Microphones

1)  As a general guideline, it can be said that dynamic microphones are best suited for live sound work, and that

condenser microphones are more suited for use in a recording studio.

Give technical and practical reasons for why this may, or may not, be a valid statement (include diagrams if

necessary).

This is definitely a valid statement as a condenser microphone is too sensitive to be used for live work and are going to be more prone to feedback(they have unnaturally hyped high-end) and will pick up the band which won’t be a pleasant sound. Furthermore, you’d have to tell with phantom power which may or may not be full of 48V voltage making it to the stage. They are more suited in studio work as they are generally acknowledged to be the best microphones for recording vocals, acoustic instruments, and indeed all sources where subjective sound quality and musicality are essential.

Dynamic microphones are best suited for live work as they are most effective when working with relatively loud sound sources that don’t contain a lot of very high-frequency detail. They have no internal amplifier and do not require batteries or external power. They’re also really tough which makes them brilliant for live work. The dynamic mics could be cardioids or uni-directional’s which means that the mic has one area in which it picks up sound which means unlike the condenser it will not pick up the sound of the whole band in one mic.

2)  What are the three main polar patterns found on microphones? Describe the differences and give examples of how each could be used.

The three main polar patterns; Omni-directional, Bi-directional and Uni-directional.

The Omni-directional picks up sounds evenly from all directions; it is useful for capturing ambient noises. The smallest diameter microphone gives the best omni-directional characteristics at high frequencies. This is great for studio work. The most common uses of an omnidirectional microphone involve groups of singers or instrumentalists. This equipment can also be useful for meetings and events where there may be many speakers but a single microphone to capture the sounds from several angles.

The Bi-directional uses a figure 8 pattern and picks up sound from two opposite directions. A possible way you could use this mic is for an interview where two people are facing each other with the mic between them.

The Uni-directional picks up sound predominantly from one direction. This includes cardioids and hypercardiod microphones. An example of this is recording a teacher’s lecture in a classroom in a scenario where only the lecture of the teacher needs to be recorded without any noise coming from the students behind. Uni-directional microphones have great application when a sound source can stay put in front of the microphone to record only that sound source and no other.

3)  Dynamic and condenser microphones are the two most commonly used type of microphone found in the studio. Can you name any other types? Also include their basic technical features and how, or why, they might be used.

Ribbon microphones are another type of microphones found in studios, it used a string of foil rather then a coil of wire in the diaphram. It doesn't have a huge output but it picks up high frequencies. It is good for studio work to record acoustic instrumentals because it doesn't need external power.

Another type of microphone is a fiber optic it converts acoustic waves into electrical signals by sensing light intensity. They have proven especially useful in medical applications, such as allowing radiologists, staff and patients within the powerful and noisy magnetic field to converse.

4) Give suggestions as to what you might use the following microphones for and explain your answer:

a) Audix D6

b) SE Electronics titan

c) microtech gefell M300

For an Audix D6, i would use this for recording lower frequencies such as the bass amplifiers and bass drums. The D6 is lightweight, compact and easy to position. It has a balanced output allow for interference-free performance.

An SE Electronics titan  is a large-diaphragm condenser microphone. It needs phantom power(48V) in order to be powered up. It is ideally suited for percussive recordings, including stuido use for drums, picked guitar, kick drum and slap bass etc.

The microtech Gefell M300 is great for recording instruments such as the parts of the drum kit and pianos atc. It is a compact cardioid condenser so therefore it would mainly pick up sounds directly from the front. It is good as it gives a very clear detail of the sound from the instrument/s.

5) When using microphones, why is a mic pre-amp necessary? What features would you expect to find on a

professional pre-amp (either standalone or as a part of a mixing desk)?

A mic pre-amp is definitely necessary as the sound created needs to be amp'd up to a specific line level which is the main role of the pre-amp. It comes with 'Gain' so you can control how much sound that goes through the pre-amp. You will see a meter(on the top of the mixer) that indicates when the sound is being too pushed. There is a DAW button to make sure so the performers can hear through the mixer and also phantom power that should be switched on for condenser microphones in order to power, which is known as 48V on the mixer. Also there is a low frequency switch and a HI-Z which needs to be put on when recording other instruments.

Song 1 Recording

I will talking about the making and process of a song my group did in the recording studio. It will involve the equipment we used (such as mics & instruments etc) and how we used it so it could be effective.

On the 19th of November my group (John,Roy,Daniella and Christina) and I discussed what we'll be recording and what microphones we'll be using for Christina's original song 'Kiss on'. We had to record vocals, bass, drums and keys in order for it to work. The microphones we decided to use were an Audix D6, two Shure SM57's, a Rode NT 100 and two Rode NT5. It didn't really take too long to set up as everyone had a role and a mic to set up. I was mainly in charge of setting up Logic and making sure all the microphones where in the right channels. Once all the microphones were set up, we were ready to record the guide vocal and guitar. Unfortunately, that was a mistake as we recorded using a Rode NT 100 that is mainly for vocals with the guitar and because of the sensitivity of the condenser mic it managed to pick up the guitar. This meant that the guitar and vocals were recorded into one track which was wrong.  However we had enough time to delete it and start again but this time doing it one at a time. We decided to record the guitar first using the Shure SM57 as this  is a dynamic, uni-directional microphone. We did not have to power up the Phantom power(also known as 48V) as it is not a condenser microphone. We then went on to do the guide vocal next using  the NT 100 we had to make sure  Christina(the performer) was listening to DAW rather than the mixer as this would have made a really unpleasant sound.

Further we recorded the bass using the Audix D6 which is a dynamic, cardiod microphone. This worked really effectively as it picked up a real 'bassy' and clear sound. The microphone works really well for picking up low frequencies.

On the 26th of November we decided we want to record the drums. We made it easier and more time consuming by asking Roy to come in 10 minutes before the lesson to set up the drums. John and I then went to search for the mics we needed for it. We used a pair of Rode NT5's as overheads in order to record the drum kit, it is great on picking up things such as the high hats and cymbals. The reason it works so well is because its an Omni directional, condensor mic which means it can pick up delicate sounds. We used the Audix D6 on the bass drums as like the bass amplifier it was really good for picking up low frequencies. We then lastly recorded the piano part which I played, I decided that the NT5 was the best to use as it captured the sound really well and clearly. We had two microphones on this so the notes wont be missed on the playback.

Unfortunately due to being very ill i wasn't able to be there for the final week but did get informed by the group that the existing recordings except the guitar was deleted as it wasn't played properly to a click but it had a great quality in the sound.

Solo Repertoire

In this document I am going to justify my hour long repertoire. I will mention why I suit these in particular pieces and why I chose them. Each piece has similarities and differences to each other but will definitely define the type of musician I am and the type of musician I want to become. My solo repertoire consists of soul, R&B, alternative hip hop etc. I have links of me singing some of these pieces.

Here is my first video to a cover of Jill Scott's song 'getting in the way'. The genre is soul & r'n'b. I used a backing track for this. This is one of my favorite songs to sing as I can express myself to this and it also brings out my alter ego. It shows a lot of 'attitude' which you can do a lot of hand gestures to.

Jill Scott herself and Vidal Davis are the writers of this song. It was written at the end of 1999 and released in the beginning of the year 2000. It was wrote for the 'who is Jill Scott? Words and sounds' album which is an album about a strong woman who is fearless. This definitely can be portrayed in this particular song as she talks about standing her own ground.

The next song is an original written by me called 'That’s how I (no worries)' it’s about a girl who’s looking for love but doesn't want to be treated like a princess which is ironic because most girls love and want to be treated like this ideal 'princess' fairy tale type. I accompanied myself on the piano for this.  I wrote this in October 2011 for my E.P 'Sinister' and it fit perfectly as I have relations to the famous crime couple 'Bonnie and Clyde' in this song.  I chose to perform this piece as it shows a different side to me and it also helps me feel an emotion on stage. There is not much gestures and movement for this song, I chose to be in a neutral position for this to symbolise a 'lost lover'.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=h52lresAS98

I also chose the song 'Un-break my heart' (written by Diane Warren) sang by Toni Braxton which completely contrasts my original song 'that’s how I (no worries) as it appears to be more heartfelt and more in relation to 'wanting good love'. The song was released in 1996 for her second album 'secrets'. I chose this song to sing because it brings out more of my feminine side and also it shows my low rage and my soft falsettos.  I sang this to a karaoke backing track on YouTube which didn't really do me justice as it played the melody on the track. I used good mic technique by when arriving to the high notes I would step further away from the mic. 

The next song I chose was 'Blue Jeans' written and sang by Lana Del Rey. It was wrote in the year 2011 and released in May 2012. The reason why I chose to sing this indie pop & alternative hip hop style song as I feel I can connect more with the style as it fuses elements of funk, rock and even folk which makes me more versatile. This song is about two young adults falling in love. Lana talks about how she grew up listening to hip-hop and hanging out with gangsters, whereas the guy is more of a punk. The second she sees him, she likes him and they begin dating. He leaves to go sell drugs and make some cash but eventually gets caught. Another reason why I chose to sing this song as it’s appears to be your 'average' love song but also has a hint of tragic which makes it diverse. I performed this using a backing track as there were certain instruments and rhythms/melodies in it that would have been quite difficult to do with a live band. Again this was not much of a movement song but Morley an expressive type which involved 'telling a story with your eyes' to the audience.

Another song I chose was an original written by me called 'Beloved Killer'. This song is about a girl who has high hopes and dreams for her relationship to go well but lately finds out her partner is a killer. ‘Killer’ metaphorically for a heart breaker who means he broke her heart unexpectedly. I wrote this last year 2011 for my E.P ‘Sinister’ as well. Again I chose to sing this to bring out more of a ‘sinister’ side. I used a live band with this song which consists of a pianist, bassist, guitarist and the obvious a vocalist. It took only a week to prepare this as it is a clear arrangement and I gave printed sheets of music.

Another song I chose was the famous ‘Summer time’ written by George Gershwin and covered by many artists such as Ray Charles, Ella Fitzgerald and David Elliot etc. I chose to do this as an accapella as it is a song that can have a lot of space and time to breathe. The audience can digest what the song is really about by doing this. I chose this song to not only have time to breathe but to bring the audience more on my side. When performing this I had my eyes closed for the beginning and when going higher into the second verse ‘One morning you’re going to rise up singing’ I looked directly at someone in the audience and used hand gestures.

The next song I chose was ‘Haunted’ sung by Rihanna written by Evan Rogers. I made up my own chords for this and accompanied myself of the keyboard to bring it more to my in particular style. I chose this song because I adore the dark poetic lyrics. I personally feel like this song is about a couple where the man’s old lover has died. It makes me feel like the ‘other woman’ that Rihanna is referring to is dead, which may be why the man has such trouble letting go of her which she mentions ‘I can’t compete with a memory’.

Furthermore, another song I chose was an original by me called ‘My way’. This song is quite similar lyrically wise to the first song I did, Jill Scott ‘Getting in the way’ because the lyrics are very demanding. I wrote this song in April 2012. The song is about ‘being in control’ and having things done ‘your way’ in whatever situation it could be. I performed this song with a full band which worked very well especially with the half time effect which I went into a soft falsetto with. The song was roughly about 120bpm on the verses which I showed aggression and movement within these sections then when it came into the chorus (half time effect) I then became softer with my vocals and movement. The reason I chose to sing this song is because it has a nice tempo to keep the audience up and entertained.

Another song I chose to do was ‘All the things she said’ by TaTu. It was released on 18 September 2002 by Interscope Records. It is about the relationship between the two girls and describes the effects of not being able to stop thinking about each other. The song is a mid-tempo pop rock song that draws influences of electronic, europop, R&B and hard rock music. The song did cause controversy in many countries. However, I did this song in my own version which is called ‘All the things he said’ and I used my own chords but still kept a remainder of some lyrics. The reason I chose to sing this song as I love the feeling and emotion I put behind when putting it across. I feel the audience can relate to the fact of ‘not being able to stop thinking about someone’. I accompanied myself on the keyboard with this so the audience doesn’t get too distracted by the synthesizers and electronic things in the backing track and can focus on more of the lyrics and message behind the song.

The next song I chose was ‘Cry’ by Rihanna which has a similar emotion to ‘All the things she said’. I accompanied myself on the keyboard and had just a bassist. I chose to have a bassist as I loved the bass line on the actual track and I felt it would have lost its element if I hadn’t included it in.

My next song is an original by me called ‘Save me’. I got inspiration from ‘A change is coming’ by Al Green with the melody and also in this song I do some scatting in the bridge which is very similar. I chose this song to sing to show versatility in my writing.

Finally, the last song I did was ‘Loving you’ by Minnie Riperton. The song was written in 1975. Minnie Riperton was best known for her vocal range of five-and-a-half octaves. I chose this song as I’m able to hit the high note which is an F#7. To hit that note I needed to be able to learn how to sing really low which I did which is show in ‘un-break my heart’ where I reached a note of D3. When performing ‘Loving you’ I stood with my feet apart in line with my shoulders and back straight so I could reach the notes. I performed this as an accapella with gave me enough time to breathe deeply and it gave the song more space. It was good to hear the transitions in my voice between my head and chest voice which blended in nicely.

In conclusion, I feel the songs really defined what type of musician I am which is a soulful, alternative hip hop and R&B musician with very dark poetic lyrics. I will then chose 4 of these songs, two contrasting covers and two contrasting originals for my 20 minute solo performance in class.