AUdIoCoUrSeS
Joined: 31 Oct 2002
Posts: 2014
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| Week 3 |
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OK for this week I would like you to answer these right in this forum by hitting "reply". We can then use this forum thread to create some discussion.
Try to get some of this done as early as possible in the week.
1. What could be a typical studio layout for a conventional rock band consisting of drums, bass, electric guitar and keyboards?
2. Describe the term 'basic tracks'.
3. Describe the term overdubs.
4. Describe the term 'guide vocal'.
5. Describe the term 'foldback'.
6. Explian how foldback set up?
7. Indicate the significance of 'spill'.
8. What is a 'track sheet' used for?
9. Comment on some recording techniques used for basic tracks?
10. How might you prepare and record a kick drum?
11. What type(s) of microphones might you use?
12. How would you prepare and record a snare drum?
13. Comment on the internal dampers found in some drums.
14. Describe how a snare drum can be recorded using two or more microphones.
15. Describe the tuning of drums, and toms in particular.
16. Comment on single-headed and double-headed toms.
17. Comment on the importance of good cymbals.
18. What type of microphone(s) could you use?
19. Comment on mic positioning for the hihat.
20. Comment on the positioning and phasing of drum mics.
21. How would you approach mixing drums?
22. What time of day is best for recording vocals?
23. How important is it for the engineer and producer to feel at ease with the singer?
24. Comment on microphone selection for vocals.
25. What is a 'pop shield'?
26. Describe the rehearsal process for recording a vocal.
27. Comment on the importance of foldback.
28. What can be done to ensure good foldback for the singer?
29. Describe the 'comping' technique of recording vocals.
30. What is a 'spin in'?
31. How can a vocal be recorded for a difficult song that the singer doesn't know well?
32. What are the possible remedies for out of tune singing?
33. How can a 'thin' voice be fattened up?
34. Describe some possible microphone positions for a piano.
35. Describe some possible microphone positions for an acoustic guitar.
36. Describe some possible microphone positions for an electric guitar.
37. What is DI?
38. Describe passive and active DI, and how a DI box is connected to the console.
39. How is a record player connected to a mixing console?
40. How many mixing consoles are necessary to make a live recording of a conventional rock band?
41. How are the mix signals separated to go to two consoles?
42. Where would the recording equipment and recording engineer be situated during the concert?
43. Onto what multitrack format would a live recording be made?
44. Name the three types of instrument you would be most likely to find in a brass section in pop music.
45. What is the minimum number of microphones that can be used to record a five-piece brass section in stereo?
46. A producer has the idea of combining a violin with the brass section referred to in part b) and recording them all at the same time. Explain how this would be achieved.
46. What is the main advantage of hiring a brass section comprising people who regularly work together, as opposed to hiring individual musicians
47. When miking an electric guitar cabinet, what difference would you expect in the sound quality from the centre of the drive unit's cone and the edge of the cone?
48. Why does a DI signal from the loudspeaker output of a guitar amplifier sound different to a microphone placed in front of the cabinet?
49. A dynamic microphone placed close to a combo amplifier may pick up hum, whereas a capacitor microphone will not. Explain the reason.
50. Would a bass guitar cabinet normally reproduce accurately the fundamental frequencies of the lowest notes of the instrument?
51. Describe the Decca tree system of miking.
_________________
It's all in the ears. - Learn the concepts not the software.
Audio Courses is a way into the music business for you
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Sat Mar 11, 2006 4:27 pm |
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electrosushi
Tape Op
Joined: 31 Oct 2006
Posts: 21
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first batch, I'll post the remaining questions shortly
1. What could be a typical studio layout for a conventional rock band consisting of drums, bass, electric guitar and keyboards?
The studio would be divided in 2, control room where there is the mixing console and the recording equipments (24 tracks, rack effects, monitors, synthesizers too) and the live room where instruments such as drums, electric guitar, bass are recorded.
2. Describe the term 'basic tracks'.
A track is intended as portion of an application which is capable of carrying several signals at the same time, I could also say that each track is a path beginning where the instrument is recorded and finishing on a portion of a recorded song.
3. Describe the term overdubs.
With overdubs, it is intended the action of laying down a song in several takes, adding each take more instruments, sounds or voices.
4. Describe the term 'guide vocal'.
It is a track with a voice recorded on which is used as a guide for the musicians playing the song.
5. Describe the term 'foldback'.
It is what a musician is hearing while performing; it is normally on headphones but it can be also in speakers.
6. Explian how foldback set up?
During a recorded session, the performer may need to listen to a mix of the song played, normally this would through headphones so e.g. a drummer could hear the other instruments in order to stay in the same tempo.
7. Indicate the significance of 'spill'.
A spill would be an interference or an unwanted sound caught by a microphone, the spill may be a sound which is intended for another microphone.
8. What is a 'track sheet' used for?
A track sheet is a log where there are noted sessions, composers and equipment used.
9. Comment on some recording techniques used for basic tracks?
As basic track there many techniques which differs depending by the sound recorded, the example of an electric guitar track involves different types of placing of the mics, drums involve also different placings of the mics and also the numbers of these, the goal is to obtain in the one track considered the closest possible sound to your taste.
10. How might you prepare and record a kick drum?
A kick drum depends very much by the type of music you are going to record, a kick drum used for a metal song is a lot different than the one used for a pop song, however the drum is normally stuffed and tuned than the mics position may differ also, some put the mics in front of the drum some inside the drum, some close, some far from the beater.
11. What type(s) of microphones might you use?
Usually there kits of microphones especially intended for drum sets, on the bass drum a widely used is a large diameter dynamic microphone.
12. How would you prepare and record a snare drum?
Especially for a snare drum it is important to eliminate any rattles, a used method involves the placement of a toilet paper sheet between the rattles and the head. I would also make sure that the snare is tuned and in order with the characteristics preferred by the drummer.
13. Comment on the internal dampers found in some drums.
A dumper is a small pad commonly seen inside snares which operates a pressure on the drum head, it is useful to change the response of the drums in terms of vibrations and tuning.
14. Describe how a snare drum can be recorded using two or more microphones.
A snare can be tricky sometimes because it would not sound as we want it to sound, by using 2 mics for the same snare it is possible to catch 2 different moments of the beat, 1 is close to catch the pop and the other would be on a different position catching a different shade of the snare sound.
15. Describe the tuning of drums, and toms in particular.
The tuning influences several factors of the drum sound: pitch, resonance, decay and tone; especially in a set of toms this would be a fundamental operations aimed to make all the toms sounding from the same kit, creating a harmony between them. (source www.drummingweb.com)
16. Comment on single-headed and double-headed toms.
The difference between these 2 is manly the sound a sigle headed drum has emptier sound than a double-headed, the first suffered a loose of popularity after being widely used in the 70s and 80s.
17. Comment on the importance of good cymbals.
Again is all about sound, a good cymbal offer a sound quality much higher, as by the variety of cymbals in the market we can assume that each drummer develops a preference for some cymbals which suits the style played. Often entry level cymbals may sound good in normal circumstances but may lack of tones when recorded, also a good symbal is a cymbal that when hit either strongly or not keeps a uniform sound but at different volumes, a bad cymbal hit strongly may sound a lot different if the same would receive a less powerful hit.
18. What type of microphone(s) could you use?
Unlike the bass drum, cymbals can be recorded with condensers as their crispiness and harmonics can be better captured rather than a dynamic mic.
19. Comment on mic positioning for the hihat.
First the mic should not be pointed towards the snare as it can pick up unwanted sounds, the mic should be angle roughly 30-40 degrees respect to the cymbal.
20. Comment on the positioning and phasing of drum mics.
In the case of a bass drum it may be necessary to place 2 mics, one in near the beater and either in front of the drum or inside; wether these 2 mics are “facing” each other, it is important to phase them against each other so the sound will result reacher.
21. How would you approach mixing drums?
Mixing drums requires compression, reverb and equalizing; this will help mixing the drums in order to fit them in the desired way into the mix.
22. What time of day is best for recording vocals?
In order to obtain good vocals, the singer must be in a conformable state of mind, each singer may have a different rithym and that’s up to the engineer to discover when this will be. Stress has a lot of influence on the voice, a stress-free singer (rare to find) has higher chances to hit the right notes compared to a bad tempered one.
23. How important is it for the engineer and producer to feel at ease with the singer?
The singer will not “hit it” if she or he is not comfortable, normally during a recording session it’s better to capture the singer while he or she is still fresh and did not have to go over the same piece too many times.
24. Comment on microphone selection for vocals.
Vocals can be recorded either with condenser mics as well as dynamics, these last ones are the mandatory ones in case of a live performance. Condensers are used due to their warmness.
25. What is a 'pop shield'?
It is a shield normally in front of a condenser used to record vocals, the filter consists of a membrane made of a material very similar to women tights, the purpose is to reduce the amount of pop in the recording.
26. Describe the rehearsal process for recording a vocal.
Vocalists need to warm up their voices; before the takes a singer will go through some exercises in order to tune their voices. It is important to make the singer comfortable before and during the sessions.
27. Comment on the importance of foldback.
When recording, a singer with the wrong amount foldback may not perform well, a too high volume will make the singer going higher with the voice, a too low volume, the opposite.
28. What can be done to ensure good foldback for the singer?
The singer during the warm up will try several amounts of foldback, depending by what the singer should focus on, there different types of mixes which can be given to the foldback, this will make the singer follow some particular sounds or tracks during the session.
29. Describe the 'comping' technique of recording vocals.
Compiling all the best parts of each take and make a final one. |
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Sun Mar 25, 2007 12:15 pm |
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electrosushi
Tape Op
Joined: 31 Oct 2006
Posts: 21
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| remaining answers |
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30. What is a 'spin in'?
It is a technique consisting of using the audio of another reel, to create some kind of over dub, not much in use these days (source: Audiocourses live workshop)
31. How can a vocal be recorded for a difficult song that the singer doesn't know well?
Beside going through a number of takes, the song can be made up from parts of different takes, if each take is divided in pieces, the engineer can select each best piece.
32. What are the possible remedies for out of tune singing?
The first I would think of would be a picth shift correction, also giving the singer a guide in the foldback.
33. How can a 'thin' voice be fattened up?
In these cases, effects may come handy such as reverb, plate reverb and compressors.
34. Describe some possible microphone positions for a piano.
In case there is 1 micorphone available, this should be placed above the middle C, 2-3 feet above it. In case 2 microphones are available, Open the top of the piano to expose the strings, and place one microphone about 12 inches above the strings facing slightly inward around the second G below middle C, then take the second microphone, same distance up, above the second G above middle C, same technique as the other one. pan the microphones hard right and left. (source: homerecording.about.com)
35. Describe some possible microphone positions for an acoustic guitar.
Some acoustic guitars have built in microphones, but depending by the result we have in mind, micorphones can be placed right in front of the hole. Placing a mic pointed at the fretboard can also record the noise of the fingers sliding the keyboard.
36. Describe some possible microphone positions for an electric guitar.
Many ways, 1 result. A guitar can be recorded with a microphone (normally dynamic) placed in front of the amplifier, also 1 mic can be placed on the back of the amp. These mics can be positioned very close or far from the amplifier. Nowadays, it is quiet common to use some software to obtain the desired results without moving around expensive and bulky gear.
37. What is DI?
Direct Ingection, it is a box which converts an umbalanced signal (such as guitar or bass…) into a signal which can be routed through a mixer.
38. Describe passive and active DI, and how a DI box is connected to the console.
The diffference between an active and a passive DI is that an active will need a power supply or batteries to operate while the passive doesn’t. They normally conect via XLR cables, RCA or ¼ Jacks.
39. How is a record player connected to a mixing console?
The phisical connection is done via RCA type of plugs, but it will have to be routed via a specific input on the console or amplifier, normally indicated with the term “Phono” this provides the right EQ and volume to obtain the best sound quality possible out of the the record player.
40. How many mixing consoles are necessary to make a live recording of a conventional rock band?
Normally 1 console would do the job but in large circumstances, there will be a stage console stage providing the stage mix and the main console located in front of the stage providing the mix for the audience.
41. How are the mix signals separated to go to two consoles?
This is made possible by the use of the buses, each channel can be used by the first console and also be roouted to the second console via the bus.
42. Where would the recording equipment and recording engineer be situated during the concert?
They both would be at the stage side, where the recording can be monitored and adjusted in case.
43. Onto what multitrack format would a live recording be made?
I think that the best way to store it would be with a DAT or a Hard Disk.
44. Name the three types of instrument you would be most likely to find in a brass section in pop music.
Trumpet, trombone and horns. (source: Wikipedia)
45. What is the minimum number of microphones that can be used to record a five-piece brass section in stereo?
I would say 2.
46. A producer has the idea of combining a violin with the brass section referred to in part b) and recording them all at the same time. Explain how this would be achieved.
On the violin I would place a microphone directly near where the strings are played, reducing the possibility of having any brass on to the violin channel, the brass section would also use a small type of microphone for the same reason.
46. What is the main advantage of hiring a brass section comprising people who regularly work together, as opposed to hiring individual musicians
A brass section rely mostly on the breathe power of each component, an equipe of people who already know the other members might find easier to fit in together as they already know their styles and capabilities and can better result in a “ensemble” enviroment.
47. When miking an electric guitar cabinet, what difference would you expect in the sound quality from the centre of the drive unit's cone and the edge of the cone?
At the edge the sound would be “fatter” while in the center position we would get a crispier sound
48. Why does a DI signal from the loudspeaker output of a guitar amplifier sound different to a microphone placed in front of the cabinet?
Because the guitar amp is built with particular features which all together create the individual sound of that amp. E.g the cones of the amplifier are specifically designed to mod that signal
49. A dynamic microphone placed close to a combo amplifier may pick up hum, whereas a capacitor microphone will not. Explain the reason.
I believe it would be a matter of electromagnetism; one of the differences between these 2 mics is that a dynamic doesn’t require phantom power, while the capacitor does. Meaning that the dynamic may create a massresulting in humming noise.
50. Would a bass guitar cabinet normally reproduce accurately the fundamental frequencies of the lowest notes of the instrument?
No, even if the spectrum of a bass guitar can appear larger than an electric guitar, the human ear would not pick up some frequencies.
51. Describe the Decca tree system of miking.
It is a technique involving 3 omnidirectional microphones assembled in triangle. The technicque has been invented during the 1950’s and it is mostly aimed to record classical music, the advantage of this technique is that signal can be processed beside of a normal stereo set up also as 5.1 or 7.1 surround. (source Wikipedia) |
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Tue Mar 27, 2007 10:44 am |
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