Recording Tips for Engineers: For cleaner, brighter tracks

321 Pages·2010·5.141 MB·English

by  Tim Crich

Recording Tips
for Engineers
For sweet Melissa
Recording Tips
for Engineers
For cleaner, brighter tracks
Third edition
Tim Crich
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IllustratedbyTimCrich
Contents
LISTOF FIGURES....................................................................................ix
INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................xi
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS...........................................................................xiii
CHAPTER1 TheRecording Engineer...................................... 1
BecomingaBetterRecordingEngineer.................................................................1
DealingwithClients.............................................................................................5
GettingPaid........................................................................................................6
KeepUp..............................................................................................................7
GettingWork.......................................................................................................8
CHAPTER2 SoundCharacteristics.......................................11
TheCharacteristicsofSound.............................................................................11
HumanHearing..................................................................................................17
Levels...............................................................................................................17
PeakversusVolumeUnit(VU)............................................................................18
CHAPTER3 Studio Setup..................................................... 23
RoomPreparation..............................................................................................23
Placement.........................................................................................................25
MicrophoneStands............................................................................................28
Cables..............................................................................................................30
Microphones.....................................................................................................33
PolarPatterns...................................................................................................40
MicrophoneChoice............................................................................................43
MicrophonePlacement......................................................................................44
DirectBox.........................................................................................................53
vi CONTENTS
Ground..............................................................................................................53
Phase...............................................................................................................55
CHAPTER 4 Drums Setup.....................................................59
PlacingtheDrums.............................................................................................59
ChangingDrumHeads........................................................................................62
TuningtheDrums..............................................................................................64
Preparation.......................................................................................................66
MikingtheDrums..............................................................................................68
TheClickTrack.................................................................................................83
Electronic/ComputerDrums...............................................................................84
CHAPTER 5 Electric Guitars Setup....................................... 87
AmplifierPlacement...........................................................................................88
ConnectionsInandOut......................................................................................91
LoudAmplifiers..................................................................................................93
Preparation.......................................................................................................94
MikingtheAmplifiers.........................................................................................95
CHAPTER 6 Acoustic Instruments Setup............................ 103
AcousticPreparation.......................................................................................103
Piano..............................................................................................................111
Keyboards.......................................................................................................118
Horns..............................................................................................................119
CHAPTER 7 Vocals Setup..................................................123
PlacingtheMicrophone...................................................................................126
CONTENTS vii
CHAPTER8 Control Room Setup........................................ 133
ControlRoomAnalysis.....................................................................................133
ControlRoomPreparation................................................................................135
DigitalRecording.............................................................................................136
Speakers.........................................................................................................139
Console...........................................................................................................143
Equalizers.......................................................................................................145
Equalizing........................................................................................................147
Compressors...................................................................................................153
AdditionalProcessing......................................................................................156
Compressing...................................................................................................158
NoiseGates.....................................................................................................160
CHAPTER9 Starting Points...............................................163
TrackLayout...................................................................................................163
Documentation................................................................................................166
Drums.............................................................................................................170
BassGuitar.....................................................................................................179
ElectricGuitar.................................................................................................182
AcousticGuitar...............................................................................................184
Vocals.............................................................................................................186
Horns..............................................................................................................190
Piano..............................................................................................................191
Something’sNotRight.....................................................................................193
CHAPTER10 Signal Routing..............................................195
LevelsToRecord.............................................................................................196
TheMonitorMix..............................................................................................199
viii CONTENTS
CHAPTER 11 Recording.....................................................207
Tuning.............................................................................................................208
InRecord/RedLights......................................................................................211
Punching.........................................................................................................214
RecordingVocals.............................................................................................217
Pitch...............................................................................................................221
PostRecord....................................................................................................222
RecordingEffects............................................................................................224
ThePart..........................................................................................................225
Bouncing.........................................................................................................226
Doubling..........................................................................................................227
Edits...............................................................................................................229
EndofSession.................................................................................................231
CHAPTER 12 Mixing.......................................................... 235
PreMix...........................................................................................................236
SettinguptoMix.............................................................................................239
MixingBasics..................................................................................................242
Effects............................................................................................................252
Levels.............................................................................................................266
PrintPrep........................................................................................................272
Printing...........................................................................................................275
AfterPrinting...................................................................................................278
Mastering.......................................................................................................280
CHAPTER 13 Appendix: Digital..........................................283
DigitalConversion...........................................................................................284
BitProcessors.................................................................................................285
LSBversusMSB..............................................................................................285
InputProcessing.............................................................................................286
DigitalStorage................................................................................................290
DigitalMultitrackRecording............................................................................291
INDEX................................................................................................299
List of Figures
Figure 2.1 Changes in pressure.......................................................... 12
Figure 2.2 Wavelength.......................................................................13
Figure 2.3 Fundamental and overtone................................................. 14
Figure 2.4 Complex waveform............................................................15
Figure 2.5 Resonant frequency........................................................... 16
Figure 2.6 Instruments within the audio spectrum...............................19
Figure 2.7 SPL versusdecibel.............................................................20
Figure 2.8 Peak versus VU(volumeunit) levels................................... 21
Figure 3.1 Baffles used for absorption................................................. 25
Figure 3.2 Balancedand unbalanced..................................................31
Figure 3.3 Microphone frequency responsecharts...............................36
Figure 3.4 The dynamic microphone....................................................37
Figure 3.5 The condensermicrophone................................................. 38
Figure 3.6 The ribbon microphone....................................................... 39
Figure 3.7 Cardioidpattern................................................................. 41
Figure 3.8 Omnidirectionalpattern......................................................42
Figure 3.9 Figure-8/bipolar pattern.....................................................42
Figure 3.10 (a) Super-cardioid and (b) hyper-cardioid patterns............... 43
Figure 3.11 Three-to-onerule................................................................46
Figure 3.12 X/Y microphonesetup....................................................... 49
Figure 3.13 Spacedpairs..................................................................... 50
Figure 3.14 M/S(mid-side) pattern......................................................51
Figure 3.15 Decca tree miking.............................................................52
Figure 3.16 Phase cancellation............................................................56
Figure 3.17 Minimizing phase cancellation............................................ 58
Figure 4.1 Tuning adrum.................................................................... 63
Figure 4.2 Microphones inside the kick drum...................................... 68
Figure 4.3 Kick drum tunnel...............................................................70
Figure 4.4 One-microphonesetups......................................................79
Figure 4.5 Two-microphone setups......................................................80
Figure 4.6 Three-microphone setups...................................................81
Figure 5.1 Amplifieron riser...............................................................90