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ULTRAZINE
October/02
TIPS FOR THE HOME
RECORDING ENGINEER
By: Christian
Lange
One of the critical
issues in getting the right sound while recording your band
involves your selection and placement of mics. There are three
basic types of mics: dynamic, condenser, and ribbon.
Dynamic mics focus on the middle of the frequency spectrum. They
are durable, inexpensive, can handle a lot of volume and are the
mic of choice for drums, loud, gritty vocals and some electric
guitars.
Condenser mics have a well rounded frequency response. They are a
little more expensive but for certain things like most vocal
styles, the bass, and acoustic instruments, they provide an
accurate, clear sound and a very pleasant tone.
Ribbon mics are generally pricey (over $1,000) and are most
popular for recording vocals when you're looking to capture a
silky, vintage sound. They produce a subtle drop-off in high
frequencies and are very fragile.
Computer based digital studios often have mic simulators that
allow you to imitate the sound of an expensive pro mic with a less
expensive one. Aside from these choices you can also select
microphones with one of three polarity types: omni-directional,
cardioid (directional) or figure-8 (bi-directional, ie, they pick
up sound from the front and the back).
MIC PLACEMENT
The topic of
mic placement could easily fill a 300 page book. The following
guidelines are a starting point. Through trial and re-trial you
can determine the exact placements that work best for your
particular sound.
VOCALS
If your singer likes to scream into the mic, use a dynamic mic.
The closer to the singer's mouth, the more you get a deep
bass-heavy response. Good for some rock and blues. In most
other cases, use a large diaphragm condenser mic to get a
warm, full tone. To avoid sibilancies and plosives place the
mic above or below the singer pointing away from the mouth or
use a pop filter. A small diaphragm condenser mic would only
be advisable to record a female soprano where you want to
accentuate the high frequencies --a very bright sound.
ELECTRIC
GUITAR
Much like vocals, it's best to record an electric guitar in
a relatively "dead" room --in other words more
carpeting, less reflective surfaces. If you want a distorted
rock sound use a dynamic mic. For a cleaner sound use a
small diaphragm condenser mic. For a warm, full bodied sound
try a large diaphragm condenser mic. Place mic 2-14 inches
from cabinet pointing directly at the cone of one of the amp
speakers. Experiment with distance and angle. Try adding a
second mic 3 or 4 feet away to add an ambient dimension.
ELECTRIC
BASS A
fairly dead room will help to avoid the muddy sound which
is easy to get when recording a bass. A large diaphragm
condenser mic gives a pleasant warm quality. A single mic
2-14 inches away from the speaker works best. Try slight
variations on the angle.
ACOUSTIC
INSTRUMENTS
Condenser
mics 6-20 inches away about 3 inches below the center of
the instrument work well. Point the mic towards the
sound hole(s) and experiment angling more to the neck
for a brighter sound and higher definition.
DRUMS
To
get a big drum sound, record in a pretty live room and
use smaller drums (like an 18 in. kick, 10-14 in.
toms, and 5 in. snare). Playing the cymbals softly
allows you to raise the overall level of the drums in
the mix. Stay away from dampeners to keep an open,
clear tone.
KICK
DRUM Take
off outside head or cut a hole in it. Place dynamic
mic 3 in. away from inside head and 2 in. off
center.
SNARE
DRUM
A
cardioid (directional) dynamic mic (like an SM57)
placed about 2 in. away pointed directly at the
head. Try to avoid any bleed from the hi-hats.
MOUNTED
TOM-TOMS
Ideally
2 cardioid dynamic mics, each about 2 in. above
the head. If you use just one mic place it
between them about 5 in. away from the heads.
FLOOR
TOM-TOMS
Can be miked individually or one in between
them.
CYMBALS
Small
diaphragm condenser mic 6 in. above each
cymbal or a single mic 2 ft. above all the
cymbals.
WHOLE
KIT
Finally,
to add an ambient sound, you should add a
single (but preferably a pair) small
diaphragm condenser mic two feet above the
cymbals. If you use two position them in
an X-Y formation, 6 ft. apart.
You
can reach Christian Lange at Ultrared
Multimedia your source for quality CD
replication at affordable prices:
Ultrared
Multimedia
GETTING
YOUR PROJECT READY FOR MASTERING
By:
Seva (Soundcurrent Mastering)
To
say "home studio" is so
different than 20 years ago. Now
you have 24bit digital gear, full
automation, so many choices. How
do you make the right ones? Stick
it in your ear. If it doesn't
sound right, it isn't. So when you
record and mix, you follow your
ear and intuition. To get ready
for mastering, don't try to
"pre-master", just make
the mix as good as you can get it,
with everything heard in balance,
and the right EQ on each track (if
any). Compressors on single tracks
(like vocal or bass) is fine, but
avoid compressors/limiters/finalizers
on the stereo output. Bounce
(render) your stereo mix to 24bit
files. It doesn't matter if
they're .WAV, AIF, or SDII, just
keep it 24bits. Then make CDROMS
of the 24bit files to send to
mastering (and keep copies for
yourself!). This way you have a
very high resolution final mix,
much better than bringing an audio
CD to mastering. Good luck, and
keep your ears clean and your
intuition open. For more mix tips
and prepping for mastering, you
can check:
Sound
Current
or
writeSeva
If
you need information regarding
CD replication, prices,
templates for packaging design,
or have any other questions,
please contact:
Ultrared
Muktimedia
Web
site:
Ultrared
Multimedia 888-353-3472
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