Chong Jiunn Yann

To mic up a piano, we should first understand what is the role of the piano in the recording as the miking techniques are different for each situation. For example, while classical piano performance often requires a natural blend of ambiance, with different characteristics of different composers; pop and jazz music requires the piano sound to cut through other instruments while playing. Mics positioning: 1. Spaced paired position Generally, position a pair of small diaphragm condenser mics inside the piano will record a bright sound, and this position also helps with isolation, where it can be improve by lowering the piano lid. The mics should be set directly above the hammers of the piano if plenty of attacks are needed, and around 8 inches from the hammer to reduce the mechanical sound from the piano. The 3:1 rule where the mics are at least three times farther from one another than each is from the sound source should be kept in mind to avoid out of phase recordings. 2. B...

The bass creates most of the songs' low frequency parts, and so the main focus when recording is to capture the low frequencies of the instrument, and also the mid frequencies for their attack and definitions. The most common way of recording bass is Direct Injecting(DI), where the bass is directly connect to the audio interface or through a DI box. DI helps to captures the low end and definitions of the bass guitar, but not the sound of the bass body. Another technique is to connect the bass to a bass amp, and record the sound by using mics. Bass amp should be used instead of guitar amp because of their better low-end response, and the low frequencies of the bass can damage the speaker at a high volume. For mic choice, dynamic mics such as SM58 or AKG D112 are preferred as they are able to handle the loud volume of the bass amp. The AKG D112 is more popular as it is a large-diaphragm cardioid mic that can handle a very high sound pressure levels, and it’s frequency response is...

Mics choosing: Condenser mics are often chosen over dynamic mics since acoustic guitars do not produce loud sounds and they have a mid to high frequency range, while a dynamic mic can be used if one wishes to get a more percussive and less musical sound. Large or small diaphragm condenser mics: Large diaphragm condensers give a more colored sound to the acoustic guitars, while small diaphragm condensers tends to give a more natural sound. There are a few miking techniques that can be used as references: 1. Single large diaphragm condenser mic - Facing the area between the soundhole and the top of the fretboard, in cardiod pattern. 2. XY position -  Two small diaphragm microphones placed at 90º angle with the capsules as close to one another as possible without touching - angle is pointed towards the sound source. 3. Spaced pair - Used two small diaphragm mics, one is pointed towards the 8th fret, while the other at the 12th fret where the strumming happens. ...

Dynamic mics, especially the Shure SM57 are more commonly used to record electric guitar because they are able to handle the loud and cranky sound of the guitar amps. Condenser mics also can be used, but more care has to be taken so that the sound recorded will not be overly bright. While the Shure SM57 has a frequency response that matches the mid range frequency of the guitar, it also has a compression effect on the loud guitar amp. On the other hand, condenser mics tend to pick up more lower frequency of the amp, which may or may not be a good thing depending the songs that is being recorded. Plus, condenser mics also give us the opportunity to experiment with different of polar patterns to get the perfect sound. Mics placement also greatly affects the sound when recording an electric guitar. There are several positions that can give various sound: 1. Place a dynamic microphone directly in front of the speaker driver in the amp. This give a more punchy/attack effect sound and pla...

The experiment that our group have decided is '"How to get the right sound for the kick drum". Some background research before the experiment: The standard rock kick drum has a hole on the front head. This allows a mic to be placed inside the bass drum, to get more attack and punch sound when the beater hits the batter head. When there are no hole cut on the front head, and the mic is placed outside the kick drum, it will give a sound with more low end, but also less attack, and it also increases the bleeding from the rest of the drumkit such as cymbals and snare. There are some variables that we can manipulate, which are: 1. The type of mic used 2. The positioning of the mics 3. The number of mics. The plan for our group for the experiment is as below: First, we tune the kick drum to get the optimal sound. Then, a mic (AKG/Seinheisser) will be positioned within the kick drum , and a second mic (Shure SM57) will be placed near the beater, outside of the drum. ...

Today we are asked to research the features and the pro s and cons of a specific mic that we choose. The mic that I choose to research is the Neumann TLM 103 This is a Large-diaphragm cardioid microphone. Pick up pattern and rejection: The TLM 103 is equipped with a large diaphragm capsule with cardioid pattern. By focusing on this pattern – used in most recording situations – the attenuation of unwanted rear sound has been optimized. Off-axis sounds are rendered naturally while isolation is increased. This also leads to a high feedback suppression when the microphone is used in live situations or where loud- speaker playback is a factor. This microphone is usually used for: On air mic for radio/broadcast, radio drama, sound sampling due to low self noise (7dBa); spot mic for winds instruments, strings, percussion, guitar amps, drum overhead; vocal recording; home recording and project studios. Frequency response: The capsule has a flat frequency response up to about 5...