Method 1 – Live Band/Ensemble Capture
The pre – production section of our live recording began with us discussing what microphones we would be using for different instruments in the session. For the drums we decided to go for a classic 6 mic setup to avoid overcomplicating things, as it is unnecessary to mic up every part of the kit for a jazz recording. For the kick drum we used the Sonotronics DM-1B because of its clarity and ability to capture all the characteristics of the kick. For the snare top we used the Sennheiser MD421 as its cardioid response pattern gives a crisp attack with good body and for the snare bottom we used the Beyerdynamic M201 as its hyper cardioid response pattern eliminates bleed from the hi hat. For the stereo overheads we used two Neumann KM184 in a spaced pair for their natural and transparent sound and we used the Beyerdynamic M160 as a mono overhead. We also placed several soundproof boards around the drum kit to try and minimise bleed into other microphones around the room. For the bass cab we used the JZ V67 to capture the warmth from the bass as much as possible and we used the Electrovoice re20 for vocals to capture a natural authentic sound. For the saxophone we decided to use the Tbone ovid clip on system for reasons of consistency over sound quality, as we found it very difficult for the saxophone player to remain the same distance from a standing microphone for the duration of the recording. This resulted in unwanted changes in dynamics throughout so we decided the clip on system would work better. For the piano we had originally decided to use two AKG 414’s as a spaced pair over the lower and higher strings and two Neumann KM184’s in a coincident pair over the middle of the strings, however on the day these microphones were not available to us so we had to improvise. We instead decided to use two Schoeps MK2 microphones to replace the AKG 414’s and used a single AKG c414 xlii to replace the coincident pair of Neumanns, which gave the piano a very wide, warm sound.
Before miking anything up in the session we had to decide where in the room each musician should be positioned to give us the cleanest signal with the least bleed from other instruments. We decided to have the drums and saxophone at the back of the room, each surrounded by soundproof boards as they were the loudest instruments in the room. We decided to put the bass cab in an isolation booth as low frequencies are the hardest to isolate so this made the most sense, which meant we had to set up artist foldback mixes for each musician. The vocalist was positioned in the middle of the room with soundproof boards between them and the drum kit and the pianist was positioned at the front of the room, relatively close to the vocalist which resulted in some minor bleed but nothing detrimental to the overall sound.
After this we gave the musicians a chance to warm up and then did a basic soundcheck to make sure that everything was sounding as it should. We then recorded several takes of the ensemble playing the piece in full, however we ended up deciding in the end that the first take was the best. All that was left to do after this was to balance the levels of all the instruments and apply some volume automation to tracks in areas that needed it.
Method 2 – Overdub Production
The pre – production section of our overdub recording began with myself, Max (a member of my production group), and Noah (the drummer we used on the recording) composing the song in the practice rooms in the conservatoire. This began at the end of September and lasted up until the point we recorded the song in the studio on the 13th of November. Because we had been rehearsing at least once a week for that time period we felt we were definitely capable and tight enough as a band to use our piece for this assignment. We created a demo of the track a few weeks prior to the final recording session on Ableton on my laptop to act as a guide for the structure and tonality of the song, which also allowed us to finalise our decisions on the structure of the song. The planning for the session involved us deciding on an appropriate studio to book that would be able to accommodate our desired sound and fit all of the musicians in, deciding on the order the overdubs would be recorded and discussing what microphones we would use for the different instruments.
The first thing we did when we got into the studio was mic up everything that we would need throughout the session, starting with the drum kit. For the kick drum we decided to use the Solomon subkick LoFReQ on the resonant head and the Audix D6 on the beater head as the Solomon excels at capturing sub frequencies giving a deep, punchy response whilst the aggressive audio capturing ability of the Audix gives a clear and detailed recording of the kick. These microphones used in tandem create a powerful, bassy sound with a defined click, which is perfect for rock / metal genres. For the snare top we used the Shure SM57 and for the snare bottom we used the BeyerDynamic M201, as the SM57 is perfect for capturing the attack and resonance on the snare whilst the M201’s hyper cardioid polar pattern is perfect for minimising bleed and any unwanted audio being captured. For the hi hat, we used an AKG C451B in a close mic setup due to its cardioid response pattern. We chose this microphone because of its bright and silky presence and its ability to capture the hi hat’s tonal nuances. For the overheads we chose the AKG C414 XLS, which we set up as a spaced pair equidistant from the snare drum on the cardioid response pattern. We chose these due to their flat frequency response and ability to capture the air of the cymbals. Finally, we used three Sennheiser MD421 microphones, one for each of the toms, as their cardioid pattern which focuses on sound from in front of the microphone is perfect for eliminating bleed from the kick drum and the rest of the kit. They are also suited to toms as they are good at capturing a large dynamic range, meaning the velocity of tom hits is very apparent.
For the guitar, we used the Roland Cube 20GX amplifier on a high gain channel with 2 microphones, which allowed us to have what could almost be called a primitive form of EQ through balancing the two tracks, as the frequency response of the microphones was very different. One of the microphones we used was the BeyerDynamic M160, which we placed in front of the centre of the cone, which resulted in a very harsh, saturated tone. The other microphone we used was the AKG 414 XLII, which we placed on the side of the speaker cone, which gave us a warm, bassy tone. We blended both of these signals together through balancing to give us the final tone used on the recording. When recording the lead lines on the electric guitar I suggested that we add a slight delay and reverb as the Cube 20GX has these effects built in. Finally, we recorded the bass guitar using the Orange terror 500 bass head into DI. Due to time constraints, the bass guitar parts were not recorded in this studio session but were instead recorded externally.
We decided to do a couple of live takes of the song firstly to allow us to warm up and to act as guide tracks for the drummer in the future. for these rough takes the drummer had a metronome playing into his headphones whilst the bass player and I kept time to him. Next, we recorded the drums using one of the guitar takes as a guide track. Most of the drum work was done in one take, with some comping being done in more difficult sections to get the drums as on the grid as possible. Next I recorded both the guitar parts, which were all done live with no comping and the bass was recorded alone by the bassist on a different day. All that was left to do after this was some basic mixing by balancing the levels of all the instruments and doing some simple panning to give it some width.
Appendix
