Sunday, 15 May 2016

Research Bibliography

Posted by at No comments:

Thursday, 12 May 2016

Live Recording Results and Analysis

I feel that my live recordings were partially successful, I feel that my microphone selections were effective in minimising bleed and spill in most instances however I feel that I could have paid more attention to effectively isolating each source and researching effective sound isolation for live recording more thoroughly may have helped achieve this. I utilised sound reflection boards to section off the drum kit as I feel the drums would have caused the most spillage in the recording.

There were however problems that arose as regards to properly isolating the bass and guitar amplifiers and they couldn't be moved from their positions and I had to rely on microphone positioning to try and compensate for this. I feel that the vocals perhaps could have been isolated more effectively as there was a lot of sound spillage onto the vocal microphone. This could also perhaps have been due to my microphone choice, perhaps the large diaphragm Se2200t wasn't the best choice as it would have picked up more spill than perhaps a small diaphragm condenser. 

These issues were rectified by automating the vocal channel in sections in which it they became particularly lost. I also need to apply relatively extreme EQ settings to several channels in order to try and remove frequencies of sources bleeding into each microphone (for example bass guitar was being picked up on various microphones and several high pass filters had to be applied) I had to ensure that I didn't effect the frequencies the sound sources occupied. 

Gates were applied to the drums, however were not effective in isolating any spillage on any of the other sources, therefore it is evident that if I were to approach live recording again in the future I would perhaps as I previously mentioned spend more time concentrating on correctly isolating each individual sound as opposed to relying solely on microphone choices and positioning. I feel that a combination of both methods would have perhaps vastly improved my live recordings.    
Posted by at No comments:

Live Recording Bass,Guitar, Keys & Vocal Recording Methods

After selecting the microphones for recording drums I focused my attention on the approaches I would take for recording bass, guitars and keys in my live recordings. White (2000) suggests that bass guitars and keys are mostly D.I'd for this purpose. This is to ensure the signals are completely clean and refrain from any spillage/bleed from other microphones. The bass amplifier has a direct out on the head itself, eliminating the need for a D.I. box whereas I will have to utilise a D.I. box to record the keys.

When recording guitars I originally opted for using Shure SM57s however these were in use when I had arranged to record the live session and I have to compromise and opt for another suitable option. After much deliberation I decided to use the Sennheiser E906 dynamic microphone. 

The E906 (Sennheiser, 2016) is designed specifically for the recording of electric guitars, percussion and brass. It features a super-cardioid polar pattern and a flat diaphragm allowing the microphone to be placed directly in front of the amplifier. These two factors suggest that the microphone will be apt for this application, placing a super cardioid microphone close to the sound source should pick up a relatively clean signal from the source with little spill. Below are the polar pattern and frequency response diagrams of the E906. 


Finally, I decided to opt for a large diaphragm condenser microphone when recording vocals in order to try and capture as much detail as possible. For this I used the sE 2200T combined with a pop shield and reflection filter to attempt to minimise spill from other sound sources. 

The above diagram details the polar pattern and frequency response of the SE2200T and further information is available to view via the following hyper-link  https://www.scan.co.uk/images/products-extra/ProAudio/Microphones/condenser-mics/LN51384/2200t.pdf  (Scan Computers International Ltd., 2016). If positioned correctly I feel that the SE2200T would be particularly efficient in the live recordings. 
Posted by at No comments:

Live recording Drum Microphone Choices

At this stage, I felt it was necessary to consider what microphones would be best suited for recording a band in a live setting. White (2000) recommends using microphones that would be normally utilised in a live setting for example dynamic cardioid or hyper-cardioid microphones. He also states that some elements in the recording may benefit from capacitor/condenser microphones i.e. vocals.

 Taking this into consideration allowed me to make my selections for microphone choices in for this specific application. I will firstly discuss my microphone choices for the drum kit.

 For the Kick Drum I decided to utilise the AKG D112. Information regarding the D112 can be viewed at http://www.akg.com/pro/p/d112mkii (AKG, 2016)

The D112 is a cardioid dynamic microphone designed specifically for the kick drum in live and recorded situations therefore I felt it would be the most suitable choice for this application.

 Due to limited space and resources, compromises had to be made as regards to the individual drum microphones (toms and snare drums). It was decided that it would be best to utilise clip on drum microphones that are preferential in live recordings based on the initial research. The AKG D440 is a durable dynamic cardioid microphone intended for on stage use and is now discontinued. Further specifications for this microphone are available here http://cloud.akg.com/9557/d440_cutsheet.pdf (AKG, 2016)

 For Overheads I decided to utilise the AKG C451 which is a small diaphragm condenser microphone with a cardioid polar pattern. Futher information can also be seen here http://cloud.akg.com/10243/c451_manual.pdf (AKG, 2016)


Although marketed as a vocal microphone, I selected the AKG C451 to record the overheads based on its pick up pattern and frequency response. I have aimed to utilise mainly cardioid microphones for this purpose due to their directionality, hopefully minimising spill from other sound sources. The raised high end frequency response (roughly 5kHz-15kHz) suggests that the AKG C451 will pick up the high end frequencies produced by the cymbals.

Posted by at No comments:

Live Recording Initial Research

For the final two tracks in my portfolio I decided that I would be beneficial to show variation in my recording techniques and approaches by recording and producing live/on location recordings.

 To begin with, I met with Hull College performance students who had agreed to let me record two of their songs whilst rehearsing. It was decided that I would record their renditions of Proud Mary and Piece of my Heart.

 Following the initial meeting I began to research the basic principles of live recording. The first source I came across was an article by White (2000) featured on Sound on Sound which detailed many of the important points to consider when approaching a live recording as opposed to a multi tracking.

 The article firstly focuses on the application of multi-track recorders in live recording, however I will not need to utilise a multi track recorder for this purpose as the practice room in the college links up to a mixing desk and workstation in an adjacent post production room and is linked via a multi-core. This set up is ideal as it allows complete separation from the sound sources and allows for isolated monitoring acting as a control room and essentially doubling as an extra studio with a large enough space to accommodate for live recordings.

Posted by at No comments:

Beats Reflection

Overall, I feel that the Hip-Hop/beats style tracks I have produced reflect the influences and techniques that I have researched throughout the process and has informed and solidified my processes and approaches to beat making.

 If I were to approach this in the future I would perhaps consider arranging to work with a rapper/lyricist on the project. I feel that as the tracks are primarily influenced by Hip-Hop including rapping, they don't work as strongly as perhaps more instrumental based compositions by artists such as Flying Lotus and Samiyam.
Posted by at No comments:

Beats Sample Selection & Reference Tracks

In order to select samples, I felt like the most efficient way of doing this would be to search YouTube for suitable material to sample. I found it particularly useful to refer to WhoSampled.com Limited (2016) when trying to find inspiration for artists to sample. I began to search influential artists and examined the types of artists that they sampled. For example Thugnificense by Flatbush Zombies (2013) samples Iniuria Palace by Baths (2011). I listened through their discography and decided to sample the introduction from Yawn by Baths (2014) for the first tracks main hook. This was accompanied by vocals sampled from Love Song featured on 'The Flood' by The Lyre Ensemble (2015) along with the aforementioned drum recordings of which individual elements were sampled (i.e. snare drum) and the sourced 808 samples.

 The Second track features samples taken from a track called Dream Lady by Tom Scott (1990) featured on the reissue of 'Blow it Out'. The main elements of this track were sampled from the introduction of this track, and the strings were also sampled from around 14 seconds into the track. This is also accompanied by sampled drums taken from the inital drum recording session at the beginning of this process. 

 In each track, I tried to be as sparing as possible with the amount of elements I sampled, attempting to emulate the limitations held in place by original samplers such as the SP-1200. I found this helpful to an extent as it helped me generate the tracks initial structures. However I eventually found this somewhat counter-intuitive, heeding my work flow and decided to allow myself more creative freedom with each composition.

 In order to achieve this I felt that it was necessary to establish reference tracks that would inform further influence for the pieces. The tracks Fine Whine and Canal St. by A$AP Rocky (2015). I used the following tracks as both mix references and creative references for elements that I would perhaps introduce within my tracks, for example the chime/bell tree samples are influenced by those in Canal St. and are used to add additional layers which emphasise the introductions of new sections/measures.

          
Posted by at No comments:

Beats Composition Approaches

After gathering my initial rhythmic sources of which I will sample in my recordings I conducted further research into composition approaches in an aim to inform my own compositions and provide influence for my tracks. It was during this period in which I discovered a series called Rhythm Roulette which features on the massappeal YouTube channel. 


Rhythm Roulette is a series in which various producers are challenged to make a beat using three random vinyl records, which are chosen by the producers at a local record store whilst blindfolded. Rhythm Roulette gives an insight into the creative approaches of various producers when approaching beat making as well as learning what elements to look for when listening to and selecting samples from a record.

My approach to composition will be informed by the production methods seen on rhythm roulette, however as an inexperienced beat maker I feel it would be counter-intuitive to limit each beat to three random tracks or records. I will however utilise a minimum of one track and a maximum of three tracks per beat in which I will creatively compose a new piece for my project. 

 Notable Episodes included; 

 (Large Professor - "Rhythm Roulette", 2015) 
(9th Wonder - "Rhythm Roulette", 2015)
(K-Def - "Rhythm Roulette, 2016) 

 When examining various episodes of rhythm roulette it is apparent that Hip-Hop Producers are all using very similar apparatus. Most noticeably different variations of the AKAI MPC sampler. It is worth considering the applications of the aforementioned SP-1200 within hip-hop production also.

http://www.vintagesynth.com/emu/sp1200.php (Vintage Synth Explorer, 2016) 

 The SP-1200 is a sampler and drum machine unit and is held in high acclaim amongst hip-hop artists prominent in the 1980s-1990s according to Vintage Synth (2016). The specifications are particularly limited; for example it features a sampling rate of 26.040 kHz and a 12 bit resolution which according to this source is ideal for hip-hop production as it sounds like worn vinyl adding a grittiness to productions. As well as this, the SP-1200 originally only featured four 2.5 second blocks of overall sampling time, meaning producers had to be resourceful with what they sampled. In order to replicate this I will try to actively limit the sources I use in order to promote creativity.   
Posted by at No comments:

Beats Drum Sampling

I initially desired to create my own drum samples for this project in order to create unique drum sounds for the tracks. The techniques employed when recording the drum samples for this project were informed by the minimalistic approaches to recording drums employed by Gabriel Roth (Daley, 2008) 

 Roth utilises either the Shure S55 or the RCA DX77 in this approach, and the microphone is placed on the floor next to the bass drum and is placed so that it also picks up the snare 

 In order to replicate this technique I used the Shure S55 and experimented with various positions and angles in order to achieve an equal balance of both snare and kick drum in the signal. Images of microphone placement can be viewed below: 







Further research lead me to the following source in which several producers breakdown their approached to beat making.

http://uk.complex.com/music/2014/03/how-to-make-hip-hop-beats/j-cole-power-trip (Complex, 2014) 

In the first two videos, J cole and Jahil Beats both discuss the 808, referring to the drum machine developed by Roland (Roland TR-808).

http://www.vintagesynth.com/roland/808.php (Vintage Synth Explorer, 2016) 

According to Vintage Synth Explorer (2016) I discovered that the Roland TR-808 is a classic drum machine which utilises analogue synthesis to produce its unique sounds. It is also stated that the TR-808 is the drum machine of choice used in the vast majority of Hip-Hop and R&B music. Therefore I felt that it was vital I utilised 808 samples in my own work to add an exta element of authenticity.

I had the opportunity to sample an original Roland TR-808 drum machine which can be seen below. I spent time experimenting, programming in patterns as well as sampling individual hits and variations of each element (kick, snare, toms, congas, rim shot, clave, claps, maracas, cow bell, open and closed hi-hats) by adjusting each channels parameters i.e. the decay and tone. 

Posted by at No comments:

Beats Research continued

My previous research highlighted the technique of sampling, I already possessed a brief knowledge of sampling (that it was common practice within hip-hop) however felt it was necessary to explore this further in order to expand my existing knowledge, discovering its history and practical applications. 

 I discovered two articles that were particularly helpful; 

 Music Radar; A Brief History of Sampling (Computer Music, 2014) 
How Music Sampling Works (McGrath, 2011) 

 It is to my understanding, that according to both sources, it was not until the late 1970s and early 1980s that sampling really took off within Hip-Hop. This was first introduced when DJs first began to manipulate vinyl records, replaying the breaks found in funk music. 

Hardware such as the E-MU SP-1200 and Akai S950 made sampling more accessible to studios that didn't have the means to afford more expensive hardware such as the Mellotron that was developed in the 1960 and relied on tape. 

Posted by at No comments:

Beats Initial research

For the next two tracks in my portfolio I wished to compose and produce two original instrumental hip-hop beats recordings based on the positive reception of my Gorillaz Clint Eastwood remix previously produced in this style.

When recording, or composing I find it seems to make most sense to focus on the main rhythmic elements of the track. In this case, drums are an integral element in hip-hop production. I have initially decided to research hip-hop drum production techniques and discovered an article regarding Hip-Hop drum production by Shafer (2012)   

I found this article particularly useful when considering the creative approach of creating a hip-hop style beat as a foundation for my tracks. The first section discusses ‘simple’ and ‘complex’ beats. It explains that the most common drum patterns follow a pattern that repeats every 8, 16, 32 or 64 steps. The article then continues to discuss that complex patterns are those which are more difficult to anticipate, often made interesting by adding drops, mutes or delays to ‘heighten anticipation’ of the track.

Taking this into consideration I find that it will be beneficial to generate a simple drum pattern to begin with, of which I will then generate interest by inserting drops/mutes or effects such as delay at differing intervals. 

Section 2 discusses drum samples, and how hip hop tracks that stand out are ones with unique sounding drums. For example the inclusion of ethnic percussion such as bongos, congas, tamboras may be beneficial and may be something that I consider to include at a later stage. The article also suggests to move away from a workstation or DAWS stock drum sounds, the reasoning being that they've been used on hundreds (likely more) of tracks before. The article then suggests that it may be worth searching the internet for royalty free drums samples or to use a drum kit to record/sample your own. I have decided to use both of the aforementioned approaches.
Posted by at No comments:

La Bête Blooms mixing concepts and process analysis.

When mixing both La Bête Blooms tracks (Low Hummer and Hole in My Head) I felt that it was important to find a balance between the sonic qualities of each reference track. My Bloody Valentine have guitars at the forefront of the mix, the vocals are much lower in the mix than those present in Lithium and Come as You Are. The drums are also much punchier in the Nirvana reference tracks and it was both of these elements that I wished to combine in my mixing approaches.

The drums in You Made Me Realise are particularly thin sounding due to the EQ settings applied. I believe this is so that the drums cut through the wall of guitars effectively, as the guitars are occupying a lot of the low mid frequencies therefore the drums would normally struggle to cut through the mix. I didn't want to take this approach particularly as I feel the recordings for La Bête Blooms would benefit from a punchier drum sound a la Lithium and Come as You Are. In the beginning it was stated that the band were fans of the drum sound on Nirvana's Nevermind, which in comparison is much punchier and more prominent in the mix. I feel that I have met my aims and achieved this balance somewhat and have tried to ensure that the guitars are the main focus of the tracks. I have tried to ensure that the vocals cut through the mix but are not quite as prominent in the mix as I would normally make them, this was achieved by increasing the amount of reverb and compression applied slightly, as well as the overall mix levels. Vocals were also double tracked after referring to White (2009) which added extra texture and power to the takes ensuring that the vocals weren't lost amongst the wall of guitar approach to mixing.
Overall, I feel that the tracks produced for La Bête Blooms were successful in my initial aims. I do however feel that I could have improved upon the end result if planning for the recording sessions was more meticulous. Although the greatest efforts were made to ensure there was clarity in the guitar parts recorded, I feel this could have been improved upon perhaps if I had recorded a Dry signal via D.I. bypassing the effects chains and distortion, as I feel the amount of overdrive applied perhaps contributed to a slightly muddy sounding mix in places. Cleaner guitar takes may have added more clarity, especially for lead guitar parts. The tracks were however relatively new, and La Bête Blooms wished to experiment with various effects and layers of guitars. It was my task however, to use my discretion as to which parts worked and which didn't. I did however cut specific takes that didn't benefit the mix.      
Posted by at No comments:

Wednesday, 11 May 2016

La Bête Blooms Notable Mixing Techniques

The approach to mixing both of La Bête Blooms's tracks is especially important to consider. I firstly felt that in order to give the mixes context it would be beneficial to select reference tracks in which I could refer to to gain inspiration to influence my approaches to this.

I have chosen to refer to tracks below by the artists My Bloody Valentine and Nirvana. Particularly 
  • (My Bloody Valentine - You Made Me Realise, 2012)
  • (My Bloody Valentine- Soon, 2012)  
  • (Nirvana - Come as You Are, 2009)
  • (Nirvana - Lithium, 2009)
As I previously stated at the beginning of the blog, La Bête Blooms stated that they wished for the guitars to act as the main focus and wished for a wall of sound style guitar technique similar to that displayed in both My Bloody Valentine tracks. This provided somewhat of a challenge in the mixing process, as during the recording stage several different layers of guitars were recorded, each with varying effects and varying levels of distortion. I had not originally anticipated the amount of tracks that I ended up having to mix due to multi layering in different sections of the songs (most notably in Low Hummer) and it proved reasonably difficult to mix. I began to research various EQ methods for electric guitar. 

Both Benediktsson (2016) and Anderton (2016)   informed my basic approaches to mixing the guitars for each track, I found myself having to cut the low end on almost every guitar part recorded as sections were very dense, lacking clarity. Cutting the low end allowed elements previously buried in the mix to punch through more effectively for example the bass guitar and the kick drum. More drastic measures had to be taken when EQ the bridge section in Low Hummer, as each layer of guitars occupied a slightly varying frequency range. Cuts were made to highlight this, for example, extreme high end cuts were made for guitars that occupied low-mid frequencies, whereas extreme low end cuts were made to give clarity to guitar parts that occupied high-mid range frequencies. This approach to equalisation brought clarity and separation to each element that previously wasn't apparent. 
  

Posted by at No comments:

La Bête Blooms Vocal recording techniques

When analysing the microphones that Steve Albini employs, the EV RE20 appears throughout and is utilised in many different applications. This highlights the microphones versatility as well as being an integral element in Albini's production approaches.

 I again decided to utilise the EV RE20 (Electro Voice, 2016) for recording vocals as originally, it was designed as a broadcast announcer microphone, and is described as having a 'voice tailored' frequency response.
 

This is particularly evident when again referring to the graph depicting the EV RE20s frequency response. Typically, human speech is typically perceived within the mid range. The EV RE20 features a very balanced mid range between 400Hz and 1.3kHz.  




Posted by at No comments:

La Bête Blooms Bass Recording Techniques

As previously stated, the bass guitar was originally recorded directly through a Sansamp bass driver DI. The intention of this was to A; create a ghost track and B; ensure the performance of the drummer seemed as natural as possible, essentially guiding the drummers performance.

 It was agreed that the bass would be re-recorded as the Sansamp added too much colouration to the D.I. signal.

 I again referred to the techniques employed by Steve Albini (Tingen, 2005) to inform my microphone choices when recording bass guitar.

 Albini states that his preferred microphone choices for recording bass are;
  • EV RE20
  • Josephson C42
  • Audio-Technica Pro 37R
  • AKG 451
  • Altec 165/175
Out of the above choices, the only two microphones currently available to me are the EV RE20 and the AKG 451. It is evident why both of the microphones are particularly effective when recording the bass guitar when one again refers to their frequency responses. 

EV RE20 (Electro Voice, 2016) 


AKG c451 (AKG, 2016) 



When placed at 0 degrees to the sound source, the EV RE20 has a very balanced low end response from 70-150 Hz, ideal for recording the fundamental frequencies omitted by the bass guitar. The high end response is especially uneven in comparison, this is where the AKG c451 is of particular use, the mid and high end is much more balanced, with a smooth curve and boost beginning at 5kHz and rolling off around 15kHz. This will allow the AKG c451 to pick up the finer details such as string noise/rattle adding more depth to the overall sound of the bass guitar.   



Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , ,

La Bête Blooms Guitar Microphone techniques


When it came to recording guitar and bass for La Bête Blooms, I again referred to the techniques employed by Steve Albini (Tingen, 2005) to inform my microphone choices.

 When recording guitars, I selected three differing types of microphones. One ribbon mic, one large diaphragm condenser and one dynamic. Steve Albini lists several of his favourite microphone choices for recording guitars. He firstly recommends the Coles 4038, as well as the Royer 44/77. Both of the aforementioned microphones are ribbon microphones. I had originally intended to use the Coles 4038  for this purpose, as at the college we don't have access to the Royer 44/77. However the Coles was in use when I had scheduled the guitar recording session to take place.

 I did however have an alternative ribbon microphone available to me in the form of a Beyerdynamic M160.

 The technical specifications and frequency responses for each microphone can be viewed below;

 Coles 4038 (Coles Electroacoustics, 2015).



Beyerdynamic M160 (Beyerdynamic, 2016)

When examining the frequency responses of each microphone it is evident there are some distinct differences. Firstly, the low end see's a considerable boost on the Beyerdynamic. It is important to consider this factor in the mixing process, as this will have to be rectified using EQs to introduce a high pass filter, cutting the boosts to the low range frequencies. There are however similarities when examining the high range frequencies. There is a boost around 3-4kHz on both microphones as well as a roll off around 8kHz. I believe that the M160 would be a suitable replacement for the Coles in this instance, as long as these factors are taken into consideration during the mix down.

 Steve Albini also references the Neumann U67, a large diaphragm condenser microphone. I also don't have access to the Neumann U67, however it appears to be a similar microphone to the SE 2200T as both microphones also seem to have a relatively similar frequency response when referring to the cardioid polar pattern on the Neumann U67.

 The Frequency responses for both microphones can be viewed below;

 Neumann U67 (Coutant, 2000)
Frequency response

 SE 2200T (Scan Computers International Ltd. 2016)
    

 Images of Microphone placements:





Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , , , ,
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)