400hz-800hz; med "Q" Mid range 3khz-5khz Top end 10khz and up Female Vocalist: High Pass filter at 80hz Low end 200hz-300hz Lo mids 400hz-800hz Mid range 3khz-5khz Top end 10khz and up Limiting and Compression A good vocalist will work with mic distance in relationship to dynamics. During soft and loud passages they will intuitively move back and forth from the mic. This will lower the effect of the dynamic control function and maintain a high quality sound. However, when starting out as an engineer or producer you will most likely not have this luxury or feel intimidated to solicit advice to the vocalist. Even with a good microphone and good mic preamp, recording vocalists can be a major problem if various processing is inserted in the wrong sequence. For example: if you insert a compressor or limiter with too slow of an attack time what ends up happening is the dynamics of the vocal performance expands. This is caused by too slow of an attack time on your comp/limiter whereby the initial transient passes through the comp/limiter unaffected and the remaining vocal dynamic is affected. If inserting EQ that enhances the mid range or high end, before this type of setting on the comp limiter it will exacerbate the problem even further. You could also introduce sibilance problems into the sound. To play it safe I would suggest this technique: First limit the vocal with a quick attack and quick release time - this will allow you to manage the transients of the vocal. This will make the vocal more suitable for compression, if desired. Do not EQ the vocal before limiting. Insert the EQ directly after limiting but before compressing. With compression the limited vocal will allow you to use a medium to slow attack time and medium to slow release time. This affectively compresses the tonality or vowel sounds of the vocal, which often require level management. A ratio of 2:1 to 4:1 should suffice. An attack time between 25-100 ms and a release time of 200-500 ms, or better yet use your ears to get the right attack and release settings. Make sure the release time is slow enough to prevent pumping and breathing yet fast enough to not affect the next part of the signal that might not need to be compressed. When dynamically processing a vocal try to have the vocal go back to unity gain as often as you can for example: with a 4:1 ratio the meter should be moving from 0VU to -4VU. If you see the meter moving from -8VU to -4VU you are over-compressing and corrupting the quality of the vocal. Remember, the more you dynamically process a signal, the thinner the sound will get. Dynamic processing does not process evenly over the frequency range, especially in low-priced compressor/limiters. EQ before compresssing. For example if the vocal has too much low-end and is not EQed the compression will be triggered by the low end which will only thin out the sound leaving dynamic problems untouched. Also, if you are EQing mid-range into the vocal the compression will factor in the EQ and compress effectively. Sibilance Sibilance is a problem that can destroy the fidelity of a production - a singer who's every S and T is accompanied by a burst of high-frequency noise. This isn't anybody's fault, it's all down to how an individual's mouth works, but it seems that the better the microphone the more sibilance is captured. This is especially true of some condenser mics, but unfortunately some people tend to equate a very bright vocal sound as being more refined or better produced. What's more, adding effects such as reverb or using heavy compression can make sibilance noticeably worse. As sibilance is a high-frequency problem, and equalizers are designed to emphasize high-frequency detail, it's hardly surprising that using an enhancer tends to exaggerate sibilance even more. The best place to tackle this problem is back at the source, and if you have a mic that's less susceptible to the offending frequencies, try this first. Don't worry if it's not as bright as the original mic; you can use equalization to help compensate for that. Be aware of high frequency distortion that might sound similar to sibilance. The high frequency distortion will most likely be coming from the mic or mic pre-amp. Changing the position of the singer relative to the mic may help in decreasing the sibilance, but in serious cases, you may need to resort to using a de-esser. If you need to de-ess, do it before you EQ and comp/limit. Any high end equalization before the de-esser will make it work harder. Also focus on the problem frequency range of the sibilance. If you notice a "shzzz" sound, the problem area will be in the 3kHz-7kHz range. If it sounds "ssss" it is in the 8kHz-12kHz range. Most de-essers have a mode where you can listen to what is being removed from the signal called a side-chain monitor. This will effectively let you target the problem frequencies accurately and also indicate how much of the sibilance you are removing. When de-essing try to avoid looking at the reduction meter and use your ears. De-ess as much as necessary without creating a lisp problem. De-essing is "frequency select limiting". It uses very fast attack and release times due to the short waves lengths common to sibilance. Most DAWs have plug-ins that will de-ess but actual analog multi-band compressors work best. You can vary the Q, the ratio, the attack and release times and the amount of gain reduction. The Brook Sirens unit in studio 2 is one of the best de-essers out there. De-essing the reverb send from vocals will greatly reduce the level and duration in the reverb. Remember that sibilance is just noise; there is no musical component to it. In most natural reverb settings you will rarely hear a sibilance problem in the decay of a sound. By de-essing the sibilance the reverb will still produce high frequency reverb content that might be desired when mixing especially if there is a lot of EQ in the 12-15K range used for creating a breathy intimate effect. If you are adding mid-range and high-frequency to a vocal always de-ess before you EQ. This will prevent the compressor from creating more of a sibilance problem, keeping in mind that high frequencies contribute a small amount to the overall lead vocal level. For example: in a word like SPARK the S content will meter -20VU and the PARK will meter 0VU. If I compress the signal without de-essing before hand the S will remain at -20VU and the PARK will drop to -6VU. What you have done is taken the original 20db difference between the S and the PARK and now made it 14db effectively creating more of a sibilance problem. If you were to EQ the high frequency range this will exacerbate the problem even further. The trick is to get the PARK sounding as compressed and EQed as you like and then with the de-esser inserted before the compressor and the EQ, take away the amount of sibilance you want. Headphone Mix It is very important that you take the time to provide an excellent headphone monitor mix to the vocalist for singing. Most vocalists will need to hear a clear band mix with sufficient harmonic and rhythm content. If the vocalist is getting ahead or behind the beat you will need to send more drums or instruments with a rhythmic component. If the song when finished will have only a lead vocal and a solo instrument for the intro and first verse, you might suggest to the drummer to keep time by playing the hi-hat softly so it can be used to keep everybody in time and then can be removed for the final mix. Note that most singers do sing ahead of the beat. If the vocalist's pitch is a problem then you might need to send more harmonic instrumentation to the headphone mix. If there is not enough there you might put down a synth pad guide track for the vocalist may reference their pitch too and then not use it in the final mix. If the vocalist has to come in before the downbeat insert a pitch reference a couple of seconds before the song starts. This works especially well if there are key changes in the song and you always have to back to the beginning. This is also a good time to experiment with reverb settings; compression, EQ and effects for singers love to hear an enhanced sound in their headphones. If you find the singer projecting too much or singing too softly then they are not hearing themselves properly in the headphones and this will cause numerous technical and performance problems. Try to set up to record at least 4 tracks so you can have 4 takes to choose from to make a master take. Copyright Kevin Doyle 2005 |
#14
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I think we already have it in our minds. Take a break.
-- Roger W. Norman SirMusic Studio "kevindoylemusic" wrote in message oups.com... This is part of a document that contains well over 100 pages and diagrams. Naturally I'd be upset if you copied it and sold it for your own profit. But if you need to sell it for your own profit, you have my blessing. kevin |
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On Mon, 14 Feb 2005 15:26:10 -0500, "Roger W. Norman"
wrote: I'd rather see your experience come to the fore in a live situation rather than this regurgitation of "facts" as if they actually had any bearing today as opposed to yesterday or tomorrow. FWIW, the advice about grounds and ground lifting is not just wrong; it's dangerously wrong. Better check him first. Chris Hornbeck |
#16
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Well, anytime that ground is wrong, it's dangerously wrong. I remember back
in the eighth grade when we were playing a junior high dance. The bass player (I still work with him today, some 40 years later) had an amp that wasn't grounded properly, and we almost killed a friend because he leaned on the amp and touched metal. I have other stories, but this one is good enough. Don't kill your friends or your bandmates with bad grounds! g -- Roger W. Norman SirMusic Studio "Chris Hornbeck" wrote in message ... On Mon, 14 Feb 2005 15:26:10 -0500, "Roger W. Norman" wrote: I'd rather see your experience come to the fore in a live situation rather than this regurgitation of "facts" as if they actually had any bearing today as opposed to yesterday or tomorrow. FWIW, the advice about grounds and ground lifting is not just wrong; it's dangerously wrong. Better check him first. Chris Hornbeck |
#17
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kevindoylemusic wrote:
Watch out for grounding problems that will produce a buzz/hum and/or potential live voltage. You will have at your disposal a ground lift switch on the power bar and a ground lift switch on the DI box to get rid of the ground problem. People, this kind of advice can get you killed. Just don't do it, and before you jump to conclusions, hit Google and catch Scott Dorsey's comments on this bright idea. You don't get rid of "grounding problems" by getting rid of _ground_ if you have both a brain and a desire either to keep living or to avoid killing someone else. If Kevin Doyle actually suggests this, his PHD is meaningless and he should be sent back to grade school. If he doesn't suggest this, then maybe he ought to get his students' heads out of his ass. -- ha |
#18
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"Chris Hornbeck" wrote in FWIW, the advice about grounds and ground lifting is not just wrong; it's dangerously wrong. Better check him first. If not outright illegal, as in most countries. geoff |
#19
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About your compression question Ed
I think with dynamic control it is a good idea to engage the correct attack and released times for both limiting and compression. I find with limiting it should be transparent so the mix still has dynamics with the dynamic articulation in the attack of the signal. So getting in and out with very fast attack and release times is needed. This part of the signal is very short in duration and contains mostly the noise element of the signal and not much of the resonance or pitch, For example If you hit a piano key with 2 different intensities, the front part of the waveform will sound similar in frequency content. Research shows that you have to get into the signal by approx 10-30ms in order for the 2 different signals to sound different due to their overtone series structure. It is at this point that I would recommend compression with med attack and release times. This will allow the dynamic attack part of the signal to pass through because the attack time is to slow to grab the peak. It is here that the resonance and sustain part of the signal is compressed and controlled. I find with this method you can control how much articulation of the attack you want and how much of the resonance you desire. I will usually Eq after I compress so the compressor sees a signal that is manageable in its frequency response. With a Piano it is important, for if the right hand is holding a chord, and the left hand has low-end bass excursions, you don't want to distort the harmonic balance of the right hand especially if the chord needs to be held over changing bass lines. Some say a stereo link is good but I feel you need to manage the signal before the stereo compressor engages the signal. Bruce Hornsby illustrates this beautifully with his unique piano sound kevin |
#20
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Simple Earthing rules for a) safety and b) good practice
Exploratory: Trace reliable Earth or Ground point as being permanently intact at a proper or fatter gauge to your incoming supply board. If poss, separate ground ring bus of supply outlets for programme equipment from ground ring bus of those needed just for utility purposes. Recommended: Use RCD breakers on each ring - to trip should a leakage fault situation arise. You can simulate such a fault with the Test button which should be pressed at least once a fortnight if poss. Always ground each bay or rack (bond it to supply outlet ground so it's always safe, never ever compromise its ground status) and every piece of rack-mounted or free-standing equipment that has a metal case or fascia or connector shields (unless it is "domestic" and has a 2-pole mains lead/cord, say, fig-8), to a clean ground. Ensure main mixer's tech ground and monitor amps are grounded close to one another. This is the production area nucleus. Never bother to attach the screen of a "balanced" output circuit at the detachable plug-in connector, unless cable is going via Source jackfield. See next.... Always attach the screen at the detachable plug-in connector to the "balanced" input (mic or line) cct and at the Destination jackfield. On jackfields never link sleeve of upper jack to sleeve of lower jack if normalling exists between them! Check out, on amplifiers that are hum-prone, that the input screen is traceable to a point nearest 0V (common rail of dual polarity PSU or of single rail PSU) of storage electrolytic, which if single rail is often made to chassis. Try to add Earth/Ground lift toggles connecting/isolating pin1 at o/p XLRs of portable mains-operated gear, and at DA o/ps where necessary or when feisable. Jim "hank alrich" wrote in message .. . kevindoylemusic wrote: Watch out for grounding problems that will produce a buzz/hum and/or potential live voltage. You will have at your disposal a ground lift switch on the power bar and a ground lift switch on the DI box to get rid of the ground problem. People, this kind of advice can get you killed. Just don't do it, and before you jump to conclusions, hit Google and catch Scott Dorsey's comments on this bright idea. You don't get rid of "grounding problems" by getting rid of _ground_ if you have both a brain and a desire either to keep living or to avoid killing someone else. If Kevin Doyle actually suggests this, his PHD is meaningless and he should be sent back to grade school. If he doesn't suggest this, then maybe he ought to get his students' heads out of his ass. -- ha |
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