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NWC Webinars Home Recording: Basic Mic Techniques
- 1. Adam Gallant Owner/Operator, The Hill Sound Studio with Andrew King Editor-in-Chief, Canadian Musician Magazine
- 2. Adam Gallant has worked in all facets of digital audio production, from music recording and composition to location and post audio for television and film. He currently owns and operates The Hill Sound Studio in Charlottetown, PE. Clients include Paper Lions, Sorrey, Al Tuck, the CBC, National Film Board, and the popular web series Just Passing Through. Adam Gallant Andrew King Andrew King is the Editor of Canadian Musician, as well as Canadian Music Trade, Professional Lighting & Production, and Professional Sound magazines. He also co-hosts Canadian Musician Radio. He has given presentations and been a speaker, panelist, and moderator at events including CMW, ECMA, the Halifax Pop Explosion, and many others.
- 3. Agenda • Different Kinds of Microphones & Their Uses • How to Build Your Mic Collection • Basic Mic Techniques for Vocals, Guitars, Drums & More • How to Assess the Quality of Your Tracks
- 4. • Omnidirectional • Cardioid, Supercardioid & Hypercardioid • Figure Eight/Bi-Directional Polar/Pickup Patterns
- 5. • Arguably most ubiquitous (Shure SM57, SM58, etc.) • Reject sound from rear of capsule • Ideal for live settings with stage monitors playing back • Good for close-miking drums Cardioid
- 6. • Similar to cardioid • Narrower pickup & greater rejection of ambient sound • Boom mics for capturing dialogue in TV/film is a common example Supercardioid
- 7. • Picks up sound from front & rear of capsule, not sides • Ribbon & large-diaphragm mics often have this pattern • Good for stereo recording & situations where maximum isolation of off-axis sounds is ideal Figure Eight/ Bi-Directional
- 8. • Picks up sound from all directions/at all angles • Do not have to be aimed in a specific direction • Ideal for room/ambient microphones, group vocals, etc. • Typically have a true/flat sound Omnidirectional
- 9. • Dynamic • Condenser • Ribbon Types of Microphones
- 10. Fixed Magnet with Moving Capsule Dynamic • Traditionally a cardioid pickup pattern • Focused sound with good rear & side rejections • Proximity effect – more low end when closer to source • Well-suited for: • Live environments • Rooms with little to no acoustic treatment • Vocalists also playing guitar • Uses: vocals, close drum mics, electric guitar amps • Common Examples: Shure SM57 & SM58, Sennheiser E-Series
- 11. Conductive Fixed Plate & Moving Plate w/ Voltage Between Them Condenser • Variety of pickup patterns • Very detailed & open sound • Well-suited to treated studio environment • Typically louder output than dynamic mics • Requires 48 volts (sometimes less) via battery or preamp • Available in tube & solid state • Uses: Voice, drum overheads, strings, acoustic guitar • Common Examples: Neumann U Series, Rode NT1, Audio-Technica 4050
- 12. Fixed Magnet with Thin Filament of Corrugated Aluminum Ribbon • Proximity effect – more low end when closer to source • Classic, dark & “vibe-y” sounding • Fast attack, great low-end response • Figure eight pickup pattern • Generally requires a high-impedance mic preamp • Available in tube & solid-state models • Uses: Mono drum room, strings, guitar amp • Common Examples: Royer 121, AEA Ribbon Mics
- 13. • Pop Filter – to reduce plosives that cause boosts in low end on certain consonants • Shockmount – decouples microphone from the floor, improving low-end response • Reflection Filter – helps reduce room reflections (great for home recording) • XY Mount – makes XY stereo miking easy • Dual Mic Mount – makes a stereo pair easy to hang Mic Accessories
- 14. Questions?
- 15. Most Important Mic to Own: Shure SM57 Other good staples: • Vocals: Shure SM58 & SM7, Rode NT1-A, Audio-Technica 4040 • Instrument: Rode NT5 (pair), Sennheiser e609 & E614 SD, Royer R-101 • Kick Drum: Shure Beta52, AKG D112 Building Your Collection
- 16. • Mono: One mic, anywhere that sounds good • XY Stereo: Two mics close together w/ capsules crossing at a 90- to 120-degree angle • Stereo Pair: Two microphones at equal distance from each other & the sound source • Blumlein Pair: Typically two figure eight mics in XY pattern • Mid-side: Typically a figure eight & cardioid working in stereo **Note this requires some processing for phase alignment Common Configurations
- 17. Lead Vocals • Mic close to mouth for detailed representation • Typically with a pop filter • Common mics: Shure SM7, Neumann U87
- 18. Chorus/Background Vocals • Use omnidirectional, or have performer(s) step back from mic to free up space for lead vocal • Use different mic than that for Lead Vocals
- 19. Electric Guitar Amp/Cab • Shure SM57 & ribbon mic on centre of the speaker
- 20. Acoustic Guitar • Often done with small-diaphragm condensers in stereo, set to left & right stage • Start at 12th fret, then move to find nice, present sound • SM57 with aggressive EQ?
- 21. Drums • Generally use a lot of mics – kick inside, kick outside, snare top, snare bottom, close mics on toms, close mic on hi-hat, two overheads, two room mics, one mono room mic • Use dedicated kick mic, i.e. Shure Beta52 or AKG D112 • Small-diaphragm condensers for overheads • Consider Glynn John’s three-mic set-up
- 22. Strings • Ribbons work well for dark quality & more harmonic content, providing rich sound w/ less bow & peaky high-mids
- 23. Horns • Ribbon mics work well as their fast attack captures parts with quick shots or stabs • Note ribbon mics are sensitive to high SPLs, so BE CAREFUL
- 26. Thanks for joining us! You will receive an email shortly with a link to access the recorded version of this webinar in its entirety. www.nwcwebinars.com