Method 1 – Live Band/Ensemble Capture
For the initial live recording, we spoke after a group session briefly about a basic plan so we could start planning the main live session. Firstly we had to find some musicians to record in which we found 3 performers who were all interested in heavier styles of rock, this was so the creation of the track would be smooth compared to if the artists had completely different interests, this in-turn created an efficient atmosphere for the recording session. Because of the relatively short notice we gave the musicians they were unable to create a demo recording but they had been able to prepare a piece of music.
Before the session we also discussed how we were going to record them live. We decided we would have all 3 performers (drums, bass and guitar) all in the live room and then took direct outputs using DI boxes from the bass and guitar pedals into the control room and back into the vocal booth with the amplifiers in. These amplifiers and microphones were positioned to decrease the amount of bleed as we were unable to rule out any spill without sacrificing cabinet mic’ing of the bass. We did this by positioning each of the cabinets side by side, on a slight angle and taking advantage of the rejection of cardiod and (less effective) super-cardiod polar patterns. So we had time to set-up microphones and the drum kit, we arranged for the performers to arrive an hour after the booking had started. This gave us ample time to try any different techniques we were interested in as well. Once the band had arrived we let them get comfortable and adjusted microphone placements on the drums to suite the changed the drummer had made, we then did all the gain levels on the desk with each performers respective set-ups using the headphones plugged into the foldback tie lines In the live room to communicate efficiently. We then worked with the band to create a monitor mix that everyone was happy with as we only had 1 circuit. When everything was ready to record we got the band to play a short part of their piece to double check they were happy with their monitoring levels. After realising the band were struggling with the click we decided to let them do it without the click as we weren’t planning on doing any overdubs.
The drum microphone setup was simple but effective and widely used. On the Kick we used a Audix D6 inside in the centre of the shell, pointed towards the batter head. This is to capture the attack and ‘click’ of the kick drum and we chose this microphone because its high end Is very clear (around 4khz – 5khz) and punchy unlike other mics such as the Beta 91A which in my testing causes too much click and can be vague. On the outside of the kick we used a AKG D112 which has a punchy low end but can get muddy in the 300hz – 500hz range because of its flat frequency response in the low mid to high mid range. This microphone was positioned just outside of the port hole to capture the low end boom. These could then be mixed together and checked for phase issues. On the snare we opted for a Shure SM57 which is widely used on snare drums for its large dynamic range and accuracy at high sound pressure levels. We placed it about 2 inches above the rim on the snare after experimenting with what would achieve the best crack and definition on the snare. We did not opt to use a snare bottom mic which in hindsight would have added more accuracy to the capture of the snare wires.On the toms we chose to use Sennheiser MD421s this is because of their clean nature and punchy low mids which captures attack very well. For the overheads we used a stereo pair of Octave MK-012s we chose these, as because of their small-diaphragm, they are very accurate but have a clean high end which works exceptionally for cymbals and captures the kit in a very predictable way. These we at equal distance and pointing towards the snare to decrease the chance of phase issues.
To record the drums natural reverb and resonance in the room we used a Grampian GRX ribbon microphone because of their warm high end caused by a natural cut around 3khz because it is a ribbon microphone. Furthermore, the figure of 8 polar pattern means that we could pick up the direct attack of the drums but also the reverberations of the walls around the back of the microphone. This microphone was placed in a position in the room where we felt the kick was most powerful to add more power to the dry recording.
The bass cabinet was recorded using a Shure SM57, this was chosen because it would capture the high end ‘twang’ of the bass which could then be mixed with the DI sound to create a balanced sound. This microphone was placed towards the centre of the cone to capture the accurate high end of the cone. We also chose this microphone because of its cardiod polar patter so we could get as much rejection from the guitar amp as possible. as mentioned before, both the guitar and bass were recorded through re-amp boxes using inserts on the patch bay and desk. The guitar cabinet was recorded using a Sennheiser MD441 placed around 2 inches from the cloth of the amplifier facing the edge of the speaker cone to reduce harshness from the centre. This signal was mixed with the DI signal to create a satisfying capture of the guitar.
For the mix process we strived to create an accurate stereo field from crowd perspective. With the overheads we hard-panned left and right to create the wide stereo image of the kit. The kick and snare were placed in the centre to make them more prominent in the mix. For the levels of the drums we mixed to most accurately represent how the kit would sound in a room, but with the kick and snare more prominent to solidify the rhythm of the song. The overheads then were mixed slightly lower not to overpower the kick and snare but to give more clarity to the cymbals and overall kit. the room microphone was then added just for ambience so was set at a lower volume. The bass was then mixed to be a similar level to the kick and placed in the centre. As we only had one guitar track that both amplifier and DI signals were placed nearly central on either side. The DI signals of both tracks were slightly louder than the microphone signals of both tracks because we came to the conclusion that the DI signals sounded better.
Method 2 – Overdub Production
For our overdubbed piece we recorded it over many sessions and it was performed by our specialist study group. This piece started as a guitar idea in a recording session and we slowly added to it with multiple guitar tracks, bass and drums. As it was an idea created by a member of the group who had many ideas we let him take the lead and lead the composition aspect as we all focused on recording the sessions.
For the drums we used the same setup as the live recording project but added a Sub-Kick which is a reversed speaker which acts as a synthesiser to record the Sub bass In the kick. This was used as well as the D6 and D112. For overheads we decided to use Beyerdynamic M160s as they are known for their crisp, accurate and smooth overhead sound while also having the warmth of a ribbon microphone. After our live recording we realised we should use a microphone underneath the snare drum to capture the size and definition of the snare wires. For this we used a Sennheiser MD441 for its smooth high end and sweet sound.
For the guitar recording we used 2 mics, on either side of the cabinet. We used a SM57 and an AKG C414 and blended at equal distance and blended them together to create a more wide sound. However, this created phase issues but when we used the 180 degree phase flip it brought back the low end. Bass was recorded through the DI output of the amplifier and suited the song without an amp mic so we kept the original take.
In editing we had to fix some mistakes on the drum recordings as parts of the fills were out of time with the metronome. Because of this we used parts of different takes and combined them to create a satisfying performance with no timing issues.
First step of the mixing process for us was to pan the tracks to get an idea of the stereo image. For this track we panned drums from drummers perspective with the same panning as the live recordings but flipped with the high tom panned slightly left and the floor tom panned middle right. The guitars we decided to pan differently and as we had 3 takes we panned them hard right, hard left and center. This created a wide guitar sound but we realised in hindsight that it slightly clashed with the drums. The levels mix was very similar to the live recording but with the guitars slightly higher and the drums and bass sitting back in the mix more. The snare top track was mixed louder and the snare bottom supported the attack with the sizzle and the kick and snare remained at a higher level to support the rhythm of the guitars.
