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Posted by: neil on:23 Nov 2010 General » Music Production and Technology |
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Music Production and Technology
Every day
we hear music. Fact. And most of that music has gone through a studio, with
producers and sound engineers and everybody else who is involved with the
recording process. There is a lot of substance to production so I will just
give an overview of the basics for those who want to know how to maybe set up a
space for recording and feel comfortable about using software and various
equipmentTo begin,
you really need to get your hands on a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation), and
there are lots to choose from such as Cubase, Logic, Pro Tools. These are the
industry-standard DAWs, and you do pay a premium for that. There are simpler
DAWs such as Garage Band and Cool Edit with a cheaper price tag which are
fairly good to start with, just to get a feel for recording.
OK so now that you know what the sound is actually recorded to (a PC/Mac) you can decide how to approach recording various instruments. For instruments which are non-electric, you will need a microphone to begin. There are two main types of microphone; dynamic and condenser. Here is a list of different mics and their advantages and disadvantantages.
OK so now that you know what the sound is actually recorded to (a PC/Mac) you can decide how to approach recording various instruments. For instruments which are non-electric, you will need a microphone to begin. There are two main types of microphone; dynamic and condenser. Here is a list of different mics and their advantages and disadvantantages.
Microphones
Shure
SM-58
This
microphone, possibly one of the renowned microphones in history, the Shure
SM-58 is a dynamic mic. This means that it runs passively without
an external power source. The microphone itself is actually very versatile and
can be used to record both vocals and instruments. Bono from U2 uses these both
in the studio and on stage for vocals. Dynamic microphones in this sense are
generally preferred for live situations, as the won't pick up as much unwanted
noise, are less sensitive and less likely to feed back.
The SE-2200A is a condenser mic. It usually runs on 48V phantom power, which is normally powered through a mixing desk. However, it is not uncommon to find condenser mics which use batteries. The main difference between dynamic and condenser mics is sensitivity; condenser microphones have an amplified range, meaning they can pick up fainter sounds, which makes it a generally more suitable choice for studio work. This particular mic is very good for recording vocals and acoustic guitar, as well as for mic'ing up guitar amps.
With digital instruments, such as electric guitars you can plug it directly
either into your computer or into an interface if you choose to use one. This
means that the computer essentially can be used as an amplifier, and DAWs such
as GarageBand come with all sorts of preset sounds.
I would recommend getting small amounts equipment at a time and really getting
to know them before you build up a massive collection of equipment that you
aren't so comfortable with. Happy recording, and good luck!