The Recording process 11 5 16

Today we will be having a recording session in the main studio

We will be using more than 1 mic at a time and will be close miking drums with AKG micro mics

 AKG S1000 dynamic for the hi hat placed about 1 inch from the hi hat to make sure we get a full clean sound we will probably have to move it about till we are happy with the sound

 This is our audio interface the Focusrite it has 8 ins and outs so we can keep each track separate and clean

 For the vocals we used the acoustically treated booth to make sure no noise spill went on to the vocal track

this is Lottie playing the drums that is fully miked up with 6 different microphones and we plugged the bass directly into the audio interface because the bass is direct we only have to worry about the noise spill on the drum tracks so we can leave the drummer and bass player in the same room this helps with their performance as they can see each other and communicate 

We make sure that all wires are safely tucked out of the way for health and safety purposes

This is the finished recording on logic ready for the final mix

It sounds very clean so it is easy to add effects and dynamics, we can also overdub any extra recordings at a later date so over all it has been a great success.

 Genelec monitoring

HEALTH AND SAFTEY IN THE STUDIO 20.05.16

Health and safety guidelines to follow in studio

1. Don't have drinks near the computer screens

2. Don't have a chair in the way of a fire exit

3. Don't look at the computer screen longer then 45 minutes

4. Don't leave tangled wires around

5. Don't have the volume on your headphones to loud

6. Fire doors have to be shut at all times

7. Don't abuse the equipment 

8. Leave the studio clean and tidy

9. Have regular breaks

10. Keep noise level to a safe parameter 

ACOUSTIC RECORDING TECHNIQUES SETTING UP NEW SYSTEM 12 /5 /2015

Acoustic Recording Techniques

Today we started to learn how to use Ableton live 9 ,it is a good DAW for recording beats and being creative but it is a lot to learn

We use the push pad to create drum beats and also to trigger different sounds

 

This is what the system looks like it is different to Logic Pro and will take a little getting used to 

We had to se up the audio interface, Focusrite Clarett and make sure that our signals were going to the correct channels and then we had to route the signal back to the headphone mix in the vocal booth

 

ACOUSTIC RECORDING TECHNIQUES CLOSE MIKING AND ACOUSTIC TREATMENT 13 /5 /2016

Today we were in there studio looking at close miking, this is one of the methods we will be using to help control noise spill when we record more than one person in the same room at a time

      

Another way you can help reduce noise spillage is to use acoustic boards between each musician

We will also monitor the level of the amps to help control the spillage as well as protect our ears from damage

One of the things we noticed in our studio was the reverb in the control room as there is no acoustic treatment on the walls we will use the vocal booth  and have to be careful when miking up each instrument to help reduce noise spillage

Acoustic Recording Techniques task 3 Understanding the recording process 6 /5 / 2016

Here are some considerations for recording several musicians at the same time

Most recording techniques are easy enough to put into practise when you're only faced with the task of working with one instrument or voice at a time, but life gets more complicated when you come to record a rock band playing 'live' in the studio. The main problem in this scenario is spill, specifically from the louder instruments to the mics used on quieter sound sources. In a typical guitar-based rock band, the most vulnerable mics are those used by vocalists and the drum overheads, but acoustic instruments such as acoustic guitars or hand percussion can also present challenges.

Spill can be reduced by the careful setting up of the microphones and sound sources, though in a small studio you'll never get rid of it entirely, not even if you put up acoustic screens. There may also be other problems, such as snare drums resonating and buzzing along with the bass guitar part where, even though you can gate the close snare-mic to get rid of it there, some buzzing may still be audible in the overhead mics. Fortunately, some drum-kit rattle and buzz currently seems acceptable as part of the natural sound of the kit, whereas, for example, in the '80s it was fashionable to try to keep the kit sounding as clean and sterile as possible.

So it is important where we put each musician and where we place the mics to help when it comes to mixing

The vocal booth is acoustically treated so it helps to keep noise spill down but in the main room there is no treatment so the noise can reflect off the walls and this is noisy and interferes with your recording

Main room

Things that can go wrong are

1 Noise spill when we have more than what we want on the recorded channel, what we can do to avoid it it to isolate each instrument as much as possible by putting them in a separate room or by using sound Shields to help keep the noise spill down also you have to be careful where you pace the mics and aim them carefully.

Acoustic Recording Techniques 6/5 2016 Recording equipment

This is some of the equipment used in recording

This is an audio interface ,it is used to record and playback sound on the computer. It has 8 analogue channels and 8 digital channels



This is Kai setting up a condenser mic on a mic stand getting ready to record


This is the vocal booth it is a special padded room that is very quite so it is good for recording as it keeps all the noise out


This is a stage snake , it has 24 inputs that you can send to individual channels on the interface, you can also send sound back from the computer to the musicians monitor so they can hear themselves when they are playing

Acoustic Recording Techniques Different Mics 4/5/16

Here is a selection of the different mics we will be using in the studio session

This is a condenser mic used in a recording studio it is very sensitive and produces hi quality recorded sound

This is a dynamic mic used mainly for a kick drum it is designed to take big kick sound used live&studio it is a AKG SA40

this is dynamic mic used for a lot of the things (live&studio) it is an AKG 1000s it is phantom powered so you have to send the power from the desk or use a battery to use it






This is a DI box we use the to ensure that we have a balanced signal going into the desk from the instrument it is also Phantom powered

This is a Shure SM 58 dynamic mic used in live vocal sessions it is hard waring and a lot tougher than a condenser but not as sensitive