Unit 2 Brief 48 - Recording in different locations using different microphones

  Recording in different locations using different microphones

During this task I had to record an acoustic guitar using an Olympus multi-track linear PCM recorder. I had to plug the male end of the XLR lead into the device and then plugged the female end into the adapter, which is the microphone. I then had to test that there was signal coming from the microphone to the recorder, this was visible on the screen of the device.

 

I recorded in the following locations:

-       A classroom = clear and loud.

-       A concert hall = not as clear and as loud as classroom.

-        Outdoors = picked up a little background noise.

I used the following microphones:

-       Shure SM58 = Dynamic

-       Rode NT2-A = Condenser

-       AKG C1000s = Condenser

Other equipment used:

-       XLR Leads (x2)

-       Acoustic Guitar

-       Olympus multi-track linear PCM recorder

-       Microphone stand for Shure SM58 & AKG C1000S

-       Microphone stand for Rode NT2-A

Track List and Evaluation:

Track 1: https://soundcloud.com/user-4824654/track-1-classroom-1-shure-sm58

 

Location	Classroom
Microphone	Shure SM58 (1)
Polar Pattern	Cardioid
Distance/Position	6 inches away from guitar
Gain	7

 I used a cardioid polar pattern, which picks up sound from the front and the sides. I used this polar pattern, as I wanted a direct sound of just the acoustic guitar.

There was no background noise and the quality was clear and the dynamics were suitable. A few times on the track you could hear the guitarist take their fingers off the fret to change chords. Due to the sound being natural I think that this sound enhanced the track. Below is a diagram of a cardioid polar pattern.

 

Track 2: https://soundcloud.com/user-4824654/track-2-classroom-2-shure-sm58

Location	Classroom
Microphone	Shure SM58 (2)
Polar Pattern	Cardioid
Distance/Position	6 inches away from guitar
Gain	7

I used 2 Shure SM58 microphones to create a stereo sound. Due to only having one microphone stand that adapted to a Shure SM58 someone had to hold the other microphone, which may have affected the sound, but luckily it didn’t. The sound was very clear and the dynamics were loud but equal. The positions of where the microphones go are shown on the diagram below. The bridge placement is for the low frequency and the fret placement is for the high frequency.

 

Track 3: https://soundcloud.com/user-4824654/track-3-classroom-rode-nt2-a

Location	Classroom
Microphone	Rode NT2-A
Polar Pattern	Omni
Distance/Position	6 inches away from guitar
Gain	6

I did not intentionally change the polar pattern however it did not impact the recording in any negative way. The Omni polar pattern gathers sound from all around the room compared to a direct sound from 1 instrument. You would typically use an Omni polar pattern when recording a full orchestra.

 There was no background sound during the recording but I did have to turn the gain down due to the dynamics being to loud to begin with after the gain was turned down the dynamics were good and the sound was clear.

 

Track 4: https://soundcloud.com/user-4824654/track-4-classroom-c1000s

Location	Classroom
Microphone	AKG C1000S
Polar Pattern	Cardioid
Distance/Position	6 inches away from guitar
Gain	6

The dynamics were moderate and the sound was clear. However, you could hear the guitarist taking their fingers off the fret to change chords only this time I believe it hindered the recording, as the sound was high pitched and didn’t sound natural.

 Track 5: https://soundcloud.com/user-4824654/track-5-concert-hall-1-shure-sm58

 

Location	Concert Hall
Microphone	Shure SM58 (1)
Polar Pattern	Cardioid
Distance/Position	6 inches away from guitar
Gain	6

The dynamics were quiet during this recording; I believe this is because the area was a lot larger. There was no background noise but the sound was indistinct.

 

Track 6: https://soundcloud.com/user-4824654/track-6-concert-hall-2-shure-sm58

Location	Concert Hall
Microphone	Shure SM58 (2)
Polar Pattern	Cardioid
Distance/Position	6 inches away from guitar
Gain	7

The dynamics were quiet and the sound was not very clear. There was no background noise in this recording.

 

Track 7: https://soundcloud.com/user-4824654/track-7-concert-hall-c1000s

Location	Concert Hall
Microphone	AKG C1000S
Polar Pattern	Cardioid
Distance/Position	6 inches away from guitar
Gain	7

 

The sound was clear in this recording and also the dynamics were loud. I could hear the guitarist hitting the body of the guitar. I don’t think I could avoid this sound so if I were to do it again I would ask the guitarist to not do this.

Track 8: https://soundcloud.com/user-4824654/track-8-concert-hall-rode-nt2-a

 

Location	Concert Hall
Microphone	Rode NT2-A
Polar Pattern	Omni
Distance/Position	6 inches away from guitar
Gain	7

No background noise was detected and a clear sound throughout. Dynamics were moderate.

Track 9: https://soundcloud.com/user-4824654/track-9-outside-shure-sm58

Location	Outside
Microphone	Shure SM58
Polar Pattern	Cardioid
Distance/Position	6 inches away from guitar
Gain	7

Dynamics were quiet and sound was not as clear as I hoped. There was no background noise.

Track 10: https://soundcloud.com/user-4824654/track-10-outside-2-shure-sm58

Location	Outside
Microphone	Shure SM58 (x2)
Polar Pattern	Cardioid
Distance/Position	6 inches away from guitar
Gain	7

No background sound throughout the recording. Dynamics were loud and sound was relatively clear but could be improved next time.

 Track 11: https://soundcloud.com/user-4824654/track-11-outside-rode-nt2-a

Location	Outside
Microphone	Rode NT2-A
Polar Pattern	Omni
Distance/Position	6 inches away from guitar
Gain	7

  Dynamics were loud and sound was clear. A little bit of background noise but in future to prevent this I can use specific software’s to block out the background noise after recording.

 

Track 12: https://soundcloud.com/user-4824654/track-12-outside-c1000s

Location	Outside
Microphone	AKG C1000S
Polar Pattern	Cardioid
Distance/Position	6 inches away from guitar
Gain	6

No background noise and dynamics were loud. Sound was clear but I could hear the twanging of the guitar on the track, which could be prevented next time by moving the microphone further away.

Locations

Overall, the classroom was the best location to record in as it was clear and loud with no background noise. Whereas the concert hall was not as clear and as loud and the outdoor area picked up some background noise in track 11.

Microphones

Overall, I believe the dynamic Shure SM58 microphone was the best but when it was recorded in stereo. This picked up more sound and was loud and clear. The AKG C1000S was the best for dynamics and the sound being clear but the fact you could hear in too much detail, like the twanging of the strings was the reason it wasn’t my favorite. The Rode NT2-A was quiet compared to the other microphones.

Recordings

Most recordings were very similar as I followed the exact same process throughout. The only difference between them were one had background sound compared to all the others which didn’t. Some were louder than others for example the concert hall recording with the AKG C1000S was a lot louder than the Shure SM58. Also some were also clearer than others for example outside was clearer than the concert hall.

Mono & Stereo

To create a stereo there must be 2 or more audio channels’ used so I added an extra Shure SM58 to the recording. The stereo recordings sounded much better than the mono recording as it was louder and clearer. A mono recording uses one audio channel so it may have sounded better in stereo as it captured more sound.

 

Recording in the studio

After recording an instrument in different locations I then progressed my recordings by going into the studio and recording 5 instruments individually in the studio on Cubase 7.

I recorded the following instruments:

-       Tambourine

-       Vocals with and without an enclosure

-       Guitar

-       Piano

-       Saxophone

I used the following microphones:

-       Shure SM58 = Dynamic

-       Rode NT2-A = Condenser

-       AKG C1000s = Condenser

Other equipment used:

-       XLR Leads (x2)

-       Acoustic Guitar

-       Tambourine

-       Electronic Piano

-       Enclosure

-       Cubase 7

-       Microphone stand for Shure SM58 & AKG C1000S

-       Microphone stand for Rode NT2-A

Track 1: https://soundcloud.com/user-4824654/tambourine-shure-sm58?in=user-4824654/sets/recordings-of-instruments-in-the-studio

Location	Recording studio
Microphone	Shure SM58
Polar Pattern	Cardioid
Distance/Position	6 inches in front of tambourine
Instrument	Tambourine

 Sound of tambourine was equal due to the position of the microphone. No background noise.

Track 2: https://soundcloud.com/user-4824654/vocals-enclosure-rode-nt2-a?in=user-4824654/sets/recordings-of-instruments-in-the-studio

Location	Recording studio
Microphone	Rode NT2-A
Polar Pattern	Cardioid
Distance/Position	6 inches away from singer
Instrument	Vocals (with enclosure)

Track 3: https://soundcloud.com/user-4824654/vocals-no-enclosure-rode-nt2-a?in=user-4824654/sets/recordings-of-instruments-in-the-studio

Location	Recording studio
Microphone	Rode NT2-A
Polar Pattern	Cardioid
Distance/Position	6 inches away from singer
Instrument	Vocals (without enclosure)

 An enclosure is used to prevent unwanted room reflections from reaching the microphone. Track 2 includes an enclosure, which makes the vocals sound smoother. There was no backing noise in this recording. I believe track 2 was much better than track 3 due to the use of the enclosure.

Track 4: https://soundcloud.com/user-4824654/guitar-stereo-2-c1000s?in=user-4824654/sets/recordings-of-instruments-in-the-studio

Location	Recording studio
Microphone	AKG C1000S (2)
Polar Pattern	Cardioid
Distance/Position	6 inches away from singer
Instrument	Guitar

There was no backing noise in this recording and the strums were equally balanced. I believe the recording of the guitar was much better than the recordings outside of the studio. I think this is because the same is more adaptable for recording instruments. 

Track 5: https://soundcloud.com/user-4824654/piano-stereo

Location	Recording studio
Microphone	AKG C1000S (2)
Polar Pattern	Cardioid
Distance/Position	6 inches away from singer
Instrument	Piano

Clear sound throughout. Slight unwanted audio at the start but no backing noise afterwards. Sound remained equal throughout. 

Track 6: https://soundcloud.com/user-4824654/saxophone-c1000s

Location	Recording studio
Microphone	AKG C1000S
Polar Pattern	Cardioid
Distance/Position	6 inches away from singer
Instrument	Saxophone

Sound was clear and dynamics were level throughout. No backing noise due to recording in the studio which I believe is the best environment to record in.

Recording Plan

For the last 2 recordings, which were the piano and saxophone our group worked independently. This required us to make a plan and book the studio as shown below.

	Piano	Saxophone
Date/Time	30th November 2016 11:20am	30th November 2016 3:45pm
Members/Group Roles	Me: Pianist Rebecca: Microphone set up Caitlyn: Studio Beth: Studio	Me: Studio Rebecca: Studio Caitlyn: Saxophonist Beth: Microphone set up