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STUDIO MICROPHONE TYPES

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STUDIO MICROPHONE TYPES

  What you are recording may in fact dictate what type of microphone you might need to use, but it can be even more detailed than that. You must think about several things when it comes to choosing a microphone such as sound pressure levels (SPL), side bleeding of unwanted noise, and weather you want a mono or stereo recordings.

Some common types that you will use the most often are the condenser, ribbon, and the dynamic microphones. Here is a quick run down of what the three types are, and what they work best for.

Condenser microphones

1. Condenser Microphones performance are affected by climate and temperature
2. Condenser microphones can have extended low and high frequencies
3. Top condenser microphones can be expensive
4. Cheaper condenser microphones can lack in frequency response and performance
5. Condenser microphones need internal power from a battery to operate or external power from phantom power

Within the condenser microphone family tree the tree breaks down into two major types, the large diaphragm and the small diaphragm condenser microphones. The diaphragm is the piece that air moves in order to make an electrical current.

To begin I feel it is important to know what the microphones can actualy hear, or often times more importantly; what they can’t hear. This is what we sometimes call the polar pattern of a microphone. The term “polar pattern" speaks about the direction (outward from the microphone itself) that a microphone can hear.  

The most common polar patterns are cardioid, hyper cardioid, omni, and figure eight.

But what do these microphone terms mean, and how can knowing these terms help in your recordings? What is this information good for? Well, knowing what you do not want to record is just as valuable as knowing what you do want to record.

Well, let’s start off this quick explanation with the cardioid polar pattern microphone. To be more specific, it details the width of an area that the microphone can hear. A cardioid microphones’ “hearing”, or polar pattern looks like the image below.

cardioid

 Sound enters the cardioid microphone easiest from the front, less from the sides, and not at all from the rear. The ring arround the microphone in the image above shows this directional concept. 

 hypercardioid

You can see how a Hyper Cardioid microphone might come in handy for picking up just one piece of a drum kit and not allow any sound (bleed) from the other pieces of the drum kit to enter into the microphone. An omni polar pattern microphone might be great for picking up a 360 degree “room sound”, or a group of back up vocalists standing in a circle around the microphone.

wide cardioid

 Wide cardioid mic`s are in general like hypercardioid but with larger range of signal that can be projected from the back of it

bi directional

 A “bi directional” microphone polar pattern is named so due to its look on a diagram. See the diagram below to see what I mean. Sound enters these microphones from two directions, which are also at opposite directions. You can set one of these microphones up so that sound enters from the front and the rear, or at opposing sides. These microphones are great for picking up a rooms’ deflection of sound, creating a rooms' deflection, reverb, or delay effect.

and omni directional

But what if you need to pick up a sound source that is in a 360 degree space? An “omni” directional microphone hears in all directions, and can handle some amazing reverb like effects, and some very cool sounds! You can see the “omni” polar pattern in the image below…

A mic can also be either a mono or a stereo mic, which is actually two microphones in one. The detailed list goes on to include such internal workings of microphones such as a tube or a solid state microphone, phantom powered, and some mics may even have “EQ-ing” features such as a low frequency (LF) roll-off and/or a high frequency (HF) roll off pot.

The inner workings of most condenser microphones are a pair of conducting plates that make up the diaphragm. When moving air moves the plates of the diaphragm, an electrical current is made. When compared to dynamic microphones inner workings, condenser microphones are more sensitive due to the fact that they are more efficient in their movement. They simply require less sound pressure in order to make them work.

There are two sizes of condenser microphones available because of the type of sound that they can capture. A large diaphragm condenser microphone can work great for vocal work because of their warm sound. Small-diaphragm models tend to be chosen where a very high accuracy of representation of a sound is required.

Ribbon microphones

(ribbon velocity microphone)

1. Flat Frequency Response
2. Usually expensive
3. Requires care during use and transporting
4. They do not need Internal or External power to use
5. Better high frequency response verses the Dynamic Microphone

 Ribbon microphones are almost identical to the dynamic microphone but uses a thin piece of aluminum electrical conducive ribbon foil. These microphones are usually bidirectional, which picks up sound equally from both sides.  It has a quick response to sound waves and picks up higher frequencies a lot better. 

The downfall of older Ribbon microphone is it has a weaker output level and is more fragile to use. Too loud of a signal can damage the foil inside the casing causing it to pop like a blown light bulb.  Modern ribbon microphones are more durable and can output a stronger signal due to better technology and improved magnates and transformer designs. 

Due to its smoother frequency response, the mid frequencies have a better sounding characteristic verses the dynamic microphone.

Ribbon microphones are commonly used to record cymbals, bass guitars, grand pianos and electric and acoustic guitars. Brass instruments sound really good recorded with a Ribbon microphone as well.

Because of the sensitive nature of the thin aluminum foil inside the ribbon microphone, make sure the phantom power is in the off position before inputting a ribbon microphone into the audio board, having the phantom power on is a sure way to damage the ribbon microphone aluminum strip.

Well, here is your chance to save some of your cash!

There are microphones out there that have polar pattern switching available on the microphones themselves! This allows for a wide range of recording applications from just one microphone. Microphones that are capeable of switching its polar pattern tend to be a little more expensive, and the cost increases as the number of switch-able patterns increases. However, purchasing a microphone with variable polar pattern switching might be cheaper than purchasing as many different types of microphones.

One more thing to explain 

“Bleed” is what we call any unwanted noise that enters a microphone from an unwanted direction. Perhaps it is as simple as a snare microphone picking up “bleed” from the guitar amp that is off in the distance. When the microphone is solo'd, the guitar amp can be heard along with the snare through the snares' microphone. This can muddy up a session.

We can control “bleed” by choosing a microphone that ignores, or rejects noise coming from certain directions  that Enter into polar patterns of microphones.

PROCESSING RECORDED VOICE

 
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Processing recorded voice 

 Voice acting, singing vocals, narration… just about any flavor of recorded human voice can benefit from signal processing. I’ve developed some typical things I do whenever I’m taking a raw voice recording toward a finished audio product. Audio practitioners should not seek recipes, but strategies instead. Each voice and project may need different approaches so there is no perfect EQ setting, no perfect compression preset that can be used every time. So consider this a set of strategies – ideas worth your consideration to use or omit with a great sounding voice as the goal.

Equalization

 

The secret to a great sounding dialog or vocal mix is a good recording: plosive free, without mouth noise, sans funky contributions from the room, and lacking sibilance. I suppose an inspired, well performed recording helps a little too. But let’s assume we have a decent voice recording and it’s time to mix/process toward the final audio program.

To that end I have a typical voice processing chain. I don’t see it as a recipe to follow regardless of the context, but rather a starting point to tailor the sound for each unique production.

 

My first step is probably the most important and definitely the most likely for me to implement: Frequency Cuts.

low cut filtering extremely useful tool, it can be used on several occasions to prepared your mix for final master session

Philosophically, I think of this as simplifying the signal closer to its essence. For voice there is usually low frequency information that gets recorded but we can’t hear. It is good to filter out that stuff. When directional microphones are used up close, proximity effect may be audible.

A shallow low rolloff might help. When the presentation will have a limited high frequency response, I like to use a high roll off too. If there are “ugly” frequencies in the recording, I’ll use a parametric to find and minimize those. Anything that doesn’t benefit the end result may be minimized using equalization.

Other cuts may involve spectrum that sounds fine for the voice by itself, but that won’t be important in the larger mix of elements. This isn’t a significant issue for voice-only or voice-dominated projects. But for song vocals, sonically busy scenes, and other source rich environments, additional cuts in the voice can free up spectrum for other sounds.
These may not be obvious at the very beginning of the mix, but instead tend to be uncovered over time. While contextual cuts are less obvious, they can be just as helpful toward a great sounding result.

 Post Compression

I seem to boost frequencies after compression, rather than before. Because when I EQ after, boosts work more intuitively.Boosting EQ into compression can make the compressor more responsive to the louder frequency range. And since compressors fundamentally reduce gain, boosting into compression can have the opposite effect sometimes. When I boost after compression it feels normal, natural, and obvious.Conversely I like to cut before the compressor so it doesn’t respond to undesirable stuff. Sure there are times I may break these norms, but it’s pretty rare.

When I first started reading about compressors I was hopelessly lost. The terminology was technical in an almost mean-spirited way and I couldn’t make heads or tails of what was being written. To keep things simple, I think of compression as a way of evening out the loud and soft parts of any vocal or instrument so that its behavior is a bit more predictable. In other words, compression brings up the really soft spots and tames the really loud spots so that you’re not constantly reaching for the volume fader on your mixing board (or virtual mixing board on your DAW). In its simplest form, a compressor, whether a hardware unit or a plug-in, will squeeze the audio so that its highs and lows are less pronounced. This allows you to do things like bring down the volume level of the compressed track without fear that its softer parts will get lost, or bring up the volume level without fear that the loud parts will jump out. It might help to think of all compression settings (attack, release, ratio and threshold) as ways to squeeze your audio more or less aggressively. Not enough compression will leave tracks that jump out of a mix at inappropriate times or get lost in the sound of the other instruments; however, too much compression can make a track sound lifeless or uninspired. My rule of thumb is to be less aggressive compressing audio on the way into your DAW (because you’re stuck with whatever you do) and more aggressive with my plug-in compression (because you can always dial it back).

Simple visualization of how compression can make your recording even

Warmth

 Because most people record with directional microphones, proximity effect leaves many voice recordings with plenty of bass. But when a recorded voice sounds thin, I raise a parametric EQ 3 to 6 dB and sweep through the 80 to 200 Hz region listening for warmth. I tend to start with a moderately narrow Q: 2 to 4. If things sound good through a wide range then I’ll open up the Q. I’ll back off the gain until it feels warm, but not tubby.

In addition to listening for warmth, I’m also listening for weird room resonances (which will overhang past the voice like a short reverb) and other, less pleasant characteristics. I don’t want to trade a solid low end for another problem. So it’s a combination of finding warmth without also accentuating something problematic.

Just north of here, in the 200-350 Hz region, things can sound thick. I don’t tend to boost here because it can make a voice sound nasal, chesty. I’m more likely to cut here than boost. Unless it actually sounds good (which is occasionally does), in which case I will boost it. Any audio “rule” should be considered breakable. Ultimately, how it sounds matters more than what you’re supposed to do.

FX chain

In your face

 

The old Academy Curve had a presence boost in the 2-5k Hz range. When you need more “here and now,” this is the range to sweep. As with warmth, I like a moderately wide Q and a boost of 3 to 6 dB to go hunting for this flavor. In the lower part of this range things can honk. As you move up things can get sibilant. Find the presence frequency while avoiding honk and/or sibilance; try not to trade presence for a bigger problem.

Sometimes boosts in this range will exaggerate mouth noise. If the performer was sticky and click-y, you’ll be hard pressed to boost in the 2-5 kHz range and not bring out mouth noise in the process. In my experience EQ isn’t going to help you get rid of mouth noise, but it can definitely make it worse.

If you know the mic used to record the voice, this may influence your frequency choice for boosting. For example, the Shure SM58 tends to give a lot in the 5-6k Hz region (see graphic below). If the voice is miked by a 58, you probably don’t need to boost any more in that range. It’s far more likely that you need something below that to get more presence (and/or cuts are needed somewhere below 300 Hz, and/or the mic position is bad).

  Vocal Compression in the Mix

 

Once the vocal is in the mix, I go to a plug-in compressor to further help keep the vocal present in the mix without jumping out too much in the loud spots. My recommendation would be to find a compressor that has a smooth, transparent sound that allows you to squeeze the vocal just a little more (approximately -3dB of gain reduction at the loudest spots) so that the vocal maintains it’s presence. I set my attack at 26ms and my release at around 300ms.  If the mix is a particularly full one where the voice needs to cut through a bit more and show a little more sparkle, I’ll use a frequency-specific compressor (like the Waves C4 on its “pop vocal” setting) which is a little more specific in terms of which frequencies it chooses to compress. In this case, 40hz, 500hz, 6khz and 16khz.

 

MIC POSITIONING, FILTERS, HEADPHONES ------ BITS AND BOBS------

 
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MIC POSITIONING, FILTERS, HEADPHONES 

------ BITS AND BOBS------

Microphone Positioning

The mounting, positioning, distance from the singer, and even the angle of the mic all weigh heavily on the finished vocal sound. I prefer to use a good shock mount microphone holder and hang it the mic’s capsule end level it around eye level and aimed at the singer’s mouth. 

Check with your singer(s), who will have a definite preference as to the way they like to project sound towards a studio mic. It is better to angle the mic down rather than allow the singer to sing straight into the mic’s capsule.

Different mic positions

Microphone angled down toward the singer

,and directed straight at the singer. 

Windscreens — Pop Filters 

With the mic angled and above the source, you may not need to use a pop filter, but your singer must keep from pointing upwards at the mic. So if the singer can sing straight ahead just below the bottom of the mic without tilting up, then no windscreen is needed.

If the singer cannot keep straight ahead or wants to sing directly into the mic, you’ll have to use a screen. There are several great models on market everything depends on your budget.

Pop filters change the sound slightly. There is a greater or lesser loss of super high frequencies depending on the particular filter. But there is another method to reduce plosives.Although not as effective for big pops, this trick will kill most small pops.Simply strap the pencil vertically in line with the mic body’s length (assuming you are hanging the mic vertically) using rubber bands (don’t use tape) so that the pencil bisects the face of the capsule.The pencil will disturb the puff of air from a P pop and divert the impact from the capsule.

simple pencil trick 

 

Headphones

Best choice is to get closed-back close case earphones that attenuate ambient noise and keep the cue mix from leaking out.Personally in my studio use AKG K271 phones  they are simply brilliant, however every thing is depending on your budget.Try to get your singer to keep both ears covered with the phone cushions to prevent spill. The phones should fit well and make sure a powerful amp drives them.It is good to have headphone amp installed in your booth to give your singer control on output volume.

VOCAL RECORDING TECHINCUES

 
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VOCAL RECORDING TECHNIQUES

When it comes to vocal recording there are just as many techniques and tricks as there are singers and engineers. What may work for your project might be wrong for other people.Of course there are a few common rules and methods, but as I've said before, rules are made to be broken. If you get the results you want by some crazy method and all are happy, then you've achieved your goal.

Because vocal recording is such an important part of music recording I'm dividing this topic into two parts. This article is about the things we do to get the vocal track on the computer. The next article will be about what you can do once the vocal track is captured. So hopefully in my ramblings there will be some info that is useful to you.

Because the vocal track is probably one of the most important components of any song it has to be right . Everyone knows what a voice sounds like, and most of us can relate to a well performed and recorded vocal that 'give you goose-bumps' or 'tickled your fancy' somewhere along the line.

And then you know, this vocal is brilliant !!

 

Adding to that, most people will notice if there is something not quite right like, excessive sibilance, poor noise gating, compression or inappropriate use of effects, strange EQ, or other unexpected changes in quality as this will immediately be recognizable. Having said that,  some of those aforementioned artifacts could be part of your bag of tricks?

An exact description of how different FX`s works and can affect your Vocals, instruments and mixes will be explained in one of next chapters

 Before you get too carried away make sure that you have selected the best possible mic/pre-amp, your VST settings combination that suits the vocalist. Usually a good large diaphragm condenser will do the job justice. Do a few test takes and then. Personally i`m fan of recording clean vocals and fun with getting it better by using all useful Aps and hardware. And don`t forget about some critical listening (with the vocalist), listening out for sibilance, boominess, thinness, popping etc.

And again i will explain all different types of mics available later on 

Keep the mic and vocalist in a fairly consistent position. You may need to use a pop screen to help control the bursts of air with the syllables p and b etc. Utilize this to explain to a lesser experienced singer to aim at the center and about five cm. (or whatever) from this pop screen. It will help with consistency in the vocal sound.

Position of vocalist against the mic is crucial try to record your vocal in less takes so you can capture vocal without displacements of your singer

One of the most important factors for the singer to work on is the phrasing of each line. By this I mean how it starts, how much weight is given to each word, the diction, the bounce or feel of the phrase etc.Concentrating on delivering the ultimate best, totally awesome vocal performance that you can be justifiably proud of, rather than thinking about vocal booth jitters etc, will get you more focused and through the session easier.

For inspiration the (vocalist/engineer/producer) should listen to great recordings of great singers through nice headphones or speakers undisturbed and get totally absorbed in the magic of the song. Then when you're at the studio doing your thing put yourself in their shoes (vocalist/engineer/producer) and put your stamp on the world. But do it your way and be happy and proud of it. Remember not everybody can do this sort of thing. 

Learning from listening if very important for rookies, it can give you many clues if you have this special thing that will push you to get as best final product as possible

A good vocal recording relies mainly on three things; good vocal technique, good microphone technique and good interpersonal skills. The last is probably the most important because the singer will feel far more exposed than other musicians and will consequently need more nurturing and support.

That what will make you fell, that you are in control, Support vocalist as much as you can, and you will notice much better performance

 

 

HOW TO RECORD GOOD VOCAL

 
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How to record good vocal 

   

•  Let`s state that you already have necessary equipment for your recordings, we will then proceed to a stage where you have to record it, so we can start our adventure with recording

  

Let`s start from vocal

• Voice can be recorded for many purposes, tunes, eBook’s, readings etc. Recording techniques can be slightly different however there are two basic factors that you have to take care of, well acoustic treated room and wormed up vocalists voice.

• To start your recordings you will have to find yourself a dedicated and acoustically isolated room, where ambient noises, outside noises, hard drive hums, etc. will not go directly or indirectly in to you microphone. You will have to consider rather building a vocal dedicated booth or use thick blankets hanged around you microphone to create as `dead environment` as possible. If you will consider second option you will have to build around your vocalist with those self-made `isolators` with special treatment of `behind vocalist head and back` area to prevent from back wall bounced sound waves that are creating that unpleasant echo in your recordings. 

That is a perfect example of how your recording booth should look like,but home made booths
can also looks like that 

That sort of treatment can do the job but i`am not quite sure about that sort of solutions

Simple home made reflection filter can make bigger difference then a lilo construction

•  Basically our aim is to record very concentrated signal and to do so we need to make sure that only sound that will get in to our mic is your direct voice only. That’s why this `dead` room response is so crucial.

•    We will have to think in a different way when we have a nice sounding room that can add some wonted ambient and color in to our recordings, in that case this room response is something that we like to keep and all this sound isolation are not really necessary, but because we are probably in your bedroom or a garage and those places are not really good sounding environments that’s why we have to stick to `thick blanket` treatment  to keep your recorded signal as clean and concentrated as possible. 

 It Is worth to invest some fair amount of money to get one of many reflection filters available on market

like for example this one, really good solution for bad sounding recording environments.

 

In Next chapter i will try to guide you throe recording techniques