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Evaluation

Introduction

For this module I have been given the task record, mix and master three tracks whilst using a wide variety of production techniques used by varied studio engineers. Within this evaluation I will be reflecting on my own personal thoughts and processes. Both pros and cons within both aspects as well as any future developments will all be covered throughout.

Recording

Throughout our recording sessions we implemented recording techniques from the like of Brenden O'Brien, Glyn Johns, Geoff Emerick, Daniel Lanois and Steve Albini. All tailored to suit a wide variety of recordings, as a group we collectively trialled and tested each one to find the one most suited for our needs. In the end we were happy to settle on a few techniques. As a whole we settled on the following techniques for each section:

Acoustic Guitar - Spaced Pair. The Spaced Pair technique is ideal for capturing both low and high frequencies from an acoustic guitar. Used to achieve two perspectives of the same instrument. The distance between the two microphones can be used to achieve a wider stereo image. This is caused by the elongated distance

Vocals - Daniel Lanois. We aimed to portray warmth through the vocals. To achieve this we made them focal point of the tracks. By mixing them first and then adding everything around it, the tracks naturally came together more easily.

Drums - Glyn Johns. For a precise sounding drum recording we went with the Glyn Johns technique. From other previous uses we knew it was a good choice.

Electric and bass guitars - Duel Microphones. For these instruments we decided to keep things nice and simple by placing two microphones on opposite ends of the amplifiers cone, a recording technique we know is highly effective.

The recording processes didn't always run smoothly. There were occasions where we were required to think spontaneously within a set period of time. Because of this there were certain actions and developments that had to be made for us to make further progression as well as to maximize the time that we had. All implications were unforeseen and required immediate action.

Levelling/gain issues - Within the early stages of our recording we encountered a sudden drop of gain on a certain track. We discovered that it had been tampered with and therefore needed to be re-recorded.

 The loss of a track - When left to work independently within a session it was clear that there was a technical difficulty when the group tried to save a piece of work. As we all came back the following week, all progress had been lost. We took the loss in a calm and professional manner and proceeded to set up all required equipment and record it as second time.      

 Unwanted  click track - Someone within the group had bounced a track down with the click track still on. Although this is not the biggest of issues, we still had no choice but to wait until the subsequent week for us to gain access to the room for us to resolve the issue.

 Overall time restrictions - Given the nature of what we had to do as well the time frame we had to do it in, It's safe to say that the entire group felt rushed with passing time. To combat this, each week we all externally outlined a new set of deadlines and developing points. This was done to keep everyone on track, focusing on the tasks at hand. By gathering and collated all of our idea together to each individual problem, we were able to progress more efficiently, leaving us with more time for our mixing and mastering.

 Group loss -  Within the first few months of the unit we saw the exit of two of our band mates. This certainly put all of our previous plans and ideas for the future session into question. We not only lose group members, we also lose valuable instrumentation. To resolve this issues we proceeded to work with what we had to the best of our abilities. A few members within the group were generous enough to provide instrumentation for instruments that were not their specialty, and because of that we had arrived with recordings that were of great quality and diversity in the end.

Microphone placements - Within each of our recording sessions we eventually  encountered various microphone issues. Things such as: Not using a pop filter, placing the microphone too close or too far away, or the biggest one of all, microphone choices. An absence of a pop filter plosives, a peak within the recording that if anything else is just unpleasant to listen to. Microphone placement proved to be a recurring issue for our group. We either bunched them up too close, or too far away. The effects of this lead to quality issues within a recording. Microphone placement is a key part of gaining the fullest sound possible.

Future Developments

From experience it is clear to see that the majority of free time within the future units needs to used on the mixing and mastering aspects. Though both recording, and mixing and mastering require practice to perfect, it always comes down to the preferences of the person and their personal abilities within that field. The recording aspects, though problematic at times proved to be fairly straight forward. Both time management and group communication are aspects need to be addressed as soon as possible. Assuring this will lead higher levels of efficiency as well as an overall increase of quality all round.

Links

Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/hndu3apal

Dropbox: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/pjjb5gungn3gaeh/AADqUak1oTK9KxciOK5rEkh4a?dl=0

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Mastering and Distribution (2.3)

Mastering

Mastering a piece of music is an essential part within today’s industry. The introduction of the digital age has seen a wide variety of musical platforms emerge to take full advantage of the needs of the people. 

Below is a brief video that explains what mastering is and why it is so important.

Essentially, mastering is taking a well-mixed song, and making it sound even better by increasing the overall volume as well as other things to allow the sound to be more widely acceptable across a multitude of sources/formats.

Distribution

Distribution occurs when you have successfully mixed and mastered a song to its full potential. As a musician you want to make income from any and all of your musical efforts, and a great way to achieve this is through distribution.

Say you have a song. It’s been mixed and mastered and you want to sell. You can post it to online sights such as YouTube, iTunes, Amazon Music, Spotify, and Google Play Music. In addition to this you can also approach a CD manufacturer for them to produce a set number of copies of your song for you to then distribute and sell. The issue with this being if you’re an independent artist with little money, you’re going to need to price your CD’s at a much higher price, which in turn makes you a lot less appealing which also cuts potential sale right down.

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Technological Developments (2.2)

Developments in audio software and hardware

Wireless

With the progression of technology, we’ve seen the change from a mass of wires used for simple tasks to going completely wireless. This greatly benefits the everyday musician by providing the overall ease of use to perform other tasks.

Sound Quality

With the current rapid growth in everyday technology, it’s easy to imagine that in the near future the way we hear music, as well as our overall perception of music will greatly differ to how it is now. Bell. E (2015) people are already trying to make that dream a realty. The most prominent of which being through Sennheiser and its Orpheus project. He states “Distortion, the unwanted tones in music playback that were not in the original signal, is something Sennheiser has worked tirelessly to eradicate when building Orpheus in order to enhance sound quality to a level not heard before.” 

Bell. E (2015) The future of audio technology (Last Accessed 7th January 2017) http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/feature/2437811/the-future-of-audio-technology

Current musical instrument technology

The most effective technology based instrument is still the synthesizer, as well as all MIDI instruments as a whole. MIDI instruments alongside a Digital Audio Workstation has made creating a piece of music within the 21st century as easy as a simple click, or copy and paste.

Recording ‘Fading Away’

Microphone List

AKG 414

Shure SM57

C1000′s

D112

Upon a vast YouTube search I have uncovered a few relevant interviews regarding the engineers who we had taken influence from throughout the duration of the unit.

Brendan O’Brien Interview

Geoff Emerick Interview

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Contemporary Music Production (2.1)

Music production is a very important factor within the industry. It can easily define a piece of music in addition to making or breaking a track. A diverse studio engineer should be well trained within a portfolio of varied musical genres. This is due to the needs and requirements set by each of those genres. “Each genre of music has its own instrumental, compositional, and arrangement attributes which all require a different sensibility when mastering.”

When speaking in terms of production, it is important to take into consideration the desired goals set by the given artist. Examples of this would be requests for added warmth, louder, quieter, more bass.

iZotope (2014) Mastering for Different Musical Genres (Last Accessed 7th January 2017)

https://www.izotope.com/en/community/blog/tips-tutorials/2014/06/mastering-for-different-musical-genres.html

Sampling 

For genres such as electronic music, music production is forced to take a more direct route in the form of sampling. By definition “Sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a sound recording in a different song or piece.” 

Music sampling predates to the 1980′s, within the arrival of the hip hop scene. Genres such as hip hop and rap have always heavily relied upon the use of sampling. However, where work is stolen for other uses, legal actions are commonly not far behind.

McGrath. J (2016) History and Evolution of Music Sampling (Last Accessed 7th January 2017) http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/music-sampling1.htm

Sequencing 

The video below goes into depth on what sequencing is, as well as how and why it is so important within contemporary music production. 

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Technological Developments (1.3)

The developments within technology has greatly affected music production. As the cost and size of equipment decreases, and the portability of the devices increases, both the availability and demand for a home studio goes sky high. This change from recording to studio to home studio is all thanks to the transition from live mixing to multitrack recording.

The future of music production is highly depending on the current generation and its musicians. We as a collective are in charge of what we both want and do, and it is now up to us to determine what shall stay, and what shall go.

Multitrack recording enables you to record multiple tracks when and where you see fit, to then be able to combine and mix them later on. In short you can record separate instruments to individual tracks, and then later take the recordings to create a full song.

Today’s society is mainly constructed of analog inputs. However, because of the digital age, the change is slowly being made form analog to digital. Both digital and analog inputs are made up of a series of signals. These signals are the life-force between two or more devices. “Signals are passed between devices in order to send and receive information, which might be video audio, or some sort of encoded data.” sparkfun (2016)

Below is a graph that shows the typical wave forms associated with a standard analog signal. They main factors associated with an analog signal are the smooth and continuous wave patterns.

Steve Albini’s thoughts towards analog recordings

Below is a graph that shows the typical layout out a digital signal. “Digital signals must have a finite set of possible values.” This suggest that as long as the digital signal is supplied with enough power, the possibilites are endless.

A digital waveform is similar to that of an analog waveform, the difference being the “discrete steps as the signal tries to approximate values’ when looked at up close.

Below is a diagram showing an example of a digital signal.

sparkfun (2016) Analog vs. Digital (Last Accessed 7th January 2017) https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/analog-vs-digital

Recording ‘Lost in the Way’ 

Because of the previous recorded tracks, we now had experience working within the required techniques and were able to set up, record, and pack down in great time. The main focal point of this track the acoustic guitar, because of this we decided to record and layer the acoustic guitar twice. This in turns provides an overall sense of warmth within a sparse mix. Filling out all gaps is essential for enjoyment and this technique has certainly helped.

Below is an in depth evaluation into a further potential song to record.

Below is a couple of photos showing two varied recording techniques for use within our sessions. 

For ‘Lost in the Way’ we had all agreed to record the acoustic guitar using  the spaced pair microphone technique. To to the unusual shape of the room, the acoustic reflection within the room resonate in a controlled manner because of the acoustically treated wall. In response to this we decided to place the acoustic guitar within the centre of the room. To capture its sound we used a Pro 37R for the guitar’s neck, and an AKG 414 for its body. In addition to an added DI box.

In terms of vocals we used an SE2200A and placed it within the centre of the vocal booth.

For today’s session we have planned to overdub the vocals as well as adding a bass guitar. Overdubbing means we’ll be sacrificing the natural live sound that was captured, but for the sake of a better sounding recording, it is worthwhile. 

Microphone list for ‘Lost in the Way”

AKG 414

Pro 25′s

C1000′s

SM57

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Changing Approaches (1.2)

Learning Outcomes

Assess changing approaches to music production techniques

Discussion topics could relate to actions, e.g. engineering techniques, audio processing, audio techniques, mixing techniques, compositional and arrangement techniques

Use a range of multimedia to support assessment (i.e. audio/documentaries/interviews/videos/Images

This week we moved on to recording a new song , “Time of Your Life” by Greenday. Because of this we decided to take a different approach to recording by focusing on the acoustic guitar, in addition to testing out a new microphone technique, that of Daniel Lanois.

The requirements for the Daniel Lanois are very much tailored to each instrument.

Vocals

 For the vocals we used a Shure SM58.

Within an online forum, when questioned about his approaches and own personal techniques for recording vocals, he was quoted saying “I like to use a slap echo with a relevant delay setting. Remember that a muted delay tone create a sense of distance.” He went on further to say “I pay attention to the vocal at all time. I don’t add the vocal to the track, I add the track to the vocal.” L. Daniel (2008)

This idea of making a vocal track the focal point of the recording is a strong approach for any recording. Building the rest of the track’s instruments up around a set of vocals is an easy way to ensure you capture a fuller sounding recording.

Acoustic Guitar

For the acoustic guitar we used a Shure SM57 microphone. This choice was especially needed because of the multiple sound sources within the same room. Because of its cardiod polar pattern it is able to isolate the sound it needs from any unwanted background noise.

Within a 2010 interview, when asked “how to get a good acoustic guitar sound.” Daniel Lanois answered with the following statement. “first get a good-sounding acoustic guitar.” This is a good rule to abide by. To point out the obvious, a high quality instrument will produce higher quality recording. It really is that simple, but is not always the better option. Microphone placement is a key part within the way an instrument’s sound is captured. The sound of an acoustic guitar comes from two sources, the neck, and the body. The body is used for the bassier, lower frequencies. Whereas the neck (usually the 12th fret) is used for the calmer higher frequencies.

The below images shows the aftermath of a group discussion before we started working on our recording. All the ideas were collated from the individuals within the group and proved to be very useful when we came back to look at it.

Microphone list 

AKG 414

Shure SM57

Shure SM58

Beta 57

For this track we made use of the Daniel Lanois microphone technique throughout. Below are a select bunch of pictures portraying both our idea of specific microphone placement as well as overall experimentations.

L. Daniel (2008) gearslutz forum (Last Accessed 7th January 2017) https://www.gearslutz.com/board/q-daniel-lanois/183949-recording-vocal-performances.html

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Landmark Developments (1.1)

Learning Objectives

Analyse landmark developments within the production of music

Discussion topics could relate to personalities, e.g. producers, artists, engineers; artifacts (definitive recordings, equipment)

Use a range of multimedia to support analysis (i.e. audio/documentaries/interviews/videos/images)

To kick off the unit we were given the task of recording drums within a certain recording style, that of the Glyn John technique.

In order to gain a greater understanding for the learning outcome I have decided to base my research primarily around websites, books and potential YouTube videos. This is because of the wider spectrum of information that I am able to collect through the variety of research options that will most certainly contribute to higher levels of accuracy within my conclusions.

There are certain pinpoint developments that have had a wider impact to musical development than they take credit for. Things such as: The electric guitar and bass, effects pedals, Synthesizers, and overall midi. 

Both the electric guitar and bass forced a whole new way of thinking onto studio recording. Throughout the years the electric guitar slowly became more and more favoured by popular artists which because of this later branded it as a lead instrument.

Synthesizers have deemed electronic recordings easier with its constant progression over the years. Because of its midi nature it heightens the ease of use as well providing more overall options for recording in various situations.

For our first analysis we started with the Glyn John technique. The idea of capturing a fuller sounding drum recording with minimal microphones. For this technique we used the following:

AKG 414

AKG Tube Microphone 

Shure SM57 

Shure Beta 52

AT Pro 25

The basics of the Glyn John technique

This technique limits itself to only four microphones, consisting of two overheads, a snare, and bass drum microphone.

Overhead 1 - Positioned in front of the drummer, around 36-40″ above the snare, pointing directly downwards at the bass drum pedal between the bass drum-mounted toms. Panned right to around 3 o’clock. We used a tape measure to determine the distance from the centre of the snare to the mic diaphragm.

Overhead 2 - Placed on the right hand side of the drummer, 4-6″ above the top of the floor tom pointing across the top of the snare towards the hi-hats. Panned left to around 9 o’clock. We used the same distance for the positioning of this microphone to eliminate any chance of phasing.

Snare - Pointed towards the centre of the top of the snare, 2-3″ from the head, positioned between the hi-hat stand and the crash cymbal stand. usually panned in the centre at 12 o’clock. We made sure to give this microphone plenty of distance from the snare head to eliminate the chance of proximity issues.

Bass drum - Either placed inside the bass drum or close to the head. Depending on the mic and your sound requirements, you are left with options for either added or decreased attack. Usually panned centre at 12 o’clock with plenty of distance away from the head.

Most of the recorded sound is provided by the two overheads. They provide a clear sense of the stereo image, warmth, clarity, and ‘crack’ from the snare. The snare and bass drum mic are commonly used to round out the overall sound. This in turn provides body and attack for the snare and bottom end punch for the bass drum.

Traditional overheads are placed within the X&Y technique. This means both overheads are placed high above the kit. This is where the Glyn Johns technique comes into play. One of the overheads is intentionally used as a side mic, positioned to the right of the drummer past the floor tom. It’s unusual nature is what makes this technique appealing.

The pictures below show our final tweaks before we moved on to record. Finalizing each measurement and microphone position is key to capturing the fullest recording possible.

For the snare drum we had chosen a Shure SM57 microphone. Following the requirements for this technique we proceeded to place the microphone 30cm’s away from the top of the snare, directly in the centre.

To gain further sound quality in the room we placed a singular AKG Tube microphone 3ft away from the drum kit and 5ft in height. Ambient microphones are always a great addition to any recording. Their main priority is to capture and fill out the spaces missed by all other microphones, usually adding an overall sense of warmth to the recording.

For the kick drum we opted for a Shure Beta 52 microphone positioned just a few cm’s away from the sound hole. To gain a better sound in addition to taking full advantage of the room’s acoustics we proceeded to move the drum kit to the centre of the room.

Upon further research I came across a YouTube video that fully explains all aspects of the Glyn Johns technique.

Music. F (2012) 30 Years of Midi: a brief history (Last Accessed 7th January 2017) http://www.musicradar.com/news/tech/30-years-of-midi-a-brief-history-568009

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Introduction

Within the introduction to our unit, as part of a collective task we were asked to independently research and analyse the landmark developments within the production of music.