Chong Jiunn Yann

For the violin miking experiment, we used a Rode NT1A large diaphragm condenser mic, an AKG C451 pecil mic and an Avantone CR14 ribbon mic. We are trying to record the sound for a classical solo violin. The results: 1. Single large condenser mic The Rode NT1A is place around 1 feet and 2 feet respectively from the violin and it is on axis with the violin's bowing place. Comparing both, recording the violin at 2 feet away have a better sound as it captures more of the room ambiance and the sound was not so 'into your face' as the one at 1 foot away. 2. Single small diaphragm condenser mic  The AKG C451 pecil mic is placed 1 foot and 2 foot away respectively from the violin an on axis with the violin's bowing place. The recorded sound was much more softer compared to the NT1A recordings, and the tones are also not so defined. 3. Ribbon mic with pencil mic An Avantone CR-14 ribbon mic is placed  2 feet away  from the violin an on axis with the violi...

For vocal recording techniques, we tried using an AKG C414 large diaphragm condenser mic with different polar patterns and different positions. We also considered the room acoustic by putting Gobos at different positions. We are trying to record a clear recording of the vocal with room ambiance. The results: 1. Cardioid pattern with gobos surrounding the vocalist. The sound captured is loud and clear, but it sounds 'dead' as the reflections are being absorbed by the gobos. 2. Cardioid pattern with gobos at front and back With the removal of the side gobos, the vocal captured sounded more spacious then the first one. 3. Omnidirectional pattern with gobos at the back The sound captured is quite clear and it has a pretty good ambiance to it, making the whole recording sounds much better.

For the bass miking techniques experiments, we connect the bass guitar to the board via DI box and also miked it using 2 different mics in different positions which are the AKG C414 and AKG D2. The result: 1. AKG C414(On axis) with DI - The large diaphragm condenser is set to cardioid pattern is placed near to the cone of the Hartke HD150 bass amplifier. The sound is a bit muddy and is too boomy when low notes are played. 2. AKG D2(On axis) with DI The sound captured is much clearer and also with enough attacks. 3. AKG D2 (at the edge of the cone) with DI The sound is not as clear as when is positioned on axis and the low end is not as intense as well. 4. AKG D2 (off axis) with DI  The mic is tilted so that it is off axis with the cone of the amplifier. Less attack are being captured using this techniques and it is also very soft and muddy. Thus to get a clear bass definition from the playing, I prefer using the AKG D2 positioned on axis o...

For the electric guitar miking techniques experiments, we are using both Rode NT1A condenser mic and a Shure SM57 dynamic mic and placed them in different position to get the right sound for a rock song. The result: 1. The SM57 is place on axis and near to the cone of the amplifier, and the NT1A is placed on the edge of the cone of the amplifier. The sound captured is punchy with attacks and the recording is quite clear with the distortions from the amplifier. 2. The SM57 is tilted a little to the left so that it is slightly off axis with the cone, and the NT1A stays at the same position. I feel like this technique gives a higher frequency and more tonality is heard from the recording. 3. The SM57 is tilted more to the left so that it is completely off axis with the cone, and the NT1A stays at the same position. This technique makes the recording muddier and also the sound is softer.

For acoustic guitar miking experiment, our group have tried 3 types of miking techniques which are: 1. Space pair We used a pair of AKG P17 small diaphragm condenser mic to record the acoustic guitar directly from the guitar's body. Both mics are placed on axis on the 8th fret and 12th fret respectively and are about 2 feet away from the guitar. The results from this technique: This technique captures the low end quite well, and also the strumming sound which are important for a acoustic guitar recording. This is due to the condenser mics are placed on the locations where the strumming are happening.  2. Single large diaphragm condenser mic An AKG C414 large diaphragm condenser mic is used for this technique. The mic is set to cardioid pattern and is placed at the area from soundhole around 1 foot apart. The result from this technique: This technique does not capture as much low-end as the spaced pair technique, and it also sounds a bit ...

The commonly wind instruments that are being recorded in studios are trumpet, trombone and saxophone. Mic placement: For brass instrument such as trumpet and trombone, the sound are produced by the vibration of the bells and most of the sounds are projected in the direction of the bell. So to get the sharpest or crispest sound, the mic has to be clipped on the instrument or placed directly in front of the bell. When pointing off axis, it can capture a darker and mellower sound and also avoid the high SPL mic distortion and wind pop. To get the position, ask the player to play the instrument first, then only place the mic depending on the player's position so that he or she will not be holding an unnatural position while recording. For starting point, the mic can be placed at 2 feet away from the bell and adjust it according to the sound that we desire to get. The closer the mic to the bell, less room ambiance and bleed from other instruments will be captured and vice versa. ...

Vocals are usually recorded using large diaphragm, cardioid pattern condenser mics as it is capable of recording the somewhat wide frequency range of the vocals, and also the loud and soft dynamics of the vocals during a song. But there are also exception such as some like to use dynamic mics to record their vocal because it matches with their vocal tone colour. Mic placement: A good starting distance for recording vocal is placing the mic 12 to 18 inches from the vocalist, and adjust it to get the desired sound. When the mic is moving closer the the mouth of the vocalist, the sound will be more "intimate" as there are more direct sound compare to reflected sound recorded. On the other hand, moving the mic further will give a more room sound and ambiance sound. For the angle, while the mic is normally on par with the mouth, the mic can be raised to produce a more nasal sound or lowered to yield a more chesty sound. Mic choice: Large diaphragm condenser mic are often des...