1. Group Project Overdub
Our group consisted of five people: Ruben, Gabryela, Daisy, Emre, and me.
Our first ensemble, Mistinguk, describe themselves on Soundcloud, as a “Emo / Post-hardcore band”. There are four members of the group: a drummer, a guitarist, and a bassist.The band also has a vocalist, but she was ill on the day of our booking, and so she was unable to attend the recording session. Some, but not all, of the band members are current Leeds Conservatoire students.
We all met once in recording studio 422.This studio has an Audient ASPH8024HE mixing console, and we chose it because the live room has enough space for an ensemble of the size we planned to record. The session lasted for approximately six hours.
As a team, we had decided to set up the drums first as they required the greatest number of mics. We understood that the drummer couldn’t play until the end of the session, but wanted to be ready for whenever he came back.
We used eight different mics to record the drums in order to create the greatest flexibility when creating our final product. We also used the mic catalogue found on the Leeds Conservatoire website on the production resources page. Gabryela and I set up the drum mics, and we used the following:
A kick mic, an AKG-D112, because in class, we had used this specific mic to record a kick drum, and as a group, we agreed that this was the sound we wanted. This mic is particularly good at picking up low frequencies as well as withstanding high sound pressure.
The two mics we used to record the top and the bottom of the snare drum were Shure SM57s, and we chose these because of their ability to pick up clear, bright sounds, which we knew would bring out the snare. We used two mics in order to get the impact of the snare from the top and the resonance from the bottom.
Two Sennheiser MD421 mics were used for the toms. One of the was positioned between the high and mid toms, and the other one was positioned at the rim of the floor tom. We chose these mics because they are considered very good all around mics known for their ability to deal with high sound pressure, which is ideal for capturing the sound of the toms.
Two AKG 414-XLII were used as overhead mics. These were chosen simply, like some of the others, because we were taught that they were good overhead position mics. Without our own experience, it is extremely useful to have these types of in-class recommendations.
Finally, I think that we used an AKG 451B for the high hat. We would have chosen this mic because it is a pencil mic, which makes it easier to position than larger condenser mics. In addition, they are great at recording high hats.
We first recorded the guitar and the bass guitar separately. We used a Sontronics DM1B because it is ideal for recording bass instruments. We also used a DI for the bass because in order to get two different sounds for the bass, one is the bass through the amp and the other is the bass using the DI. We used two mics for the guitar: a Sennheiser MD441 because of its accuracy and clarity and because it is a great mic to record a guitar’s amp. We also used a Shure SM57 on the guitar again because of its ability to pick up clear, bright sounds.
Before the recording, Pro Tools was set-up with individual instruments on different tracks. In addition, the band gave us two backing tracks of pre-recorded parts to accompany the live musicians through a foldback. Two of my classmates had the major desk responsibilities although input from the rest of the team was welcomed.
We recorded two tracks for the band that both the recording team and the band were pleased with.
2. Live Recording Write-Up
Our second group was a jazz ensemble, and it consisted of a guitarist, a pianist, a double bassist, and a drummer. We recorded them in studio 113, which was chosen because of the large size of its live room, which allowed the musicians to play together comfortably. Similar to our previous studio, this studio has an Audient ASPH8024HE mixing console. It also has two wall boxes, which helped us stay organised throughout the recording process. The recording session also lasted for approximately six hours.
My primary responsibility with this recording was to help set up the mics and their cables. Similarly to the previous project, by and large mic decisions were based on teacher recommendations and prior group experience.
This time, we used five different mics to record the drums. The decision to use fewer mics this time than we had in our previous recording was based on a couple of factors. Firstly, we took away the mid tom because the drummer said that it is not an instrument that he used. Secondly, as we were working with a jazz ensemble, we wanted the drums to be recorded with a mellow tone to reflect the sound that the band wanted to achieve. Both the reduction in the number of mics as well as the type of mics allowed us to create the desired result. In this recording, we used the following mics:
A kick mic, an Audix D6. We used this mic because of its low frequency response, which makes it great at picking up the kick. Although it was interesting to try a different kick mic in the two recordings, I personally preferred the sound of the AKG-D112.
Two Neumann KM 183s were used as overhead mics. We chose them because they are great for picking up the high frequencies of the cymbals, and in this live recording, we wanted the sounds of the cymbals to be clearly heard. In our previous recording, we were not so much focused on one instrument at any particular point, but instead, we were trying to capture an overall sound. In addition, the Neumann KM 183s are described in the Leeds Conservatoire microphone catalogue as “giving a really authentic feel to recordings”. In my opinion, authenticity is essential in live recordings.
A Shure SM57 was used again, and again, we chose it because of its ability to pick up clear, bright sounds. In sum, it is a really good mic for snares, and we saw no reason to change what had previously worked well for us.
Unfortunately, and embarrassingly, I cannot find my notes – nor recognize from my photos – what mic we used for the high hat. I have certainly learnt that I need to take better notes in future.
For the grand piano, we used two AKG 414-XLII mics. In addition to these mics having been recommended by teachers, we chose them because they are great at bringing out instruments in the mix, again, something that is ideal in a live recording.
Although we had the guitarist play in the live room with the rest of the band, we put the guitar amp in an isolated vocal booth in order to separate the sound of the guitar from the other instrument sounds. In the isolated vocal booth, we used two mics on one instrument, one a Shure SM57 and a Sontronics Halo. I have already described the SM57 as a good mic for high frequencies. The Halo mic is especially designed for guitar amps.
We used three mics to record the double bass. We first used an AKG-D112. As mentioned above, this mic is particularly good at picking up low frequencies making it good for bass instruments. We also used a Brauner Phantom C, which we positioned at the fingerboard of the bass. We chose this mic because it is known for picking up small details in its captured sound. Finally, we used an AKG 451B, which we attempted to position at the bridge in order to achieve a third sound profile. However, our teacher, Jamie, was in the recording studio at this time and participated in a group discussion about different mic placement for basses, and it was decided that in order to best position this mic, we should tie the mic between the bass’ bridge using hair ties. This set up is illustrated in an accompanying photo.
Once again, before the recording, Pro Tools was set-up with individual instruments on different tracks, and once again, two of my classmates had the major desk responsibilities although input from the rest of the team was again welcomed.
We recorded two tracks for the jazz ensemble from many different takes. Although my production team were pleased with the result, some members of the ensemble felt that they hadn’t always played well enough. As a musician myself, I can certainly understand that feeling.
On a final note, I am fully aware that I have reported on microphone usage more than any other aspect of these two recording experiences. This is simply because this is what I was most involved in. Some of my team members were much more experienced than I am in the recording process, and so they took the lead and gave direction.
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