Linear production and recording in the audio industry was the conventional method of music production before the digital era. Unlike todays digital realm where recording would simply go into an audio interface and plugins are used for digital signal processing, analog recording has a more complex setup especially in the recording process using analog hardware and a physical mixing console. In the pre-digital era musicians would have to ensure clean performances as editing options were limited meaning audio engineers and technicians would have to ensure clean recordings and proper signal flow were in place. Overdubbing is a technique still employed up to this day whether it be musicians, vocalists or any live ensemble performances looking to record clean final takes for the mix.
For this assignment we was assigned to establish and rehearse techniques for recording various instruments blending analog and digital resources. A West African band and a Jazz band would be performing songs and audio/signal shall be recorded with analog and digital resources in the studio. Following from this our next task would be to produce a multitrack recording of the bands and finally mix the recording to fit the chosen style and genre.
The Setup
In order to record the musicians performances we would need to setup the environment, necessary equipment and signal flow for a smooth process. For the environment the Drummer would be placed in the recording room isolated from the other musicians as we need clean recordings of each instrument with less noise bleed as possible. The drums signal flow would be setup with several microphones capturing various drum sound sources (microphone list in slideshow). These are then fed into the patch bay in the recording rooms wall. This then leads into the SSL console as the console and DAW will be the recording medium. For the guitarists and vocalist they would be in the control room and each with their own space for comfort when performing. The guitar and bass guitars signal flow was from the guitars, into a DI of a Dual Valve Pre Amp by TL-Audio. The rhythm guitarist would go into an effects pedal prior to going into the preamp as he would be using his own effects. All of these would be routed into the pre-amp and into the patch bay which is then directed to the console and DAW which was our recording medium. At a later stage we would overdub the recordings where proper performances would be recorded; as for now we would be recording for a reference and foundation to build upon. I would write a studio log of data such as a table chart of the instruments and microphones used including the channels we routed to the mixing console. These would change at later points as we would be patching into other channels later but for now we would keep track of our current configuration. I would also take notes of the type of microphones used such as condenser or dynamic and would take note of which microphones had its own power supply such as The Rode Classic ii which was to be used for vocal recording .
Recording Techniques
There are various recording methods and techniques available which we can use to our advantage whether it be summing into the analog domain for character and color or in the digital domain for precision editing or using both to get the best results from our recording. even the use and positioning of various types of microphones and combinations can significantly impact the final sound. For example dynamic microphones are often preferred for capturing loud sound sources such as drums or guitar amplifiers while condenser microphones excel at capturing delicate nuances in vocals or acoustic instruments. We would experiment with microphone placements for the various exotic instruments we recorded such as the koura, saxophone and trumpet and for tracking an acoustic guitar we would use 2 condenser mics with one placed near the body of the guitar whilst the other would be near the neck side of the guitar not too close but at a good distance. In order to minimise phase cancellation and to gain a more natural clear recording we would apply the 3-to-1 rule in where the microphone placed near the body of the guitar is positioned three times closer to the guitar than the microphone positioned near the neck. We would use our hand as a visual aid to measure 1 hands gap between the body of the guitar and body microphone and three hands gap from this microphone to the neck microphone. This approach also minimises comb filtering which happens when the audio signals from 2 microphones reach each microphone at a different time creating peaks and notches which color and distort our sound (hence the term comb as it resembles the teeth of a comb). There are many various techniques such as the XY configuration, M-S Mid-side configuration and also the Blumlein configuration which each can yield diverse sonic textures and spatial imaging in the recording. We can also employ techniques such as close miking or room miking to further enhance our depth and dimension in the audio recording and for further techniques later when mixing such as using the drum room mics for parallel compressions to add depth in the drums and enhancing the transients .
Analog to Digital (A/D)
When the audio industry's shift to the digital age had taken place recording techniques had also undergone significant changes. Whilst digital recording promised flexibility and precision it also introduced new challenges such as signal levels, digital clipping and syncing issues. Despite the digital advancements analog recording techniques still remain relevant and are valued more offering unique sonic qualities. Audio engineers now leverage hybrid recording setups combining analog hardware with digital processing for enhanced flexibility. This process involves an A/D converter which allows engineers to sum audio into each's respective domain. The conversion is carried out by an A/D converter (analog to digital) which allows an engineer to sum audio into the analog or digital domain.
There are many forms of A/D converters including audio interfaces and the signal flow can vary.
In our case of Recording the bands our signal flow would be of a typical large format hybrid studio setup. as shown in the diagram the microphones for recording our drummer would be routed to the patch bay. The effects rack and input rack would also be routed to receive and send audio to and from the patch bay. The patch bay serving like a traffic junction receives all audio signals and can allow us to send the audio directly to the A/D converter (or back into the effects rack which heads back into the patch bay again).
For setting up the Senegalese bands Guitarist we would connect his guitar (which is going into an effects pedal) into the TL-Audio pre amp in the outboard rack which would be routed to the patch bay. We would then patch the TL-Audio pre amps (D3 OUT) to Channel input 18. We would then select channel 18 on the console and set it to mic as the TL-Audio preamp is boosting the level of the instrument up to match the impedance. We would adjust levels for optimal signal level and once levels and all was set we would write the channel name. The effects rack would not only house the Tl-audio pre amp but also other hardware such as the LARC controller for the infamous studio reverb The Lexicon 480L. This would also be patched into 2 channels ((34+35) for adding reverb effect when needed. The final stage for audio to travel is into the A/D converter which carries out the conversion of analog to digital and sending into the DAW. Overall the signal flow must go through or "summed" into the converter for it to be transferred to each's respective domain. Once summed into the Digital domain we would create and name a track in Pro tools and would assign the track to the channel we would require on the console. This would complete the full signal flow from the sound source (guitar or mic) all the way to the DAW.
Linear Production
Press for sound
With all equipment and the band setup the whole process would begin with the first takes as a foundation
As mentioned previously The drummer would be placed in the recording room isolated from the other musicians as we need clean recordings of each instruments starting with drums. The guitarists and vocalist would be in the control room and at a later stage we would overdub clean recordings. The band would perform various songs in which we would record and in our next sessions we began overdubbing and the band would plan and improvise takes for recording over their old takes. For example the guitarists would be working on a new intro to add to a song; once they had the idea in mind we would drop them in the intro with a metronome pre count for recording on time. They would also add this intro as a riff in various areas of the verse section. We would next begin overdubbing and recording new vocal takes. For this task we would need to connect the microphone (Rode Classic ii) to the correct channel and ensuring its own power supply is provided. We would let the microphone warm up as it was a vacuum tube mic and for consistent sound quality and good operation it is good practice to let any vacuum/tube equipment to warm up and reach operating temperature. Once the mic and the vocalist was setup, warmed up and ready we would start recording and would give visual cues when to begin his singing. We would adjust the volume to get good signal level to fit in the mix and would have some reverb layered with the vocals to give more depth and feel to the vocals.
Once the level of the vocals and EQ dynamic adjustments were made we were set to record several takes until we had completed the clean vocal takes for this song. We would continue recording and completing new clean takes for all the other songs to be more efficient with all our songs/projects and would move on to overdubbing and recording the acoustic guitar sections. We would set the guitarist up with two microphones (AKG C414) for recording the guitar. We would ensure to apply the 3-to-1 rule when setting up the microphones to ensure we don't have problems with phase and also to gain a natural clear recording. They would be patched to channels 19+20. We would also setup a monitor showing the Project session in the DAW (Pro Tools) so the guitarist has visualisation of cues when to begin or also for feedback of his request. It also serves as a bonus when communicating as we would communicate with each other via the talkback feature on the console and would be able to use the display to explain.
We would record several takes until we achieved the take we was looking for with expression and sounding great .
During the process of overdubbing and recording we had come across several problems with a song as it had contained a tempo switch as they had performs 2 songs in one with different tempos. The project tempo was set to the second and we did not note down the tempo of the 1st song. The artist would mention this issue on the tempo and our tutor would explain the reason. Our tutor found a solution in where we would tap a tempo to the beat to figure its tempo which worked out perfect. I would begin to understand the split function on the console better as my tutor had explained earlier the split function would allow the performer in the recording booth to hear what he played by monitoring the line. This would happen later when the performer wanted to hear the click and the bass guitars audio cue for when he would begin performing.
Mixing
With all new clean recordings and overdubbing's complete and our mixing console laid out with the tracks labelled and our DAW setup we would begin the task of mixing to achieve balance and to enhance and get the best from our recordings by further audio processing and advanced techniques deployed. We would begin adjusting and balancing all levels and processing audio with EQ and dynamics.
I would be watching my tutor carefully and would note that for the overhead left and right mics he would have a gate so that the audio is controlled and wouldn't bleed a lot due to the gate function. I would also notice various overpowering or dynamic instruments would also have some processing in the form of compression and filtering for control and clarity. The vocals would have a chain which would start with compression and then following with EQ. I would be able to see the information of the adjustments my tutor made by viewing the consoles display which shows us the audio level of the channel and also processing done on the channel. it also shows us how much gain reduction and gate/expander we have on the channel (gate and gain reduction shown dB and in 5 steps 3, 6, 10, 14, 20dB).
I had learnt a new technique from my tutor involving parallel compression. He would show that he would try things out in the mix and one technique would involve squashing the drum room mic recordings with heavy compression whilst the rest of the drum kit would be uncompressed. blending the two together would form a parallel compression technique which adds depth and enhances the drum transients. I was familiar with parallel compression when working with vocals and using sends but using the room or environment was new and amazing to me and would note this for later experiments.
We had another issue mixing another song which involved having phase issues in the acoustic guitar recordings. the phase would go into negative and we would see this when we would check the channels in stereo. we would either have to go mono or redo the recording but we learnt that we could narrow down the pan which would make the phase issue less. We ended up keeping it narrow.
We would next mix the koura which had a beautiful sound similar to a harp and would mix the bass guitar. We would solo the instruments occasionally for critical listening and fixing and would check our changes in the context of the mix. Once completed we would begin setting up the microphone for recording backing vocal tracks for one of the songs. We would need to patch the microphone into another channel and would need to adjust the processing on that channel similar to the lead vocal but not exactly. We would have the levels up initially just to check the adjustments are good. We would record various takes and would complete this task and mix with the other audio
The jazz band would undergo a similar process in terms of recording, overdubbing and involvement of feedback in the mixing section. the difference being the instruments used and genre which brings a complete different sonic character which in turn would bring a different approach in tasks such as mixing.
Once all the mixes were complete and the bands were very happy with the outcome we would begin organising our session and projects ready for the client or for mastering. From seeing the bands reactions they were very happy and excited with the outcome. Our tutor would make some final tweaks and adjustments for the icing on the cake.
Summary
Looking back on the full process from beginning to end, I've learned many new things in areas where I was previously unfamiliar and discovered techniques I can utilize in the future. For instance i gained a better understanding of managing signal levels effectively and developed strategies for dealing with phase issues in recording and during the mixing processes. I learnt new techniques to utilise in parallel compression and learnt the importance of organization and keeping track of things either by notes or by a system/workflow.
I had also learnt and experienced some of all the possible problems that could arise before, during and after the whole process such as bad takes, managing tempo syncing problems and tempo switches with possible solutions.
I also had noticed after analysing and referencing the mix on various speakers that one of the jazz songs had a constant hum caused by a faulty connection possibly on the Nord Keyboard or the TL-audio Pre-amp. I would place the audio file into a spectrogram (Izotope Rx audio editor) and would see the hum was present in most of the frequency range and throughout the song. I would isolate the humming noise and would take a profile of it so the software has a reference of the noise I didn't want. I then subtly remove the hum without affecting the overall sound by firstly splitting the single stereo file into stems as it would be easier removing the noise in several sound sources of the single audio. Then in small stages I would set a threshold and reduction amount to a point in where the hum was near gone. I would do this in all
the seperated stems of the stereo file until all noise is gone. When they are combined again the noise would be much less whilst still preserving the quality and fidelity of the audio.
Mix With hum
Mix With Hum Removed
This worked great although when I would look into an analyser I would notice the dynamic range had been affected drastically and I believe this is due to the way the noise removal works (possibly in the form of compression). With this in mind I would ensure to resolve any issues prior to recording and would ensure equipment is not defective as neglecting these issues such as the persistent hum can have an impact on our mixing decisions and the clarity of the overall mix. I had received invaluable tips from my tutor in how to keep the momentum going in a recording session as there is no time to waste when the band and studio session is in full swing especially in the large format studio setting which would normally involve paying clients. I would observe creative disagreements and collaborative improvisations by the bands which was helpful to know what to expect and how to deal with these situations. Overall this experience has been invaluable and prepared me for the further stages of working in the large format studio.
