Pre-Work Summary

Unit 9 & Unit 25

- Alexander Appleton

Notes to Assessor:

- A soundcloud account was unable to be used for these set of assessments due to Soundclouds automated copyright prevention system. This prevents the group from submitting the work via soundcloud.

- Original Music Files of “Ned Composition.mp3” & “Give Life Back To Music Group B” can be found here:https://www.dropbox.com/s/h5100rhe9vkz33i/documents-export-2015-02-18.zip?dl=0. This is due to “Neds Composition” and “Give Life Back To Music Group B” being laced with copyright infringement, so it is unable to be uploaded to Tumblr or Soundcloud and is only available through the dropbox link provided above. Note: obtained from Studio B on 17/02/15.

- Information on aforementioned tracks

- Neds Composition: - Producer: Ned, - Mixer: Ned, Montel, - Technicians: Matt, Montel, Alex

- Give Life Back To music Group B:

- Producer: Group B, - Mixer: Group B

This is a copy of the email that was received for the takedown notice upon uploading of content.

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SoundCloud <NO-REPLY@soundcloudmail.com 01:34 (15 hours ago)to magnetnwkc

Hi Magnet-Nwkc,Our automatic content protection system has detected that

your sound "Composition Ned" may contain copyright content. As a result, its publication on your profile has been

blocked.You can dispute this report, if you believe the copyright content has been mistakenly identified or if you have

obtained all the necessary rights, licenses and/or permissions to upload and share this material on

SoundCloud.Please do so by filling out our dispute webform at the

following link: https://copyright.soundcloud.com/dispute/soundcloud:dispute

s:14037519If you would like to learn more about copyright, please visit

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The SoundCloud Copyright Team

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Plan Summary

Unit 9 Music Project1. Know how to plan and set up recording sessions that encompass a variety of techniques

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2. Be able to undertake a range of roles in the recording and production of contrasting multi-track material3. Be able to complete effective stereo mixes of the multi track recordings4. Be able to edit and master the material

Unit 25 Music Production Techniques1. Understand manufacturers’ specifications for a range of audio recording equipment2. Be able to set up the equipment for a recording session3. Be able to capture audio sources using multi-track recording techniques4. Be able to mix multi-track recordings

TASKS

Task 1: RECORDING Create a portfolio of recordings showcasing a variety of multi-channel recording techniques. These should include full drum kit, “direct input” sources (bass, and/or electric guitar). Vocals are optional. You will be required to deliver at least 1 piece per group member, to be uploaded individually to your Tumblr sites. (Unit 9 – GC 2) (Unit 25 – GC 2 & 3)

Task 2: MIXING Deliver mixes of all of your recordings employing appropriate techniques, including effective use of compression, eq, reverb etc (Unit 9 – GC3 & 4) (Unit 25 – GC 4). You will deliver one additional mix of a track provided.

Task 3; RECORDING ANALYSIS Deliver a written ‘how to’ guide for the use of studio 1. This will include diagrams, photos (and potentially even video) and a description of all relevant studio equipment (including microphones etc) and their specifications (frequency responses etc). Also include signal routing information from live room. For the purposes of guidance, I would not expect this to be less than 1500 words.

Task 4: MIXING ANALYSIS Deliver a screen recording (or written piece if you prefer) explaining how you have undertaken your 2 mixes including explanations and justifications of your use of eq, compression, reverb, auxiliaries. (Unit 9 – GC 1) (Unit 25 – GC1)

Plan List:

- Upload music work(Unit 9 – GC 2) (Unit 25 – GC 2 & 3)

- Make notes on the mics used for drum mic placement and why (such as specs) (Unit 9 – GC 2) (Unit 25 – GC 2 & 3)

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- Make notes on choices of mic placement and reasons (Unit 9 – GC 2) (Unit 25 – GC 2 & 3) Task 3

- Make notes on the choices of mixing techniques for produced track and reasons why.

(Unit 9 – GC3 & 4) (Unit 25 – GC 4)(Unit 9 – GC 1) (Unit 25 – GC1)- Make notes on the choices of mixing techniques for extra track and reasons why.

(Unit 9 – GC3 & 4) (Unit 25 – GC 4)(Unit 9 – GC 1) (Unit 25 – GC1)- Basic overlay of Studio 1 (What is each piece of equipments use and why is it

used)Task 3

- Make notes on how signal routing for Studio 1 is set up.Task 3

- Task 1: Upload music work - (Unit 9 – GC 2) (Unit 25 – GC 2 & 3)

Track List: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/magnetop-nwkc - Alex Composition - Montel Composition - Matt Composition

Track List: https://www.dropbox.com/s/h5100rhe9vkz33i/documents-export-2015-02-18.zip?dl=0

- Ned Composition -- Give Life Back To Music Group B

- Task 2: Make notes on the mics used for drum mic placement and why (such as specs) (Unit 9 – GC 2) (Unit 25 – GC 2 & 3)

Microphones Used:- Sm 57- Sm 58- Audix F9- Audix F6- Audix F2

Specifications:

Shure SM57 Microphone

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Transducer Type: DynamicPolar Pattern: CardioidFreq. Response: 40Hz - 15kHzSensitivity: 1kHzResponse Curve:

Notes: The Shure SM57 Dynamic Microphones is a high quality microphone that is recommended for recording amps or acoustic instruments due to their appropriated Freq. Response and Sensitivity. The low response of sounds below 200Hz and above 10kHz means that most instruments and sound sources can use this mic for recording. They are also very good at recording directed sounds due to their Cardioid polar pattern, this means that the microphone will pick up more response from the direct, in-line source in front of the microphone while picking up much less of the surrounding sounds nearby and no sounds from behind the mic. This is very useful for singling out instruments or amps that it is placed near to the microphone with very little bleed from other sounds nearby. Being a Dynamic microphone means that the SM57 can take a lot more of a beating from sound pressure compared to condenser microphones which can be damaged or break under high sound pressure environments.

This is an effective microphone for the use of drum recording due to it’s qualities, we use the SM57 for recording the top of the snare drum since it is best suited for recording frequencies that are produced by the top of the snare drum. The Cardioid pattern allows the microphone to also help prevent bleeding of other drum instruments into the snare drum recording.Shure SM58 MicrophoneTransducer Type: DynamicPolar Pattern: CardioidFreq. Response: 50Hz - 15kHzSensitivity: 1kHz Response Curve:

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Notes: The Shure SM58 Dynamic Microphone is described as one of the worlds best microphones for Vocals, simply due to it’s rugged and versatile design, it has become quite an icon for vocal microphones worldwide. The Freq. response of the SM58 is very similar the SM57, however due to the SM58’s design, it comes with a very effective pop-filter. This means high sound pressure moments in singing or sounds will not distort the sound quality, picked up by the microphone. It’s cardioid polar pattern also makes it very effective for picking up directed vocals with a some more bleed from the sides of the mic, due to it’s more forgiving globe design compared to a pencil design of the SM57. With it’s pop-filter and dynamic microphone basis, this microphone can take all the shouting and singing that can be thrown at it while still performing at a high level of quality.

This is an effective microphone for the use of drum recording due to it’s qualities, we use the SM58 for recording the bottom of the snare drum since it is best suited for recording frequencies that are produced by the bottom of the snare drum. The Cardioid pattern and the Pop-Filter helps prevent the loss in quality of the snares and high pressure sound waves from playing the snare and also allows the microphone to also help prevent bleeding of other drum instruments into the snare drum recording.

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Audix F9 MicrophoneTransducer Type: CondenserPolar Pattern: Wide-CardioidFreq. Response: 40Hz - 20kHzSensitivity: 1kHz

Response Curve:

Notes: The Audix F9 Condenser Microphone is best used and recommended to be the microphone for recording Cymbals, Overheads, Hi-Hats and being an Audience microphone. The majoritively flat response for the wide frequency response of the microphone allows it to capture sound of rooms and areas with the capability to capture almost all sound frequencies that are commonly found in its usage. It also is very effective at recording Cymbals and Hi-Hats. Since Cymbals and Hi-Hats do not produce a large amount of sound pressure due to their shape and the materials they are made of. Thier Wide-Cardioid polar pattern also helps the microphone become a very effective room/overhead/audience microphone.

This is an effective microphone for the use of room and cymbal/hat recording due to it’s qualities, we use the F9 for recording the whole drum kit and room since it is best suited for recording the wide-range of frequencies that the drum kit can produce. The Wide-Cardioid pattern allows, when paired with another F9 to create a stereo effect of the drum kit, where changing the pair’s positions can dramatically change the stereo effect of the drum as well as how dry/wet the drum kit sounds.

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Audix F6 MicrophoneTransducer Type: DynamicPolar Pattern: HypercardioidFreq. Response: 40Hz - 16kHzSensitivity: 80Hz

Response Curve:

Notes: The Audix F6 Dynamic microphones are best recommended to be used to capture the sound of the Kick drum on a drum kit. This is due to its modifications that allow it to capture near sub-frequencies of sound and its frequency responses allow it to capture more lower sounds than standard microphones. It’s large size and design allows it to capture the whole kick sound when placed inside the kick drum itself. This is very useful if you wish to capture the noise of the skin being hit when recording your kick drum for more attack on the kick recording. It’s hypercardioid pattern means that it will almost only receive sound thats directed at the microphone along it’s linear length. This effectively prevents bleeding from other parts of the drum kit, itself.

This is an effective microphone for the use of kick drum recording due to it’s qualities, we use the F6 for recording the kick drum kit since it is best suited for recording the low frequencies of the kick drum that it can produce. Being a large dynamic microphone means that it is capable of coping with the huge amount of sound pressure that is created when playing the kick drum making it a recommended choice for recording.

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Audix F2 MicrophoneTransducer Type: DynamicPolar Pattern: HypercardioidFreq. Response: 52Hz - 15kHzSensitivity: 1kHz Response Curve:

Notes: The Audix F2 Dynamic microphones are best recommended to be used to capture the sound of any instrument or sound that is mid-bass or mid-high. This means it can record live stages, rack and floor toms, conga drums, guitar and bass as well as brass instruments. This makes it a very versatile microphone with it’s multitude of uses.

This is an effective microphone for the use of recording the tom drums, both rack and floor toms due to it’s qualities. We use the F2 for

recording the toms since it is best suited for recording the low and mid range frequencies that the toms can produce. It’s hypercardioid pattern means that it will almost only receive sound thats directed at the microphone along it’s linear length. This effectively prevents bleeding from

other parts of the drum kit, itself.

- Task 3: Make notes on choices of mic placement and reasons (Unit 9 – GC 2) (Unit 25 – GC 2 & 3) Task 3

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An example of what a mic’d up drum kit looks like.

With the Kick the F6 is used and is placed just inside of kick drum to capture a decent balance between the noise of the beater head hitting the skin and the resonance of the drum afterwards. This can be changed to have the mic more inside for a higher attack response or to have the mic outside of the drum to have a more timbral effect on the recording, however too much on either can leave a very muddy recording of the drum.

With the Snare top, we use the SM57 placed at the top of the drum by the edge of the drum. the head of the microphone is then positioned to point towards the snare’s central focal point to capture as much sound as possible. Pointing the microphone towards the edge of the snare creates a more resonant sound. This can be troubling where the resonance can interfere with other frequencies and would require careful EQ pruning to balance out the sound.

With the Snares on the snare drum we use the SM58, its pop-filter comes in very handy for the large amounts of sound pressure that will be given off by the drum bottom. The microphone is pointed towards the snares themselves, usually about a few inches away to capture all the sound of the snares equally as well as some accompanying snare

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drum sounds. This sound can be inverted to change the sound of the recording and make the snare drum feel more fuller.

With the Rack Tom and the Floor Tom, the microphone position is very similar to the snare head microphone due to its position and location on the drum itself. We use the F2 microphones to record the Toms due to their frequency response ranges. Issues with recording the Toms is that if the microphone is too close to the Tom it can pick up resonances when recording, which ends up making the toms sound muddy in quality and can ruin a good mix.

With the overheads, there are a multitude of ways that they can be arranged around the drum kit, it is very dependant on what the producer is looking for in sound and how many overhead mics are available. The arrangement that we decided to use was the spaced pair arrangement due to its wide stereo and balanced wet/dry sounds for the drum, albeit slightly more dry than wet sounding. Appropriate arrangement of overheads is key to a good sounding drum kit mix.

- Task 4: Make notes on the choices of mixing techniques for produced track and reasons why.

(Unit 9 – GC3 & 4) (Unit 25 – GC 4)(Unit 9 – GC 1) (Unit 25 – GC1)This is the equalisation of the kick, snare drum, the snares of the snare drum and the overheads EQ (shared across both overhead EQ). With the EQ of the drum kit i have hollowed out a small notch in the low frequencies to allow the kick drum to come through clearer, i have also notched out some mid frequencies for the kick drum to allow the instruments and the snares to come through clearer and prevent muddiness from the kick drum. With the snares under the snare drum i raised some lower frequencies

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since i wanted the snares to sound fuller but also take advantage of sound bleeding from the kick drum. Since the snares will be phase inverted, this means that the snares and a small amount of the kick drum will become more fuller with its sound. I lowered the high frequencies of the overheads to allow the instruments that cover that frequency range to not become muddied with the hat and cymbals of the drum kit. The lower frequencies were raised a tad to allow the drum kit to still have a presence in the mix.

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This is the EQ of the Piano, Guitar and the Bass of the mix. With the Piano i completely dropped the low frequencies to allow the drum kit and bass to come through. I raised the mid frequencies since the piano is covering the mid frequency ranges. I also lowered the high frequencies of the piano EQ for the guitar to come through. With the Guitar, i dropped the low frequencies to allow the drum kit and bass to come through clearer, however instead of lowering the mid frequencies for the piano i kept it fairly flat since a lot of the resonance of the guitar come through in the mid frequencies in this composition, also because i felt like it was a nice touch to have that particular sound come through still. I did raise the higher frequencies to help the guitar come through clearer. With the bass all i did was lower the high frequencies to allow the guitar to come through clearer, other than that, i left the bass fairly alone.

This is an effect i put on the snares to allow the snare drum to sound more fuller. Since there is two mics recording one of them needs to be phase inverted, usually it is the

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snares that is inverted to allow both the waveforms of the snare top and snares to not cancel each other out.

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With the piano and guitar, i routed them to a separate bus before going to the main output. On this bus i put a reverb effect on, this makes the piano and the guitar sound a lot more dominant and creates a nicer, wider tone to the guitar and piano which helps open up space the centered sounds of the drum kit and the bass.

- Task 5: Make notes on the choices of mixing techniques for extra track and reasons why.

(Unit 9 – GC3 & 4) (Unit 25 – GC 4)(Unit 9 – GC 1) (Unit 25 – GC1)

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This is the Intro guitar taps EQ, on Guitar 1 the high frequencies were cut off since it was a guitar which didn’t utilise the high frequencies, so we opened them up to allow other instruments and sound through clearer. On Guitar 2 a small area of a frequency was lowered to allow other frequencies through. On the Intro taps Guitar the high and low frequencies were lowered to balance the EQ of the mix same with the Intro PC 1 guitar.

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This is the Drum kit EQ. The kick was lowered and raised on multiple areas mainly to help emphasize the kick but to help flatten the tones of the other parts of the drum kit.The Snare bus had low frequencies cut while slightly raising some frequencies to flatten other parts of the Drum kit as well as balancing out the sound of the snare bus. With the overhead bus the lower frequencies and high frequencies were cut to open up frequencies for other instruments to come through clearly. With the drum bus only a small part of the frequencies was lowered, since the drum kit sounded correct in our groups opinion.

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To help make the guitar and the guitar taps at the intro of the song sound fuller and wider, but also to stop it from clipping and being too loud in the composition through the effective use of compression. With this we did, in our opinion, made the guitar taps sound very close to the original source.

- Task 6: Basic overlay of Studio 1 (What is each piece of equipments use and why is it used) Task 3

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List of equipment in the Studio:

- 1. Adam A77X- 2. KRK Rokit 5- 3. iiyama E2773HDS Monitor- 4. Novation Impulse 49- 5. SPL 2381

- 6. Focusrite ISA One - 7. emagic Logic Control- 8. Macintosh Computer- 9. Saffire Pro 40- 10. Octopre Mk. II- 11. S-Phone Headphone Mixer/Amp

Adam A77XUse: Speaker PairFrequency Response: 38Hz - 50kHzFrequency Response Chart: N/A

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Why:

The Adam A77X Speaker is used for Studio 1 as a speaker pair. According to online reviews and reports by trustworthy sources (soundonsound), say that the speaker is of very high quality and reliability. It is well suited to heavy usage and highs and lows, it comes with sub woofers and tweeters to support the high and low frequencies. However from personal experiences, the speakers do seem to be coloured to a lower frequency while remaining fairly flat in other frequencies.

KRK Rokit 5Use: Speaker PairFrequency Response: 45Hz - 35kHz

Frequency Response Chart:

Why:

We use the KRK Rokit 5 Speakers as a second speaker pair for studio 1. However in personal opinion i think that the use of KRK Rokit 5 is not needed for studio 1 if only for directional sound. It seems to have a shaky response to mid-tones and due to the fact it does not come with any speakers that

support the mid-ranges, but come with a subwoofer and a tweeter for the high’s and low’s. Since the A77X’s support the low’s and high’s in studio 1, i find that they are really not necessary. However, having a second speaker allows for a more fuller sound when reviewing your compositions which is very valuable.

iiyama E2773HDS Monitor - Standard Monitor, used to view information supplied by the Macintosh computer.

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Novation Impulse 49 Use: MIDI KeyboardFeatures:

- Velocity sensitive drum pad- Knobs, faders and buttons that work with most music production software- UPnP Supported

Why:

We use the Novation Impulse 49 as the main MIDI input device in studio 1. We need a min MIDI input device for studio 1 as it is easier to input MIDI signals into a composition by keyboard compared to guesswork with the mini keyboard on the side of Logic’s Piano roll window. Also this can be used to modify sounds with it’s integrated faders and controls. This can be very useful for adventurous producers.

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SPL 2381Use: A Talkback and Monitor ControllerFeatures: Multiple inputs and outputs to headphones and speakers to allow the controller to talk to performing musicians and control the the sound levels of the output levels in the studio, such as Talkback, Cue and Volume.

Why:

We use the SPL Talkback Controller as a way of communication between people where the soundproof rooms prevents us from communicating to performers/musicians on the other side of the glass windows of the rooms. This makes it very crucial for recording purposes and with the built in microphone, it means less cables have to be used to mic up a microphone in the control room. Also it allows the producers in the control room to co-ordinate the performers without having to travel distances and use up precious time. Since it also acts a master volume control for multiple speaker outputs, it is considerably more reliable and in opinion, better as a choice of physical volume control with no latency.

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Focusrite ISA OneUse: Direct Input for instruments to record in Studio 1Features:

- Built-in Microphone Pre-Amp- independant DI Routing- Changeable impedance for microphones- Headphone output with control- Insert point for extra processing between DI or Pre-Amp

Why:

We use the ISA One as a Direct Input for instruments for when we do not want to have a microphone record the instrument through an amp. Also it allows us to control its input signal before reaching the soundcards. This can be very useful, especially if the instrument produces very powerful signals. It can also be used for standard XLR microphone recordings if needed. Other than that it is a box that allows analog signals to be converted into digital signals.

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Emagic Logic Control / Use: Fader Board / Why: N/A (never used it)

Macintosh Computer / Use: Digital Audio WorkstationSaffire Pro 40 (Top Sound Interface) Octopre Mk. II (Middle Sound Interface)Use: Sound InterfaceFeatures:

- 8 Preamps with inputs- A-D & D-A Converter- 2 Separate Headphone Buses (only for the Saffire Pro 40)

Why:

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We use the Saffire Pro 40 Sound Interface and the Octopre Mk. II for Studio 1 because it is a very good, high quality hardware that is able to handle up to 8 pre-amp’d inputs. That is enough to mic up an entire standard drum kit each. It comes with volume levels for adjustments to the recording of the sound before it enters the DAW and recorded, this allows the signal to be of high quality and lets us reduce the volume to prevent clipping and reduction of quality of the recording when in post production. These sound interfaces in studio 1 are hooked up to input channels 1-8 (Saffire Pro 40) and input channels 10-18 (Octopre Mk. II) which is wired to Stagebox 1&2 in Studio 1 Live Room.

S-Phone Headphone Mixer/AmpUse: In conjunction with SPL 2381 Talkback Controller

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Features: - 4 Headphone/Mixer Amplifier Channels- LED Metering on each channel and master- 2 band EQ on each channel- 3 Headphone outputs per channel at maximum output, regardless of impedence

Use:

We use the Headphone Mixer/Amp with the SPL 2381 Talkback Controller to be able to talk to our performers/musicians. In a sense, it is just a routing for the SPL 2381 Talkback Controller.

- Task 7: Make notes on how signal routing for Studio 1 is set up. Task 3

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Known Routing:

Stagebox 1I/1 - Channel 1I/2 - Channel 2I/3 - Channel 3I/4 - Channel 4I/5 - Channel 5I/6 - Channel 6I/7 - Channel 7I/8 - Channel 8I/9 - N/AI/10 - N/AI/11 - N/AI/12 - N/AH/1 - Headphone MixerH/2 - Headphone MixerH/3 - Headphone MixerH/4 - Headphone Mixer

Stagebox 2I/1 - Channel 11I/2 - Channel 12I/3 - Channel 13I/4 - Channel 14I/5 - Channel 15I/6 - Channel 16I/7 - Channel 17I/8 - Channel 18I/9 - N/AI/10 - N/AI/11 - N/AI/12 - N/AH/1 - Headphone MixerH/2 - Headphone MixerH/3 - Headphone MixerH/4 - Headphone Mixer

Vocal BoothI/1 - Channel 9I/2 - Channel 10H/1 - Headphone MixerH/2 - Headphone Mixer

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