Unit 48 Brief 2 Recording

Recording: 

For this assignment we had to record an instrument in different locations using different types of microphones. We recorded in a classroom, a performance hall, and outside.

The types of microphones we used were: a Shure SM58, a C1000s, D112, and a SM58 Stereo. We recorded a guitar in all of these different locations using the different microphones.

We first recorded the guitar in the classroom which had no echo effect as the room was very small. At first we used the Shure SM58. Then we used the C1000s, the D112, and finally the SM58 Stereo. The Shure SM58 is typically used to record live sets. The frequency is tailored for vocals and bass rolloff.

For the performance hall we recorded in the theatre. This gave each recording an echo as the sound had further to travel. We started off using the Shure SM58. We then went on to record using the C1000s, the D112, and the SM58. In these recordings there may have been background noise as there were other people in the theatre.

For the outside recording we stood outside the front of the sixth form. It was slightly windy therefore the quality and the sound of the recordings were affected. We started off using the Shure SM58, the C1000s, the D112 and finally the SM58 Stereo. 

Shure SM58: The Shure SM58 is an ideal choice for professional vocal artists in any live performance setting. It has a frequency response specifically tailored for vocals with brightened midrange and bass rolloff. The uniform cardioid pickup pattern isolates the main source of sound and minimalises any background noise. The handling noise is cut down by the pneumatic shock-mount system so the overall recording isn't affected. The frequency response range is 50 to 15,000 Hz.
C1000s: This is a small diaphragm multipurpose condenser microphone. It is suitable for recording live-sound applications as well as video recordings. If there is no phantom power available the microphone can power itself using two batteries. The polar pattern can be changed from cardioid to hyper-cardioid, and the three different frequency settings add more clarity to speech and instrument sounds. 
D112: The D112 is mainly used for recording bass drum and bass guitar on stage. It can handle more than 160 dB without distorting the sound. The large diaphragm has a very low resonance frequency that delivers a powerful response below 100Hz. The bass resonance volume chamber creates a unique, punchy sound. 

Polar patterns: 

The polar pattern of the microphone refers to the sensitivity to sound relative to the direction/angle from which the sounds arrives. The most common types are Omnidirectional, Cardioid, and Supercardioid. 

Cardioid: 

This has the most sensitivity at the front, and is least sensitive at the back. It isolates unwanted sound, and is much more resistant to feedback than other microphones.

Supercardioid: 

These microphones have a narrower pickup than normal cardioid microphones. They also have a greater rejection of ambient sound. They also have some pickup at the back of the microphone. These are most useful when single source sounds need to be picked up in loud environments.

Omnidirectional:

The omnidirectional microphone has equal output/sensitivity from all directions. However this microphone does pick up feedback. 


For task 2 we had to record at least three different instruments in the recording studio. We had to record using the same microphones as we did in task one. We recorded a cymbal, a bongo, a tambourine, a guitar and a piano recording. We recorded each instrument 3 times to ensure we got the best possible recording and eliminated as much background noise as possible. We also used Cubase to cut the track down, so you don't hear people talking at the start of each track. We used dynamic microphones to record these tracks.                                            


Link to SoundCloud Recordings: 

https://soundcloud.com/user-467455279

Cubase Sequencing Blog

Cubase Blog Post Entries

How to set up a new project in Cubase:

To set up a new project, you open Cubase, click on file and go down to New Project. This opens up a new project in which you can add tracks to.

How to create tracks:

To add tracks into your project, you need to go across to Audio on the top bar, ‘add track’ and create an instrument track. You can add as many of these as you need.

How to assign synths to tracks:

To assign a synth to a track, you first need to add a track. Once you do this, this black box appears. Click on VST Instrument, and all the synth you need. We used Halion Sonic SE, and Sylenth 1.

How to input midi data (notes):

Once you have added your track, you need to draw in the length of the track. You do this by clicking the pencil icon at the top of the screen, and drawing the track as long as you need it. Once you have drawn your track in, double click on it, and it comes up with a keyboard across the side. To input notes, select the pencil icon at the top of the screen, and click on the note you want.

How to use Groove agent and MediaBay to create a drum track:

When creating a new track for the drums, you need to add a track from the project bar at the top, and when the black box appears, you need to select Drum Groove Agent One.

This adds the track to Cubase. Next you need to select the little keyboard icon, on the left hand side of the screen, by the track.

 

This then brings up the drum sampler, in which you add the sounds to the pads.

You now need to open MediaBay from the Media tab at the top of the screen.

This brings up a window in which you can search for the different drum sounds you need.

Here you search for all of the different sounds you need, and drag them onto the sampler pads. Make sure they are all in the same group (group 1).

Once you have added the sounds to the pads, you will notice that on the pads, in the top right hand corner, that there is a letter and a number. This tells you what note on the track, will play the drum sound you selected.

For example, E-1 and F-1 will play the sounds I selected.

To create the drum track, you just input the notes, in the order you need.

DAW - A DAW is a digital audio workstation. This is an electronic device or computer software application; it's used for recording, editing and producing audio files, such as songs, musical pieces, dialogue, or sound effects. They come in a wide variety of configurations, from a single software program, to a stand alone unit, all the way to a highly complex configuration of numerous components, controlled by a computer. Modern DAW's have a central interface that allows the user to alter and mix multiple recordings and tracks. The DAW we are using is Cubase 6. It allows us to configure different elements, into one combined track.


Operating System - This is the most important program that runs on a computer. Every general purpose computer must have one in order to run other programs and applications. They perform basic tasks, like recognising input from the keyboard, and sending an output to the screen. For large systems, the operating system has a much greater power it keeps different programs running at the same time, from interfering with each other. The OS we use, is OS X on the Macs.

What's a synthesiser? - This is an electronic musical instrument, which is typically operated by a keyboard. It is able to mimic traditional instrumental sounds, like a piano or drums. Or it is able to create new sounds, using snippets of existing sounds.


Software synthesiser - This is a computer program, used in the same way as a hardware synthesiser, which digitally creates the sounds typically used in music. They are used more often than hardware synthesisers due to the increase in computer processing speeds.

MIDI specifications - The Midi Manufacturers Association (MMA) set out a series of specifications that enable MIDI products to work together. They define new MIDI messages, and new recommended practices for using MIDI technology.

MIDI manager - This shows you the MIDI devices that you currently have available, and where they are connected. The MIDI manager shows you these by name, instead of number, so it is easier to differentiate between them.


MIDI channels - A MIDI channel has a specific meaning. The MIDI command is designed to control sound generating voices, which are called channel voice messages. These are tagged with a MIDI channel number, so that one MIDI link can carry up to 16 independent parts or lines of musical performance. The corresponding master instrument or sequencer track should be set to the same channel as the receiving subsystem.


MIDI controller - This is a computer peripheral, which allows you to send input information directly from the input device to a computer. The vast majority are connected by USB, and they prevent you from having to use a mouse to 'click' on each individual note, instead using a more familiar input such as a keyboard or groove box.


MIDI file - A standard MIDI File (SMF) is a file format that provides a standardised way for sequences to be saved, transported and opened in other systems. Its compact size enables these files to be used in a plethora of other ways such as phone ringtones and greetings cards.

Hardware Keyboard Sampler - This is a keyboard device, similar to a synthesiser, but instead of generating new sounds, it uses snippets of pre recorded sounds (samples) from actual instruments to produce music.


MIDI interfaces - This is a cable that allows you to connect MIDI devices, without USB connectors, to a computer. One end is connected via MIDI in/out and the other end is connected to a USB port. This enables legacy MIDI devices to be connected to a computer in order to be used with a DAW.

Software Synthesisers 

On the synthesiser there are different sections. At the top, there are two oscillators, which generates the waveform for the synthesiser. Within the oscillator, there is an option to choose which wave you want to use. There are four types of waves; sine wave, square wave, triangle wave and sawtooth wave. Each of these have a different sound. For example, the sine wave has a soft sound, whereas the square wave has a very harsh, digital sound. To replicate the sound in Clean Bandit's 'Rather Be', we chose the sine wave as it has a softer sound to it. 
There is an amplifier envelope, which changes the velocity of different parts of the note. It changes the timing of the note, and how delayed it may be. There is Attack, Decay, Sustain, and Release. Attack defines the amount of time it takes for the note to reach its maximum velocity. Decay is the amount of time it takes for the note to go from the maximum velocity to the sustain level. Sustain defines the velocity of the note whilst the note is being held. Release is the amount of time the note takes to fall from the sustain level, to silence, once the note is released. To replicate the sound in Rather Be, we left the attack level at the bottom, and increased the level of release, to create a slight echo. 

The filter is the EQ. This changes the frequency. You can choose to boost the higher frequencies, or the lower frequencies. To replicate this song, we needed to boost the lower frequencies. 

At the bottom of the synthesiser, there is a low frequency oscillator. This consists of three dials, which affect the rate, the gain and the offset. If you change these dials, it changes the sound of the track. So, for example, in this track, we altered the rate, which means the rate in which the volume changes is altered. When the synthesiser is used in the track, at the end, a 'wobble' sound is created, as it is in the original. 

Sampling Packages

To add a drum track to a song in Cubase, you have to go to 'Project', 'Add Track', and select 'Instrument'. Next you select the 'Groove Agent One'. You then draw on the length of the track using the pencil icon. Double click on this, and a sampler will appear. Next, you need to go onto 'Media' and select 'MediaBay'. Here you can search for the different sounds. Once you have typed into the search box, a list of sounds will appear. You choose which one sounds more like the original, and drag it onto the sampler. Make sure you stay in the same group so all of the sounds are together. On the sampler, you can have up to 128 different sounds assigned to the pads. The groups keep one set of sounds together for easier use. Each group uses the same octave of notes to assign the sounds to. 


Link to soundcloud track: https://soundcloud.com/user-467455279/clean-bandit-rather-be

Unit 49 - Albums

Album Name: The Dark Side Of The Moon
Producer: Pink Floyd
Artist: Pink Floyd
Year/Date: 1973
Genre: Progressive Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Hard Rock, Art Rock, Space Rock


The album was recorded at Abbey Road Studios, over two sessions, between May 1972 and January 1973. Several sound effect loops were created, and put into the recordings, for example; coins being thrown into a bowl, and this would later be used in the recording of the song "Money". The album is especially well known for its use of metronomic sound effects in the song "Speak To Me". For example, a piano chord is used, but played backwards, and this serves as an increase of the build-up effects.
 The sound effects featured on "money" were created by mixing together the recording of the coins, tearing paper, the ringing of a cash register, and a clicking adding machine. These were used to create an effects loop (an effects loop is an input or output that enables a user to insert effects between the preamp and or eq section and the power section of an amplifier).
They added synthesisers to create a unique sound. For example, on  "Brain Damage" and "Any Colour You Like", they experimented with EMS VCS 3. This is a portable analogue synthesiser. In "Time" and "On The Run", they used a Synthi A, which is another type of portable analogue synthesiser.
They had a specially treated bass drum, which was made to resemble the human heartbeat, which is used in both "Speak To Me", "On The Run", "Time" and "Eclipse".
In several tracks featured on the album, including "Time", there are examples of harmonising. To take advantage of this, Parsons utilised the double tracking method, meaning Gilmour could harmonise with himself.
Another main feature of the album, is snippets of voices between and over the music. To do this, a series of questions were printed on flashcards, and members of the recording studio were placed in front of the microphone, and told to answer them as they were recorded. They were simple questions like "What's your favourite colour?". The questions then became progressively more in depth, for example "when was the last time you were violent?". Some examples of the recordings used, were "live for today, gone tomorrow, that's me ...", "I never said I was frightened of dying" and "there is no dark side in the moon, really. As a matter of fact it's all dark".
This album was revolutionary, as they created a new genre within rock - Psychedelic and Space Rock. Its release is often seen as a integral point in the history of rock music. Pink Floyd and Radiohead are often compared to each other, because both albums share the same themes of relating to the loss of a creative individual's ability to function in the modern world. The songs were




References:

Dimery, RD, 2011. 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. 4th ed. London: Tristan de Lancey.
          
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dark_Side_of_the_Moon

Album Name: The Rise and Fall Of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars
Producer: Ken Scott, David Bowie
Artist: David Bowie
Year/Date: 1972
Genre: Glam Rock, Art Rock


By November 1971, 'Hang On To Yourself', 'Ziggy Stardust', 'Star' (formerly Rock n Roll Star), 'Moonage Daydream', 'Soul Love', 'Lady Stardust' and 'Five Years' had been produced.
'Starman', which was released as a single, had examples of sound effects within it, which were described as a "loud mix of morse code" section.
Bowie’s lyrics and vocals are emotional and deep, while guitarist Mick Ronson kept the tone of the music down to a respectable rock level with his guitar riffs.
An off-beat drum pattern by Mick Woodmansey opens the song “Five Years”. It gives a sense of uneasiness, which is represented throughout. “Soul Love” is also based on percussion, accompanied by steadily strummed acoustic and unique vocal choruses by Bowie. During the chorus, there is some strongly accented layered electric guitars performed by Ronson, paired with Bowie's saxophone solo, finishing off the album. "Moonage Daydream" continues with the acoustic theme, with Trevor Bolder's animated bass, and the use of the sharp, electric riff overtones. This song creates a sonic feel with its orchestration, backing vocals, piano, and guitar lead at the end.
"Starman" is a classic style David Bowie song. It thematically harkens back to the same style of his first major hit "Space Oddity". An acoustic ballad, highlighted by transitional space age effects, orchestration and powerful riffs, the song is one of Bowie's most successful.
“Ziggy Stardust”, unique with instrumentation which leans towards riff-based classic rock during the verses, while the choruses lean towards the newer Bowie sound. highlights the two parts of the song with distinct vocals and well delivered lyrics in each.
This album is revolutionary because it takes the musicianship demonstrated in Bowie’s previous album, to a new extent, in which Bowie really hit his stride and forged his distinctive sound. It was named the 35th best album ever made by Rolling Stone on their list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. It's the only glam rock album to have stoof the test of time. Over 40 years later, it is still considered one of the greatest albums ever made. Bowie's vocals change with every song, giving a new feel to every song. Bowie was the one to create glam rock, and it appears that this genre is only associated with him.

References:

Dimery, RD, 2011. 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. 4th ed. London: Tristan de Lancey.

http://www.classicrockreview.com/2012/11/1972-david-bowie-ziggy/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rise_and_Fall_of_Ziggy_Stardust_and_the_Spiders_from_Mars#Legacy

Album Name: Nevermind
Producer: Butch Vig
Artist: Nirvana
Year/Date: 1991
Genre: Grunge, Rock


This is the second studio album Nirvana recorded, which was released on September 24, 1991 by DGC Records.  Kurt Cobain desired to make music, thinking outside of the restrictive confines of the Seattle grunge scene, and was influenced by other groups such as the Pixies and how they used "loud/quiet" dynamics.
Before going straight into recording, the band had a few days where they worked with Butch Vig, in tightening up the song arrangements. Once all these were done, the band began recording and spent up to 10 hours a day in the studio. They adapted a methodical approach to the recording, as they tried recording each song two or three times, and if they were still not happy with the recording after three tries, they would move onto another song, and come back to this one later. Typically, only a few takes were needed, as the songs has been rehearsed previously, so the recording of it was successful over the two or three tries.  Kurt Cobain used a variety of guitars, ranging from Fender Stratocasters to Fender Jaguars, whilst Novoselic used a black 1979 and natural 1976 Gibson Ripper. Cobain had to work longer on the overdubs, singing, and the lyrics which were sometimes finished a few minutes before recording. Cobain's phrasing was so consistent over several takes, that sometimes Vig would get all of the recordings for that song, and mix the takes together to form overdubs.
Once the band started to mix the tracks, they began to grow unhappy with how it sounded. So they decided to call in somebody else to mix them, and that was Andy Wallace, who co-produced the Slayer album, Seasons in the Abyss. He ran the songs through various special effects boxes, tweaked the sound of the drums, and completing just one mix a day.
This album was revolutionary because despite the low success and popularity expectations by both the band and record label, Nevermind surprised everybody, with its success in later 1991, mainly due to the popularity of its first single, "Smells Like Teen Spirit". By January the following year, it had replaced Michael Jackson's 'Dangerous' at number one. The RIAA certified the album diamond, meaning that there was over 10 million copies shipped worldwide. Nevermind was responsible for bringing both alternative rock and grunge to a wider, more mainstream audience, and has been ranked very highly on lists of the greatest albums of all time. The warped pop songs were mixed with punk sound, and the power chords of metal. The album established Cobain as one of rocks most iconic singers.

References:

Dimery, RD, 2011. 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. 4th ed. London: Tristan de Lancey.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nevermind

Unit 49 Brief 1 - Setting Up For A Live Performance

Setting Up For A Live Performance

Equipment List:

• Yamaha EMX 5016 CF Mixing Desk
• Power Amp, ASX 18 dB Technology for mixing desk, the t.amp A1400 for main speaker, the t.amp A2400 for the sub speakers
• Sub speakers (dB's)
• Main speakers (dB's)
• Support pillars
• XLR cables
• Jack cables
• Speakon cables
• Masking tape
• Power leads
• Shure SM58 microphone

Risk Assessment:

       The lids from the boxes are hazard, as somebody may trip over them. To avoid this, you need to place the lids neat and tidy, away from where people will be walking. The boxes moving are a hazard, as they may roll, and cause damage to the equipment, or hurt someone. To prevent this, you should lock the wheels on the boxes so they don't roll. The wires are a hazard, as somebody may trip over them. To stop this from happening, you should tape the wires to the floor, away from the area people will walk. Unwanted noises from the desk may damage people's hearing or the equipment. To avoid this, you should flat line the desk before adding power. Live wire exposure is an electricity hazard, and to avoid this, you should ensure that all cables are safe and not broken, before using them. Plug sockets are a danger, as they also cause an electricity hazard. To avoid hazard, you should switch off the power when it is not in use. Water near electric is another electricity hazard, and can be avoided by keeping food and drink away from the area. There is a health risk of injuring your back when lifting the heavy equipment. Make sure that you lift using your knees, and keep your back straight. The noise levels should be kept below the 120dB level, so no damage is caused to the equipment.

Steps taken:

First, you take the boxes apart. You take off the lids, and place them neat and tidy, out of the way so that people won't trip over them. Keep the mixing desk on the power supply, and move the desk into the correct position. Once in this position, lock the wheels on the box, so you avoid the boxes rolling and hurting someone. Now you need to move the base bins into the correct positions, on the right and left side of the room. Make sure that when these are moved, two people are lifting them, and they lift using their knees so that they don't hurt their backs. Doing this creates an even split in the sound. Now you need to screw the support pillars into the top of the base bins, and ensure they are secure so nothing will move and hurt someone. Now, you need to lift the main speakers up, and onto the pillars. Again, ensuring that two people lift these, so people don't hurt their back. Ensure these are secure so that they won't move and hurt someone. Make sure they are the same height so that there is an even distribution in the sound. Connect the speakon cables into the back of each of the speakers, and connect these to the power supply. This gives power to the speakers. After you have connected the cables, you need to tape down the cables so that nobody will trip over them. Now you need to connect the desk to the amps, using the jack leads, making sure they are balanced. Now you need to plug everything into the mains, giving a power supply to everything. Ensure you flat line the desk before turning it on, so that no unwanted noises are created, and a feedback loop is prevented. Turn on the desk, checking the lights are on indicating that all the cables are plugged into the right place and everything is working. If the lights aren't on, double check the cables are in the right place, or if there is a faulty cable. After the you see the lights indicating everything is working, you need to check if the microphone is getting a signal. This will be shown in the bottom left hand corner of the desk. If the microphone is receiving a signal, a light will flash on and off, indicating this. Once the microphone receives a signal, you can test the levels and adjust as necessary.

Recording Studio Set Up 

     First, you log into the mac with the username and password provided. Next, you need to go into Finder, Applications and find Cubase 7. Make sure you click cancel on any screen that pop up. Once the main screen has loaded, you need to go to 'file' at the top of the screen, and click on 'new project. Now you need to select 'empty' from the tab on the right. 
     Now you need to check that the desk is on. To do this, you go to 'devices' on the bar at the top of the screen, and click on 'device setup'. Check the audio driver (ASIO) is connected to the Onyx Firewire, which is the desk. Next you need to go back onto 'devices' and click on 'VST connections'. Under 'inputs and outputs', the preset should be on ONYX. If it isn't, you need to select ONYX, in order for the desk set up to be complete. 
     On the bar at the top of the screen you need to go to 'project' and 'add track', and add as many mono tracks as you will need. To change the input for each track, go to the bar on the right, which says 'mono in'. Each of the inputs responds to the input on the desk. Click 'monitor' on the track, which appears as a little speaker icon. Do this to test that the audio is coming through. 

Once you have set up Cubase and the desk, you need to go into the studio and connect the microphones to the wall ox, using XLR leads. You now need to open the mixer in Cubase, to monitor the levels. You get to this by clicking on 'devices' and 'mix console'. Next you need to set the gain on the desk. You need to get the performer to play as loud as they would for the real recording, to get the gain to sit at 0dB on the mixer. If it is too high, it will clip. The performer may choose to have headphones which are plugged into the control box in the studio, in order to hear the backing track or click track. Now you're ready to record. To start recording and testing the set up, you need to click the red button on the transport bar. 

Microphones:

The different types of microphones used are Condenser/Capacitor microphones, or dynamic ones.
Condenser Microphones:
A capacitor has two plates with a voltage in between them. One of these plates in a condenser microphone, is very thin and acts as a diaphragm. When sound waves are detected, the diaphragm vibrates, which then changes the distance between the two plates. This then changes the capacitance. When the plates are closer together, the capacitance increases, meaning a charge current occurs. When the plates are further apart, the capacitance decreases, and a discharge current occurs. For the capacitor to work, a voltage is required. The voltage can be supplied either through a battery in the mic, or through an external phantom power. A condenser microphone has a much greater frequency and transient response, which is the ability to reproduce the speed of an instrument or voice. They have a louder output, and are sensitive to loud noises. To work, they require the use of a 48V 'phantom power'. This is supplied by most mixing desks, or power supplies. Condenser microphones are usually only used in studios, as they are very sensitive to loud noises and are fragile.
Dynamic Microphones:
Inside the dynamic microphone, there is a diaphragm. This is attached to a coil. When a sound waves is detected, the diaphragm vibrates in response. This then means that the coil moves backwards and forwards as it is attached to the diaphragm. This moves forward and backward, across a magnet. Because of this, a current is created within the coil, which is then channelled from the microphone and through the wires. They are better suited than the condenser microphones, in terms of they can handle higher volume levels better. These sorts of microphones can be used on stage, as they are stronger and sturdier than the condenser microphone. They don't require their own power supply, like a condenser. They can withstand high sound pressure levels, like guitar amps, drums and live vocals.