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Signal flow - Microphones

If one element is lacking in quality or poorly executed, it will affect all other elements in the chain that follow

Ex: poor microphone choice or placing a mic in the wrong position, we will result in a low-quality recording

Dynamic Microphone

Doesnt need phantom power

Frequently used for miking up amps, recording vocals, on stage use, etc

Can generally handle louder sounds

Condenser Microphone

Needs phantom power

Several differing polar patters

cardiod, supercardioid,hypercardiod, omni, etc

Used for recording vocals and more organic instruments usually

Ribbon Microphone

Needs phantom power

More sensitive and fragile diaphragm than other mics

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Recording Vocals:
-What you need: a decent microphone, mic stand, shock mount (optional), pop filter/shield (protects from plosives), closed-back headphones, quiet room w/ good acoustics
-Place the mic stand somewhere off-centered
-Aim the mic at the mouth of the singer
-Don't put headphones near or on the microphone because it will feedback

Selecting A Microphone:
-Large-diaphragm mics add flavor
-Want to capture emotion not just sound
-Look for solid defined mid-range and pleasing high end

Recording Acoustic Guitar:
-The guitar itself should have new strings and be perfectly in tune
-Find a room where the acoustic guitar sounds its best
-Don't put the mic right in front of the sound hole
-Place the mic about a foot away from the guitar in front of the 12th fret and point slightly toward the guitarist's right hand to start out
-Can put the mic above where the sound hole is and point it towards the right hand (more bass without the boominess)
-I like the way small diaphragm condenser mic sounds

Recording Vocals and Guitar Simultaneously:
-Can't bring the microphone too close
-Lead vocal should be more in the forfront
-with two microphones try to prevent spill
-point guitar mic away from mouth, voice mic away from guitar

Recording With 2 Microphones:
-X/Y: the 2 microphones chosen should have identical pickup patterns, the one drawback is that this technique does not create a wide stereo image
-Spaced Pair: One of the benefits of the spaced pair is that you can really get a wide stereo image, When mixing or monitoring, you’ll want to pan each microphone ‘hard’ to its proper side
-ORTF: With ORTF, you have your mic capsules aimed with an exact 110 degree angle difference from each other. The mics must also be spaced exactly 17cm apart
-NOS: You’ll want to be sure your capsules are precisely 30cm from each other and angled at exactly 90 degrees

Audio Interface Selection:
-Think about a realistic setup (how many inputs you actually need)
-Think about what you output you will connect to (headphones/speakers)

Choosing A DAW:
-Look for one compatible with your platform
-Consider how long/much you will use the software in the future
-Consider the type of music your are trying to make

Setting Levels/Gain Staging:
-In general, you want to set a level that is high enough to hear the audio source, but not so loud that you clip and cause unwanted audio distortion
-"sweet spot" between -18dB and -10dB
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Electric Instruments and Signal Level:
-Amplifiers don't just boost the volume of an instrument, they can have a significant impact on the sound characteristics
-In general, the lower the output signal level, the more it the signal needs to be boosted
-Mic, instrument, line, and speaker level signals differ (weakest to strongest)
-Mic preamps generally boost mic level signals to line level signals
-Speaker level signal is signal that has been boosted by an amplifier

Recording Electric Guitar:
Miking an amp:
Pros:

Control over tone/sound

More realistic sound

Some special effects are possible (for example: guitar feedback)

Cons:

Requires additional gear in addition to a guitar (you need an amp)

It can get loud

Sound can bleed into other mics when recording an ensemble

Potential for more noise from surroundings in recording

DI:
Pros:

Potential for very clean signal

Not loud (good for bedroom recording or late night sessions)

Isolation from other instruments recording simultaneously

No amp required (you can use amp simulator software as an alternative)

Most interfaces already include a DI feature (Hi-Z input)

Cons:

Not always ideal sounding or less realistic (some associate a "flat" sound quality)

Not possible to create natural effects (like feedback)

How to record an electric guitar by miking up a real amp:
-set up the amp so it sounds good to your ears, trying to capture the guitar sound you hear in your room
-place the mic halfway between the center and edge of the speaker (that's the standard, but not the only way)
-start about 15 cm away (6 inches)
-pointing the mic at the center of the speaker gives you a very trebly bright sound
-placing at the edge of the speaker can give you a more bassy, dark tone
-the distance between the mic and the speaker changes the bass response (proximity effect) bass increases the closer the mic is to the speaker
-can use two mics and once on an amp, but not always necessary
-diff mics can create diff sounds
-place mic off axis for less attack (do this i like this sound)
-pointing at center of the speaker but at an angle is still pretty trebly, but a little smoother
-check phase betweens mics
-if your amp has two speakers you can put one on each speaker and then pan them left and right for a cool sound
-can even mic the back of an open back cabinet
-adding a room mic can add character as well

Recording Bass Guitar:
-Gain stage properly if your recording DI
-Bass can sound pretty good recorded DI
-Recording with an amp is similar to recording electric guitar with an amp

Recording Piano:
-Mics with consistent pickup patterns are best for miking pianos
-Overheads are a good option for piano for a more natural room sound
-XY miking can be good for piano too. placed above the piano close to the keys
-Blumlein can produce a very natural sound too
-Two mics, one over higher strings and one over lower strings, is also a common arrangement
-Recording an upright piano is different, miking from behind the piano can be a good option
-two mics in the front is also a good option
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-5 piece drum set-kick,snare, 3 toms
-make sure your mics arent in the way of your drummer
1 mic
-omni condenser mic
-place the mic above the beater of the kick drum in the middle of everything
-experiment to get a well-mixed sound
2 mic
-cardioid mic as an overhead
-kick drum mic as well
3 mic (mono)
-similar to two mic combo with an added mic behind the floor tom
3 mic (stereo)
-2 overheads above the toms equidistant from the center of the snare with same vicinity of the cymbals
-same kick drum mic
4 mic
-same 3 mic stereo with an added snare mic
-make sure to check phase!
5 mic
-same setup with an added room mic
How to mic the kick drum
-dead center in the kick gives a weak sound
-putting it off center will improve low end
-moving it closer to the outside of the drum can give you more or less attack
-inside mic=mids and attack
-outside mic=lows
How to check phase
-put the mix in mono
-solo the overhead, turn it up
-start soloing one at a time the close mics with the overheads
-pull up simple EQ plugin with a phase/polarity reverse button
-test it and see where it sounds fuller

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Recording Strings
-overhead dynamic or condenser mic pointed at the instrument can be very good for miking up bowed instruments
-Mic infront of a cello or bass
-Recording an upright bass with a mic right infront of the sound hole can give you a boomy, fuller sound
-Clip mics are common for these instruments as well
-For an ensemble an XY or Blum setup works well
Recording Brass
-Brass is one of the more difficult instrument families to record. It's easy for them to sound flat in sound quality or just fake
-Condenser on axis about 14 inches away is generally a good place to start
-farther away for a more ambient room sound
-French horn is unique in that you may want to place the mic behind you
Recording Woodwinds
-Above and pointed down at the instrument is good starting point
-Cardioid condenser mics work well for this
-Mic near sound hole or above it can be good for saxophone
Hand Percussion
-Use the proximity to the mic for accents
-Blum can be a good configuration for this

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Ensemble Recording

Live Recording

Captures all instruments simultaneously

More accident prone, fixing mistakes is much harder

Often produce a more human/organic performance because ensembles are best when playing together

Generally a quicker process than overdubbing

Getting the right take can be time-consuming

Overdub Recording

Recording the instruments separately over one another

Musicians can add tracks at different times and places

Mistakes can easily be overdubbed

Mic bleed issues aren't much of a problem

Can edit the individual tracks/instrument takes much easier

Hybrid Method

Elements of both recording styles

Recording one section of instruments live

Adding other instruments as overdubs

Get the best of both worlds

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Editing Audio With a DAW

you'll likely want to apply fades to the start and end points to eliminate the unnatural click or chop effect

Trim: trim ends of audio

Cut: segment/splice out part of an audio clip

Fade: increase/decrease volume of audio at different parts of the clip

Signal Processing

Can be done with physical equipment or digital plugins

Common audio effects include compression, EQ, reverb, chorus, distortion, delay, etc

EQ

Use EQ to control the frequency spectrum of an audio clip

Spectrum analyzer shows the frequency range of an audio clip

EQ can be used to increase the presence of desired frequencies and diminish the presence of unwanted frequencies

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Mixing and Signal Processing

The mixing process mainly consists of balancing audio levels, choosing panning settings, and signal processing with EQ and compression

If a track has too many loud and soft moments or certain frequencies are more overpowering than others within the same track, signal processing with compression or EQ might be necessary

Panning

Panning sounds to the left and right can result in a more full and spaced out sound

Dynamic Processing

Compression is a dynamic effect which means it reacts to what is inputted into it

Compression and EQ are the most commonly used effects for signal processing because they help balance your sound, enhance elements you like, and diminish elements you dislike

Time Based Effects

Reverb and delay are the most common time based effects

Reverb artificially creates a resonant fade out sound to what its applied to

Delay repeats, or 'echoes', the sound thats inputted into it and decays overtime

Modulation Effects

most common ones are Chorus, Flanger, Phaser, Vibrato, and Tremolo

Each of them use a mix of pitch modulation, delay, reverb, and other effects to achieve their desired sound

Commonly used by guitarists

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Mastering

After you have recorded or created music, edited, and mixing everything together, the last step is to make sure everything is polished, this is mastering

Using a software like LANDR can guide you in mixing

Using a website like the loudness penalty can give you a good idea of how well your mastered song will work on various streaming platforms

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Virtual Instruments and MIDI

Virtual instruments can supplement things you don't have or be used entirely

MIDI can represent musical notes and rhythm as well as numerous other data that helps recreate performances

Virtual instruments sometimes have more versatility than physical ones, especially with application to certain genres like electronic

There are a lot of good free virtual instruments out there that anyone can use

They usually have lots or presets that can be shaped to fit a certain sound

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Automation

automation refers to the ability to change parameters in a track like volume or panning over the course of the song

It can be very effective in leveling out recordings with lots of undesired dynamic inequality in them without the use of compression

Bouncing

Bouncing a track refers to making your track into a stereo audio file

WAV and AIFF are full quality and uncompressed which is desirable for releasing something professionally