Recording Music on Location

Capturing the Live Performance

Bruce Bartlett, Jenny Bartlett

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2014
• ISBN:
  9781317692379
• Edition: 2
• Topic: Mezzi di comunicazione e arti performative
• Subtopic: Teoria e gusto musicale

Recording Music on Location provides an exceptional collection of information regarding all aspects of recording outside of the studio. Featuring clear explanations on how to achieve professional results, this book is divided into two distinct sections: popular music and classical music. Whether you record in the local rock club, jazz café, or in an orchestra hall, Bartlett offers sage advice on each stage of the process of location recording. Packed with hints and tips, this book is a great reference for anyone planning to venture outside of the studio. Audio examples, tracking sheets, weblinks, and downloadable checklists are available on the companion website at www.focalpress.com/cw/bartlett.

This edition has been thoroughly updated and includes new sections on iOS devices, USB thumb-drive recorders, and digital consoles with built-in recorders, along with updated specs on recording equipment, software, and hardware. This edition will also show you how to prepare recordings for the web and live audio streaming, and covers spectral analysis, noise reduction, and parallel compression. A new case study will go in depth on classical-music recording.

Part 1
Popular Music Recording (Rock, country, jazz, folk, R&B, gospel, Christian, and so on)

1
Gear for Live Recording

Whether you are a musician, concert recordist, live sound engineer, or studio engineer, your first step is choosing the equipment that suits your recording style.

The simplest option is to record with a portable stereo recorder. The process is easy and the required gear costs around $150 and up. A recording made this way may not offer the sound quality of a professional multitrack recording. But it may be good enough—especially if the recording is just for yourself or your friends.

Other options for stereo recording include an iPad with a recording app, or a laptop computer with recording software. These setups cost about $350 and up. We’ll look at the pros and cons of these options in a minute.

Stereo Systems versus Multitrack Systems

You can make live recordings either with stereo or multitrack techniques. Basically, a stereo recording system uses two mics (or a stereo mic) plugged into a stereo recorder. The mics pick up the group as a whole from several feet away, and the mic signals are recorded. A multitrack system uses several mics, each close to an instrument or singer. The mic signals are sent to a multitrack recorder. One track might be a recording of the lead vocal, another track might be the sax, another the kick drum, and so on. You mix the tracks back in the studio.

Stereo recording is easy and cheap, and it captures the sound as heard in the audience (including the room reverberation and background noise). You could call it a “documentary” or “audio snapshot” recording. The multitrack approach is more challenging and expensive, but it offers a cleaner, more commercial sound, probably with a well-balanced mix. It’s the most common method for professional recordings of live pop music.

Please note: Focal Press has a website (www.focalpress.com/cw/bartlett) for this book with audio clips that demonstrate some techniques discussed in the book. Website track 27 compares a stereo recording to a multitrack recording of a blues band. Website track 28 is the same for a jazz trio.

A stereo recording can sound very good if no PA system is in use— but most bands use a PA. When you record the band you’re also recording the sound of the PA speakers. Thus, the mix or balance you get depends on the PA engineer’s skill.

The first half of this chapter focuses on stereo recording systems, while the second half covers multitrack systems.

Stereo Recording Systems

Figure 1-1 shows the parts of a typical stereo recording system. Placed several feet from the performers, the mics pick up the group, room sound reflections, and any background noise. The sound and signals move or flow from start to finish (left to right in Figure 1-1).

Figure 1-1 Signal flow in a typical stereo recording system.

This is the signal flow shown in Figure 1-1:

1. Musical instruments produce sound.
2. Background noise and room reverberation add to the musicians’ sound.
3. Microphones pick up the total sound and change it into electrical signals.
4. Mic choice and placement affect the tone quality (bass and treble), the stereo effect, and the amount of background noise and room reverberation that are picked up.
5. Mic cables carry the mic signals to the recorder. Some mics plug directly into the recorder, or are built in.
6. The recorder makes a stereo recording of the left- and right-mic signals.

If you can record off the PA mixing board, all you need is a portable stereo recorder and cables. Some digital consoles can record the stereo mix to a USB thumb drive.

Equipment for Stereo Recording

Let’s describe in detail the gear you need to make a simple stereo recording.

Microphones

A microphone changes sound into an electrical signal. Classified by how that is done, there are three types of mics for recording: condenser, dynamic, and ribbon.

Condenser, Dynamic, and Ribbon Types

Condenser mics typically give a clear, detailed, natural sound. They are the preferred choice for stereo recording. Condenser mics require a power supply to work, explained later under the heading “Mic Connectors, Powering, and Cables.”

Dynamic (moving-coil) mics work without any power supply. They are rugged and reliable. Most dynamic mics do not sound as clear and natural as condensers and are less sensitive, so dynamics are seldom used for stereo recording.

A ribbon mic provides a smooth sound that many people prefer, and it works without power, but it’s delicate and expensive.

Sound Pickup Patterns (Polar Patterns)

Microphones also differ in the way they respond to sounds coming from different directions:

• An omnidirectional (omni) mic picks up sound equally well in all directions.
• A unidirectional mic picks up sound best in front of the microphone. It partly rejects sounds to the sides and rear of the mic. Three types of unidirectional mic are cardioid, supercardioid, and hypercardioid. Each has a progressively narrower pickup pattern.
• A bidirectional (figure-eight) mic picks up best in two directions: in front of and behind the microphone. Most ribbon mics have a bidirectional polar pattern. Mics with this pattern are used in the Blumlein stereo technique, described in Chapter 9. Figure 8-1 shows various polar patterns, and Chapter 8 describes polar patterns in more detail.

Which mic pattern is right for your needs? Choose omni mics when you need all-around pickup, extra deep bass, less handling noise and wind noise, or binaural (headworn) miking for headphone playback. Choose cardioid mics when you need sharp stereo imaging, rejection of room reverberation, and rejection of background noise and feedback.

Mic Connectors, Powering, and Cables

As shown in Figure 1-2, mics come with either an XLR (3-pin) connector or a phone plug (called a “jack” plug outside the US). Most condenser mics with an XLR connector are powered by 12–48 volts of phantom power. This powering can be supplied by a phantom power supply, mic preamp, recorder, or mixer. Condenser mics with a phone plug (jack plug) either use an internal battery, or they receive DC bias or plug-in power (3–10 V DC) from a recorder. Some mics can be powered by a separate battery module, which helps the mic pick up loud sound sources with less distortion (increased dynamic range).

A mic with an XLR connector has what’s called a “low-impedance balanced” output. Such a mic can be used with very long mic cables without picking up hum or losing treble. A mic with a phone plug (jack plug outside the US) comes with a short, permanently attached cable or no cable. This type of mic has an unbalanced output that is low-to-medium impedance.

What if your mics have XLR connectors, but your recorder or mic preamp has one or two phone jacks (sockets outside the United States)? You’ll need an adapter cable, shown in Figure 1-3.

Figure 1-2 (Top): Male and female XLR connectors. (Bottom): Phone plug and phone jack connectors (jack plug and socket connectors outside the US).

Figure 1-3 XLR-to-phone adapters (XLR-to-jack adapters outside the US).

Cheap 1/8-inch phone plugs (3.5 mm jack plugs) with thin gold plating are actually less reliable than plugs with nickel plating. Thin gold plating wears off quickly, exposing a brass surface that makes poor contact.

USB microphones have a built-in analog-to-digital converter and a USB connector, which you plug into a computer’s USB port. That lets you record the mic’s signal with recording software.

Special-Purpose Mics

A stereo mic has two mic capsules in the same housing for convenient stereo recording. A mini stereo mic plugs directly into some portable digital recorders and Apple iOS devices. Mini stereo mics that use cardioid mic capsules tend to have less bass and more noise (hiss) than larger stereo mics. A headworn binaural mic has two miniature omni condenser mics that you wear in or near your ears; you play back the recording on headphones. Chapter 12 lists the websites of all these types of microphones.

You can make yourself a decent stereo or binaural mic for experimenting. Purchase some JLIelectronics JLI-61A omni mic capsules for $1.67 each. Get an adapter cable with a 1/8-inch stereo plug (3.5 mm stereo jack plug outside the US) and two RCA (phono) plugs. Cut off the two RCA (phono) plugs and solder the wires to the mics. If you want mics that are ruggeder, of higher quality, and better looking, check out the commercial mic websites listed in Chapter 12.

Microphone Mounting Styles

Microphones also can be classified by the way they mount onto objects:

• Portable handheld recorders have mics built in.
• Plug-in mics plug into an iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad.
• A stand-mounted stereo mic attaches to a mic stand. A stereo pair of mics can mount on a stereo bar (stereo mic adapter), which holds two mics on a single mic stand. However, mic stands might be too large to be acceptable in certain venues, and they are a hassle to carry.
• “Goosenoose” stereo mics are worn around the neck.
• Clip-on mics can be clipped to a shirt at the shoulders or to eyeglass earpieces.
• Headband-mounted mics are attached to a headband. Some head-band products have “street” styling.
• Desktop mics sit a few inches above a desk or a table, so they might pick up an unnatural, filtered sound due to surface-sound reflections.
• Boundary mics eliminate that problem by moun...