Recording Analysis

7/24/2019 Recording Analysis

1/9

Recording Analysis

Introduction to the studio

To make a professional standard multi-channel recording, the studio environment and theequipment within it is vital. The studio we used to make a multi-channel recording has anabundance of equipment in it to allow us to make the multi-channel recording to a professionalstandard. There are also sound proofing and acoustic engineering methods involved in thestructure of the studio so that there isn't any interference when recording, especially if there isother activity in surrounding studios/rooms. The studio is also divided into three spaces; the control

room, as shown in the diagram above, the vocal booth and the live room.Equipment

Firstly, I will start by explaining the main equipment listed above in detail. There are many differentinterfaces, microphones and components needed for multi-channel recording. These may appearto be complex but it is easy to get your head around all of them and how they work once it isexplained.

Universal Audio Apollo Quad Audio Interface

The Universal Audio Apollo Quad Audio Interface is a professional standard audio interface used

for analog recording and Analog/Digital & Digital/Analog conversion for music production. TheApollo has 4 Unison-enabled mic preamps for tracking and an onboard UAD-2 Quad Core DSP forreal time UAD processing. The quality of the components inside

Computer display 1with Logic Pro Xloaded Yamaha HS5 5-Inch

Active studiomonitor speakers

Adam A77XActive studiomonitor speaker

Adam A77XActive studiomonitor speaker

(Left)

Computerdisplay 2 with UniversalAudio Apollo Virtual MixerSoftware loaded

Universal AudioApollo FireWireQuad Interface

Focusrite OctoPre MKIIDynamic Preamplifier

Focusrite ISA OneDirect Input Box andPreamp

EmagicAMT8 8-PortMIDI Interface

Apple PowerMac G5with Keyboard and

Mouse

NovationImpulse 49 KeyMIDI Keyboard

Samson S-Phone

Headphone

Mixer/Amp

SPL Monitor

& Talkback

Controller


2/9

(hardware) means that this audio interface gives a high resolution sound with a high dynamicrange.

The Universal Audio Apollo FireWire Audio Interface has4 Microphone inputs (1-4 on the front of the interface)and 8 Line inputs (1-8). It comes equipped with +48VPhantom Power to power condenser microphones, as wellas the pad option to reduce the gain of the input.

The interface also comes with virtual mixer software that has more plug-ins which you can use torecord with so it is already on your track or you can just use them for monitoring purposes. It is builtinto the interface which allows the computer to remain working constantly without needing thepower to process the software and means there cannot be cracked version of it. In the main studiowe used this was on the second computer display as shown in the diagram at the start of thisessay

Focusrite Octopre MKII Preamplifier

Focusrite Octopre MKII is an input upgrade for anydigital audio workstation. You can connect the OctoberMKII to the Universal Audio Apollo FireWire AudioInterfaces ADAT input to make a high quality, multi-channel recording solution, ideal for tracking drums,guitars, keyboards, or vocals.

The Focusrite Octopre MKII runs off of the Apollos ADAT input as mentioned above which meansyou have more microphone inputs available for multi-channel recording. This helps when recordingmany instruments at a time and provides more flexibility in the studio.

Samson S-Phone Headphone mixer/amplifier

The Samson S-phone is a four channel headphonemixer/amplifier for monitor and cue mixing. The MasterInput features an input level to control and an LED meterto display the stereo input. Each of S-phone's four channelsare the headphone outputs, an overall volume control andindividual Level meters. For more control, the Samson S-phone headphone mixer/amp also features a 2-band equaliser on each of the four channels

Focusrite ISA One Direct Input Box and Preamp

The Focusrite ISA One is a Direct input box and preamplifier. The ISAOne provides flexibility in the studio as you can plug a guitar/bassguitar in directly via a jack lead or you can plug an XLR cable directlyinto the back of the ISA One if you wish to. There are many differentoptions on the ISA One which you will use depending on the type ofrecording you are doing.

On the front you can switch between mic, line, and instrumentsettings, as well as switch between high and low impedance for DIInput and gain control alongside it to adjust the input gain to avoidclipping when recording. There is also a button on the front for +48V

Phantom Power if needed when plugging in a microphone via XLRthat requires power. The ISA One also provides an amplifier outputand Analog to Digital conversion.


3/9

Emagic AMT8 8-port MIDI Interface

The Emagic AMT8 8-port MIDI Interface is a MIDI interface whichallows the computer to interpret MIDI notes and convert theminto musical notes. This is used when using a MIDI instrumentdoes not connect to the computer via USB. The MIDI keyboardin the studio we used is a Novation Impulse 49 Key USB MIDIKeyboard so we did not need to use the Emagic AMT8.

SPL Talkback & Monitor Controller

The SPL Talkback & Monitor Controller is a controller that providesflexibility in the studio. The SPL allows you to control volume level,switch between up to 3 sets of speakers through 3 XLR Outputs, aswell as talk to musicians in the live room or vocal booth due to aninbuilt microphone. You can control the volume of the mix beingsent in headphones to the musicians performing and thevolume of your voice when you speak to the musicians to give

guidance depending on preference and what the musicianswants. Before the output from the computer goes to thespeakers, it comes from the computer to the SPL and thenback out again towards the speakers. The SPL Talkback &Monitor Controller routes the signal meaning you can switchbetween speakers. This feature is very helpful when mixing.

SpeakersThere are two pairs of active studio monitor speakers in the studio. The main purpose of this ismainly for the mixing stage as they have different frequency responses, however you still needspeakers for line checks and monitoring in the recording stage of this project.

Yamaha HS5 Active studio monitor speakers

The Yamaha HS5 Active studio monitor speakers are 2-way near-field powered monitorspeakers with a 5 inch cone woofer and a 1 inch dome tweeter. The frequency response is54Hz - 30kHz. The frequency response is an important part when choosing monitorspeakers for a studio as ideally you should have speakers that provide a true or flat soundfor mixing purposes. The Yamaha HS5 have XLR and TRS Phone jack inputs for balancedor unbalanced signals.

Adam A77X Active studio monitor speakers

The Adam A77X Active studio monitor speakers are 3-way near-field poweredmonitor speakers with two 7 inch woofers on each speaker (left and right).TheFrequency response of the A77Xs is 30Hz - 50kHz which, in terms of frequencyresponse, provides a wide range of frequencies alongside the Yamaha HS5 so formixing, the two speakers combined will make the sound true or flat'

Microphones

For any multi-channel recording, you will need a wide range of microphones for many differentpurposes and different types of recording. This is because, in a similar way to speakers, different

microphones have different frequency responses, as well as different sound pressure levels anddifferent polar patterns. You will need to consider all of these things when deciding on amicrophone to record different drums in a drum kit, guitars, bass guitars, and vocals.


4/9

There are two main types of microphone. These are dynamic microphones which do not need apower supply, tend to be more robust than condensers which is why dynamic microphones areused for live performances. Condensers are more sensitive to plosives and excessive soundpressure level (spl) than dynamic microphones and are less robust. Another thing to consider is thepolar pattern of the microphone. This determines where the microphone picks up from the mostsound so this is a key factor in choosing a microphone for recording a specific instrument. Forexample, an omni-directional microphone picks up sound from all around it while a cardioid polarpattern microphone picks up sound in a bulb heart shape from the back round to the front. With acardioid polar pattern, the most sound is captured on the very front of the microphone.

Audix f2

The Audix f2 is a dynamic microphone with a frequency response of 52Hz to 15kHz. Thef2 is used for both live stage performances and in the studio for rack and floor toms,Congas, Djembe, Guitar, Bass cabs and Brass instruments. The Audix f2 has ahypercardioid polar pattern which is narrower than a cardioid polar pattern howevertends to pick up a larger amount from the rear of the microphone. In my recording I usedthis microphone on the rack and floor toms.

Audix f6

The Audix f6 is also a dynamic microphone with a frequency response of 40Hz -16kHz. Similar to the f2, the f6 is used for both live stage performances and studiorecordings, however, the instruments you record using this microphone will vary fromthe f2. The f6 can be used for the kick drum, kettle drum, floor tom, bass cabinetsand leslie bottom. This microphone has a wide diaphragm so it picks up more lowfrequency. This is why for parts of the drum kit such as the kick and floor tom, this isthe perfect microphone. In my recording I used the f6 on the kick drum.

Audix f9

The Audix f9 is a pre-polarized condenser microphone requiring phantom power with afrequency response of 40Hz - 20kHz. The f9 has a cardioid polar pattern and is verydirectional meaning it is very sensitive to sound directly in front of it. The Audix f9 can beused for cymbals, overheads, hi-hat, goodie table, as well as an audience microphoneas it is good with picking up high frequencies. This microphone has a low soundpressure level meaning that it is very sensitive to plosives which can potentially damagethe microphone and ruin the recording.

Shure sm57

The Shure m57 is a dynamic microphone with a frequency response of 40Hz-15kHz. The sm57has a cardioid polar pattern which means the most sensitive part of the microphone is directly infront of the diaphragm, with a bit at the sides and there is nothing picked up from behind themicrophone. This is different from the hypercardioid polar pattern. This microphone is used for thesnare drum, tom drums, electric guitar and percussion instruments. When recording electric guitarremember to mic the amplifier, not the guitar.

Shure sm58

The Shure m58 is a dynamic microphone that is very similar to the sm57 with just a slightdifference in frequency in the high frequencies. The frequency response of the sm58 is

50Hz-15kHz so there is only a slight difference of 10Hz. The polar pattern is also cardioid and itcan be used for vocals or speech as well as the snare drum. There is not a lot of differencebetween the 57 & the 58, except the 58 picks up 10Hz less low frequencies than the 57. You canuse either on the snare top or bottom.


5/9

Shure sm7b

The Shure sm7b is a dynamic microphone with a selectable frequency response of50Hz-20kHz. Similar to the sm57 & sm58, the sm7b has a cardioid polar pattern andcan be used for vocals, electric guitar, snare drum, tom drums, or bass/kick drum. Thisis a very versatile microphone that is very famous for being used by Michael Jacksonfor his vocals. The input gain on any audio interface that the microphone is connectedto needs to be turned up when using this microphone as the input volume on themicrophone tends to be low.

Neumann TLM 102

The Neumann tlm 102 is a condenser microphone with a frequency response of20Hz-20kHz with a cardioid polar pattern similar to the sm57 and sm58. It is a largediaphragm microphone which is used for vocals/speech, percussion instruments, drumsand amplifiers. This is the most sensitive microphone and is too sensitive for some usespotentially could be damaged by excessive sound pressure level (spl). When using this

microphone it is best to use a pop filter/shield when recording vocals to prevent plosivesfrom damaging the mic and ruining the recording.

The microphones we used on each drum on the drum kit were as follows:

Kick/bass drum - Audix f6 Snare Top - Shure sm57/58 Snare Bottom - Shure sm57/58 Rack Tom - Audix f2 Floor Tom - Audix f2 Overheads left and right - Audix f9 (Phantom Power)

Microphone I used for vocals - Neumann TLM 102Microphone I used for acoustic guitar - Audix f9 (Phantom power)and for amplifier - Shure sm58

I also used the Focusrite ISA One direct input box and preamp to record a bass guitar directly intothe computer.

Additional equipment:- An Apple PowerMac G5 with Keyboard and Mouse- Logic Pro X- Stage Boxes for signal routing

- Instruments to record (Drums, Guitar, Bass Guitar)- Guitar Amplifier (VOX)

Recording Spaces

There are three main spaces for multi-channel recording each with different characteristics fordifferent purposes. These are the control room, the live room and the vocal booth.

Control room

As shown in the diagram at the start of this essay, one important

part of the studio for multi-channel recording is the control room.This is where the signal being picked up by microphones in thevocal booth or live room is sent through XLR Cables into audiointerfaces into the computer. The engineer sitting in the control


6/9

room will set up the channel inputs on Logic Pro X, press record, communicate with musiciansthrough the SPL Talkback and monitor controller, and will often give guidance to musiciansrecording.

Live Room

The live room is where the main recording for drums, amped guitarand bass guitar is done. There is a small amount of naturalreverberation in this room compared with the vocal booth becausethere is more space and the room is not completely dead. Thishelps when recording drums for the overheads and roommicrophone (if you choose to use one) as it gives the full kit morespace and depth in the sound. In the live room there are two stageboxes which are used to route signal being picked up by themicrophones into the control via XLR cables. You have to rememberwhich microphone is plugged into which input on the stage box asthis determines which input you select in Logic Pro X.

Vocal Booth

The vocal booth is a space which is completely dead with absolutely no reverberation. This isbecause when recording vocals, it is preferable to record them completely dry so you have a dryrecording to work from and then add the reverb using a plug-in in logic later on in the mixing stage.This is a subjective method as on the Apollo virtual mixer you can add plug-ins such ascompression or reverb for monitoring purposes or you can record it in with the plug-ins. Whetheryou record the vocals dry or not is a person preference down to what you as the producer decideto do.

Overall

The control room, live room and vocal booth are all acoustically treated for a quality, professionalsound when making a multi-channel recording. The rooms are sound proof so that any recordingcannot be interfered or interrupted by people talking in the control room, or sound from anotherroom leaking into a recording space.

Recording

When making a multi-channel recording there are many aspects you need to consider, some ofwhich I have already discussed such as which microphone to choose depending on the instrumentyou are recording. Another aspect you need to consider is microphone placement. When we wererecording a full drum kit, an output from a guitar amplifier from a guitar or bass guitar, and an

acoustic guitar. When recording a drum kit, you need to make sure the microphone stands are inthe right places. This is subjective to the producer/engineer.

Kick drum - To record the kick drum I placed an Audix f6 microphone in a hole cut inthe front of the kick drum. I used this microphone because it picks up more lowfrequency which is what we want on the kick drum. How far the microphone is placedinside the hole affects the attack of the kick and the overall sound produced. If thewhole microphone is placed inside the drum, it gives a more processed sound to thekick. The preferable placement on my recording was halfway in the hole and half wayout, but like many things with multi-channel recording, microphone placement issubjective to what you as the producer want the final sound to sound like. Remember

to tuck the XLR Cable on the stand to keep things tidy.

Snare Top - To record the snare we placed a Shure sm57 over the top of the drum pointinghorizontally down towards the middle of the snare drum from the side as shown in the picture on


7/9

the right. You need to make sure that the microphone does not get in the way of thedrummer performing so the microphone does not get struck but the microphone doeshave to be direct enough for it to pick up the full sound of the snare. Remember totuck the XLR Cable on the stand so it does not drape down affecting the sound of thedrum.

Snare Bottom - To record the snare I also placed a Shure sm75 underneath the drumpointing vertically upwards towards the middle where the snares are underneath thedrum as seen in the picture on the right. The idea behind this is to give the full soundof the snare in the overall mix so you get a realistic sound of the snare drum as if itwas being played in the room in front of you. Remember to tuck the XLR Cable on thestand so it does not drape down affecting the sound of the drum.

Rack Tom -To record the rack tom I placed an Audix f2 microphone from the front of the drum kitover the top of the drum also pointing horizontally down towards the middle of thedrum similar to the top snare. Again, make sure the microphone is not covering the

main skin of the drum so it does not interfere with the drummer but needs to be directenough to pick up the full sound of the tom. Remember to tuck the XLR Cable on thestand so it does not drape down affecting the sound of the drum.

Floor Tom - To record the floor tom, I placed another Audix f2 microphone in a similarposition to the rack tom and top snare except at the side of the drum kit. Remember topoint the microphone towards the centre of the drum to get the best resonance, if it ispointing to either of the sides it will sound different. Remember to tuck the XLR Cableon the stand so it does not drape down and interfere with the drum.

Overheads -To record the stereo output of the drum kit, I used overheads. Themicrophones I used for the two overheads were the Audix f9 pencilmicrophones that require Phantom Power as these are the best choicefor picking up high frequency information and are very directional.These pick up the majority of the sound made by the cymbals and hi-hat, as well as picking up the kit as a whole giving the recording moredepth. I set up the overheads on the left and right side of the drum kitpointing down towards the snare. With this set up I made sure thatboth the overheads are the same distance away from the snare whichyou can measure by using a spare XLR Cable. Remember to tuck the

XLR Cables on the mic stands so they do not collide or drape over thecymbals and interfere with the recording/sound of the cymbals.

This is the standard set up for the overheads, however, there arevariations such as the XY position where the overheads meet in themiddle pointing towards each other directly above the snare/drummer.This variation captures more of the stereo image of the drum kit as sound waves from every drumand cymbal reach the two microphone diaphragms almost at the same time and provide a narrowstereo spread. Remember to pan the overheads left and right in Logic Pro X before setting thelevels.

Recording a guitar or bass guitar through an amplifier

The recommended microphone for recording a guitar through an amplifier is the Shure sm58. Thisis the most commonly used microphone for both studio recordings and live performances. This is


8/9

because the sm58 is a robust microphone and it cannot be easily damaged, even if you turn up thevolume on the amp causing excessive sound pressure.

When recording guitar through an amplifier, you need to consider the placement of themicrophone. This includes distance away from the cone of the amplifier and the position of themicrophone in terms of the cone of the amp. You are likely to get a more mellow sound if you placethe microphone on the edge of the cone of the amp rather than the full sound you get from placingit at the centre. It is always useful to use a room mic when you are recording a guitar through anamplifier so you get a combination of presence from the direct microphone and ambience/depth/space

Recording using Direct Input

On my own composition I recorded a bass guitar using direct input on the Focusrite ISA One via aTRS Jack lead. This creates a clean recording without distortion in combination with a legacycompressor on the Universal Audio Apollo Virtual mixer. Similar to recording using microphones,you need to do a line check to make sure signal is coming through as well as setting the levels toget a recording without clipping/peaking. I made sure that the bass guitar was tuned properly using

the tuner on Logic Pro X first before the recording could commence.

Signal Routing and Cabling

When recording drums, you need to do the signal routing. Once the microphones are all set up andin place, you need to measure the overheads on the drum kit using a spare XLR Cable and cableall the microphones up, plug them into the correct inputs on the stage box and then select thecorrect inputs on Logic Pro X in the control room. The inputs for the drum kit were as follows:

Kick - input 2 on the first stage box and input 2 on Logic (2 on Apollo interface)Snare Top - input 3 on the first stage box and input 3 on Logic (3 on Apollo interface)

Snare Bottom - input 4 on the first stage box and input 4 on Logic (4 on Apollo interface)

Rack tom - input 1 on the second stage box and input 9 on Logic (1 Focusrite Octopre with pad)Floor tom - input 2 on the second stage box and input 10 on Logic (2 on Focusrite Octopre withpad)Overhead left - input 3 on the second stage box and input 11 on Logic ( 3 on Focusrite Octoprewith Phantom Power)Overhead right - input 4 on the second stage box and input 12 on Logic (4 on Focusrite Octoprewith Phantom Power)

Vocal booth - second input inside the vocal booth and input 1 on Logic (1 on Apollo interface withPhantom Power)

Focusrite ISA One Direct input and preamp - input 5 on Logic Pro X.

The inputs are corresponding with the channels on the UAD Apollo virtual Mixer.

Line Check, Setting levels and Recording

Once you have completed cabling, you must tuck all the XLR round the stands so they are tidy anddo not drape onto any drum or cymbal which could interfere with the recording. You should then doa line check. This is where I made sure there was signal coming through from all the microphonesand everything is routed into Logic Pro X properly. During this stage if I had any problems such as

microphones popping because the Apollo interface is on internal clock rather than ADAT, or somemicrophones not working because Phantom Power is not switched on, I could solve all theseproblems on the line check.


9/9

Once the line check is complete I could then start setting your levels for each individual channel.This is where I set the gain on each individual channel so that you can make sure there is noclipping/peaking (otherwise the recording is ruined). During this stage I was talking to the drummerthrough the SPL Talkback and monitor controller giving them instructions and requesting they playa certain part of the kit so I could set the gain. I set the levels in their monitoring headphonesaccordingly to how the musician requested and adjusted the metronome to their preferences sothey could keep in time with the track. Once all this was done I could proceed with the recording.Now my role changed as I would have to give instructions to the musician through the SPL andheadphones while recording such as when to start playing, when to stop playing or 8 bar warnings.In total it only took two takes for me to get drums that I was happy with on my composition.Remember to carrying on recording for longer than you think you need to as cymbals may ring outon the end of a recording and you do not want to cut any part of the recording off as this may ruinthe composition.

Once the recording was done and I was happy with the composition, I then had to pack all themicrophones, cables and stands away leaving the live room tidy and uncluttered so that anyonecoming in for a session afterwards knows where everything is and it is not messy for them.

After the recording was done to a professional standard, I then had to go away and mix it properlyto get a final product that I was happy with.

Documents

Recording Analysis