B6
Microphones are the singer's tool. But what's the best type to get that sound you're really looking for? What's the right kind of mic to manage your voice in satisfying way? Today we looked at different type of microphones and what and how they are used best.
THE DYNAMIC MICROPHONE:
- cardioid ♡ (picks up sound from front and rejects from back )
ADVANTAGES
- durable
- doesn't require a power supply
- cheaper
- can withstand plenty of noise before signal distortion occur
DISADVANTAGES
- sensitive to variations in temp
- not as sensitive at picking up his frequency sound
How they work:
When you make noise in a mic sound waves are released causing sound pressure moving the diaphragm which in turn moves the coil this causes the current to flow as lines of flux cut due to the magnetic field created by the magnet; the sound energy is then transferred to electrical energy (electromagnetic induction) . The louder you speak the more pressure you put on the diaphragm meaning the coil moves a greater amount and creates a stronger current.
Ribbon
- figure 8 ( picks up sound from back and front but rejects at sides ) .This is good for maybe playing guitar so the mic can block the guitarists breaths and noise and focus on guitar noise.
ADVANTAGES
- capture highly dynamic ; high fidelity sound (good for detail )
- allows for a more natural room sound and reverb than a cardioid
DISADVANTAGES
- expensive
- adds a dark effect ( 'basey')
- not good for stage as foil inside can rip (delicate)
CONDENENSER
ADVANTAGES
- excellent for nuanced sound
- high sensitivity (good for capturing acoustic and vocals and high frequencies )
- good for studio recording
- requires external power
- needs tamed controlled setting (highly sensitive)
- bad for live performing (delicate )
OTHER NOTES ON MICS:
- Omnidirectional microphones pick up noise equally from all directions
- hypercardioid - have sensitive rear lobes
DISTORTION
A result of clipping where signal level is increased passed the point where the electrical component or circuit can accurately reproduce it. For example if you pass a sin wave through a device and increase the level passed the point of accurate reproduction it changes the shape of the wave ,; results in extra harmonics created fuzziness ( distortion )
In live sound and studio the aim is usually to avoid this however with instruments this can sometimes be desirable and is done either by pushing the amplifiers to their max or using stop boxes - all stop boxes distort but some are specifically for it ( fuzz pedals, overdrive pedals ;distortion pedals.) All of which clip audio but do it differently using different tech .
DI BOXES AND INTERFACES
DI BOXES
DI Boxes primary function is to convert unbalanced high impedance signal from an instrument to a balanced low impedance signal that is compatible with PA or a recording system .
Impedance- the opposition that an electrical component , circuit , system offers to alternating and or direct electrical current
basically you use them so you don't loose the sound quality
Gain - the amount of fuzz also known as overdrive
overdrive :more natural sounding fuzz similar to old amplifiers
Distortion : a massive amount of fuzz , usually artificially created
reverb: the sound of a space, room , etc a lot of echoes as if playing in a room
delay: can be a single echo , can be heard like when you shout down a tunnel. Used by people like Slash from guns'n'roses on the song welcome to the jungle.
today we recorded a cover of creep we wanted it to sound unique and 'creepy' so we added reverb on the vocals and decreased the tempo. We ran into a few issues during the session for example at one point we got a lot of feedback from the speakers due to the fact we had the microphone on high and added a lot of reverb . Also we were having a lot of issues with the communication from the studio . We learnt from the seesion to make sure that next time we have a clear plan , wear earplugs , be more aware of people around us and not make sure the mics are facing the right direction ;we mangaed to get a recording whuch we will work on next time in the studio
1st February
Today we were shown one of our tutors originall songs in progress and how they had used logic. He used 4 part vocal harmony and layered two vocal tracks of him singing to get the less mechanical sound he didn’t copy and paste he did two different recordings .
2nd february
We spent time in the studio working with our recording of creep from last lesson. After re listening we realised we added too muc reverb and that the base was playing the wrong chords . We decided to do a re-recording of the vocals bass and guitar . We used a midi keyboard for the bass and re-recorded the vocals in the vocal booth so the singer ( me ) could be more isolated and focus on the vocal more . An issue we ran into was that next door there was another band practising so we worried of interference with the recording so instead of using a cardioid pattern on the mic we used a figure of eight pattern this is so that it would cut more of the signal out coming from the sides and we positioned that side of mic towards the the band next door which ,in retrospect, worked well as the band could not really be heard. After getting the vocal we had to edit the frequency of it
AI MUSIC
The days of b=devating whether Ai is changing the music industry is over it is already used as a tool in songwriting producing mis=xing and mastering however technological advances could lead to Ai becoming more then just a tool and a threat to people working in these roles. According to Mcinsey report 70% of companies will have adopted at least on AI tech by 2030 .
HOW
BENEFITS
- Quick and efficient - humans are in costant demand and always wanting something new this allows productivity
- its free - dont need to pay artists the roylaties can just use AI , can work more independently
- work 24/7- no need for a break which means a dependable income
- no copyright protection for works cretaed by a machine - - this is a benefit and defeciys for artist as artists gets no credit
DEFECITS
. can't create anything new - creates music from stuff that already exists
-devalues artists creativity - using ai to copy an artists sound till everyone is using it for example if u had ai back in the days of Picasso then everyone would’ve able to do it
- everything starts sounding the same
- people will start loosing the capability of creating a song from scratch
Future ?
Will people start craving originality after this ai dominated time?
Maybe there will be an industry where humans take ai music and add emotional musical intelligence to it since ai lacks that feature of that is humans possess .
Like how we nowadays sometimes want that older sound like the 80s analog distortion sound or older like experimenting with old techniques
Planning before studio time
- Don’t turn speakers on before the plug on the wall
- Headphones make sure studio peeps can hear other peeps
- Keep space clean
- Making sure everyone knows there part responsible for your own stuff
- Mic placement
- Make sure leads are in right places
- Ear plugs for ear safety
- Make sure mic are in phase
- Make sure acoustics sound goods
- Don’t bash the instruments when people r
- Practising
- Top tip : make sure you a lesson planned
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