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During todays lesson, we covered the characters of sound and how it travels through the air.

Sound is a wave that travels through any medium except a vacuum. In air, sound travels at 340 m/s, which is also 761 mph. The vibrations of the air molecules allows us to hear it.

The four ingredients of sound include:

Frequency

The frequency of a wave is measured as the number of complete back-and-forth vibrations. The higher the frequency, the higher the pitch.

Amplitude

Amplitude is the relative strength of sound waves, which we perceive as loudness or volume. The unit of measure of sound pressure is decibels (dB), which are measured on a logarithmic scale

Timbre

Each musical note has a certain fundamental pitch. This pitch is what the human ear distinguishes as a note

Different instruments have different harmonics or overtones that directly affect the tone of the instrument.

Phase

Phase is defined as how far along a waveform is in its current cycle.

Throughout week 1, I found it very interesting as to how sound travels as it is the key fundamental into how we hear our music in the first place. Diving deeper into the first ever recordings was really intriguing as it shows the progression of music as a whole. Furthermore, going into the studio was refreshing as we went over the basics of the Neve Genesys mixing desk and basic miking techniques. We were also shown Protools which was very confusing as I soley work on ableton but as it is the industry standard I was eager to learn.

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Polar Patterns, Frequency Response & Mic types

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In todays lesson, we went over different mic types and patterns and how it effects the sound you are trying to create.

Dynamic Microphones

Dynamic mics will often be used for scenarios like a live performance where there is a loud sound source. They are mainly considered best-fit for loud, live vocals. They are also good for live instruments, drums and guitar amplifiers.

Condenser Microphones (capacitor)

Condenser mics are the preferred type for studio applications to achieve a bigger, natural tone. Some examples of what they’re typically used for includes acoustic guitars, bass drums, piano and vocals.

When looking at indivdual microphones, there are different patterns that occur to create a different range of sound during recording. These are called polar patterns and these include:

Cardioid

The most common directional polar pattern.

Most sensitive from the front.

Least sensitive from the back.

Reduced pick up from the sides.

Effectively isolates the mic from annoying room/ambient sound.

Increased resistance to feedback

Excellent for loud live environments

Cardioid mic - SM58/SM57

Supercardioid

Narrower direction of pickup from the front.

Enhanced rejection of unwanted background sound.

Very dry signal.

Smaller amount of pickup at the back and sides (when in close proximity).

Extremely resistant to feedback - delivers extremely high gain before feedback.

Perfect for isolating an individual source in a loud live environment.

AKG C7 – Capacitor stage vocal mic

Hypercardioid

Even narrower direction of pickup from the front.

Even better rejection of unwanted background noise.

Small amount of pickup at the rear and sides.

Equally good at isolating a single source in noisy live environments.

The most resistant to feedback.

Audio Technica  ATM230 – Dynamic Instrument mic

Omnidirectional

Equally sensitive from a 360 degree angle, captures sound evenly from every direction.

Doesn’t have to be pointed in one specific direction.

Cannot be aimed away from unwanted sound sources, meaning less headroom for feedback.

Delivers the flattest frequency response and best bass response.

Least sensitive to both wind sounds and handling noise.

Perfect for studio recording. Not very suitable for live shows.

Ideal for capturing acoustic instruments or wide sound sources.

Sennheiser MKH 20-P48 – Orchestral condenser mic

Figure of Eight (bidirectional)

Captures an equal amount of sound from the front and back of the mic.

Doesn’t capture any sound from the sides, boasts the highest side rejection of every polar pattern.

Common among larger diaphragm and ribbon mics.

Effectively captures the source, as well as the natural characteristics of the space.

Used for both ‘mid side’ stereo and Blumlein recording techniques.

Least bass response.

Most sensitive to both handling and wind noise.

Sontronics Sigma 2 – Condenser ribbon mic

Following the polar patterns, Microphone proximity effect is the increase in bass frequency responsiveness in a directional microphone as the microphone moves closer to a sound source.

The proximity effect happens due to a combination of phase and amplitude differences of sound waves.

This can be useful when used like an EQ on thin or overly bright sources. The most common use of the proximity effect is on voice. The proximity effect helps add gravitas and strength to the voice. This can be heard on many radio shows. Cons of proximity effect is certain sources can get overly boomy if the mic is placed too close. the acoustic guitar is a good example as the soundhole puts out a lot of low energy and will overwhelm a mic if placed too close.

Overall, this lesson helped me understand the difference in microphones a lot more. We did learn basics of dynamic and condenser microphones in college but learning about polar patterns and the proximty effect was completely new to me.

We also set up multiple microphones in the live studio room 1, including the AKG 414 microphone as this mic has all the main polar patterns so we could properly hear how each one worked. This was really helpful and will come in great use for future recordings.

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This week we covered different types of stereo miking setups and their properties and pro's and con's to help us understand what works best for each recording application.

There are three different stereo characteristics. These include:

Interaural intensity differences (IID) - The difference in loudness between ears.

Interaural timing differences (ITD) - The difference in timing between ears.

Head related transfer functions (HRTF) - The tonal difference between ears.

There are also three types of stereo mic array:

Coincident - Microphones that are positioned in close proximity. The X-Y Pair eliminates timing and tonal problems. The angle can be increased to widen stereo image but 135° is considered the maximum before centre hole problems occur. This has good mono compatibility.

The Blumlein Pair is always 90° & figure of eight polar pattern which has good stereo imaging so much of the ambient environment is captured. This means that this configuration is not so good in certain types of room. Another type is Mid Side which gives good stereo imaging and good mono compatibility.

Spaced - Microphones that are positioned at a distance from each other which is a good choice in poor sounding environments.

3:1 ratio rule - the microphone distance should be three times the distance between the sound source and the closest microphone

Spaced Omni - 0.5m - 3m, more spacing needed for a larger sound source, this requires a good sounding environment for better sound quality

Decca tree - Traditionally used for orchestral recording with three of the Omni

Baffled - Microphones positioned either side of a baffle to emulate the head

Jeklin Disk Technique - Thick circular baffle between the mics, emulates the separation between ears

The Wedge technique - using a wedge baffle with PZM (pressure zone mic), Good stereo imaging with good mono compatibility

We experimented with three different setups: an X-Y pair, Blumlein, and Mid-side. After our first recording session, we discovered that what we thought was a mid-side setup was actually Blumlein, and we had also chosen the wrong polar patterns for that technique. Fortunately, we got a chance to re-record and capture the right audio for each method. For the Mid-side and Blumlein techniques, we arranged ourselves in a triangle around the microphones, keeping equal distance from each other.

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This week we looked at how to properly setup when dealing with guitars and amps. We dive into:

Types of guitar amps

Different amps have different numbers of cones (speakers) therefore it is important to know how many the amp has when you're are miking to ensure that your microphone placement is accurate.

Choices of microphone

Depending on what you are recording, the choice of microphone is an important factor. Here are some you may use:

Shure SM57

AKG C414

SE RI Ribbon

AKG D112

Shure KSM 137

Room characteristics

The characteristics of a room, such as its size, shape, and dimensions, can affect the sound of an amp. If the sound of the room is good, you may consider using a distant ambient mic.

Position of the amp in the room

Distance between Mic & Cab

Area of speaker cone being miked

Axis of Mic in relation to speaker

. On Axis

The mic is perpendicular to the front of the cab.

This tends to sound brighter. but at the same time there is a greater chance of proximity effect.

. Off Axis

This means angling the mic a little to the side.

This can make the high end roll off a little and make things sound a little smoother or warmer.

Overall, this lesson taught me a lot about guitar amps and how to setup correctly. Even though I do not play the guitar, this is still really helpful in understanding and progressing forward in music. We practiced miking a guitar amplifier, using the techniques that we discussed in our theory lecture on Monday. We gathered as a group to decide how many microphones to set up and where to place the amplifier in the room. Our instructor, Phil, suggested raising the amplifier on chairs to reduce sound reflections from the floor that could negatively impact the microphone's capture, leading to poor sound quality. We then arranged the microphones for the session, specifically using Shure SM57s and a Sontronics Sigma 2 Ribbon Microphone. Since the amplifier had two cones, we positioned an SM57 on each cone at an off-axis angle. We also placed another SM57 aimed at the open back of the amplifier to better capture the sound as the guitarist would hear it in the room. After confirming that all microphones were correctly positioned, we connected the XLR cables to the studio's sound box. We set up a pair of headphones to enable communication with the guitarist in the live room through the talkback feature on the mixing desk. The recording process went smoothly, with only a few minor issues arising within the group. After the recordings, we assessed the individual microphones and discussed our preferences and how each microphone contributed to the overall sound for mixing.

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Unfortunately, I did not get to do research as I was on holiday in Portugal during this time. Although I did discover some new portuguese music out there such as: https://open.spotify.com/track/0o5ZpZiuqyUPaqGq4cw6Lk?si=ceff0a022a1a42ca which was quickly shazamed and added to my playlist. Funnily enough, this is actually a french song and contrary to belief there is actually a huge population of french speakers in portugal which suprised me. So you could say I was embracing portuguese and french music culture :)

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During todays lesson, we went over the correct ways to mic up a drum kit. Being a drummer myself, I was already familar with how to set one up although it had been a while since I've properly played.

When it comes to miking up a drum kit, there are always different types of microphones. However, some mic types maybe better at certain things. For example, a dynamic microphone in a cardioid polar pattern (like the SM57) would be great for a snare drum. Other microphones that are necessary for drum miking include:

Sontronics Drum mic kit

DM-1B, DM-1S, DM-1T

Small diaphragm cardioid condenser microphones for toms and snare

Large diaphragm cardioid condenser microphones for the kick

AKG Drum mic kit

C100S overheads, D112, C418 snare/tom mics

Also contains small diaphragm condenser mics (C418)

D112 large diaphragm mic also for the kick

two dedicated overhead microphones for cymbals & overall sound

In class, we set up a total of 8 microphones around the drum kit. We started with one in the kick drum, one for the snare, one for the hi-hat, and one on each of the three toms. The last two were overhead mics to capture the entire kit. The kick drum mic was placed right inside the drum, aimed at the beater to get that punchy attack. For the overheads, we positioned them at slightly different heights to accommodate the two cymbals. The snare and floor tom mics were directed towards the center of each drum. The high and mid toms were also aimed towards the center, but since they’re close together, we made sure they were angled away from each other to avoid any phase issues. Finally, the hi-hat mic was pointed away from the snare mic to reduce proximity issues

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In todays lesson, we started looking at EQ. Talking about certain frequencies, which are measured in Hertz (Hz), and what will sound best for you when in your DAW.

Parametric EQ

A multiband EQ that allows you to control the amplitude, center frequency, and bandwidth of each band

A linear processor that treats incoming audio continuously

Graphic EQ

A collection of fixed-frequency filters that can boost or cut specific frequency bands

A good choice for making broad changes to a mix

Commonly used in mixing consoles, guitar pedals, and home stereo equipment

Dynamic EQ

Combines the precision of parametric equalization with the dynamic control of compression or expansion

A nonlinear processor that reacts to the incoming audio

Shelving EQ

all frequencies are boosted or cut by the same amount

Peak EQ

Boosts or cuts a range of frequencies around a certain point

The specified point is affected the most

EQ Filters

HPF - only allows high frequencies past, lows rolls off. Useful for removing unwanted low frequencies from the tracks

LPF - Opposite of HPF, only allows low frequencies past. Cutting off frequencies above the roll off point.

BPF - Only allows a selected centre region of frequencies to pass through

We picked up where we left off last week and dove deeper into drum miking. This time, we brought in more microphones since last week we only had the SM57s. We used AKG C414s for the overheads and over shoulders. For the kick, we went with an AKG D112 and used AKG D130s for the hi-hat and snare. After recording a drum clip, we listened to it and found it sounded way better than last week. We compared the overheads and overshoulders, and I think the overheads really shine in the mix. The biggest improvement was definitely the kick drum since the D112 is designed for those lower frequencies.

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This lesson, we covered compression and its use in music technology. This tool is used to control the dynamic range of a sound to decrease the difference in volume between the loudest and softest parts.

The parameters of compression are:

Attack - Controls the time it takes for the compressor to respond to the signal to begin gain reduction

Release - Controls the time it takes for the compressor to return to its pre-gain reduction level

Threshold - Determines the point where gain reduction will be applied

Ratio - Determines the intensity of the applied gain reduction

Gain - Determines gain applied to compensate for the gain lost during compression

Knee - Determines the dB range above and below the threshold where the compression goes from 1:1 to the selected compression ratio

Side-chaining is another useful tool when it comes to compression. Sidechain is an effect that you have on one sound that is triggered by the level of another sound. An example is when you have a compressor on a bass track and you set it so it ducks the level of the bass whenever a kick drum hits.

Overall, compression is a game-changer in music production. It plays a crucial role in controlling the dynamic range, which means I can make sure that the quieter parts of a track don’t get lost while keeping the louder sections in check. This balance helps create a more cohesive and polished mix, where every element has its place and nothing feels overpowering or too soft.