Desktop Digital Studio

Nestor · Post by **Nestor** » Sat May 26, 2001 7:04 am

Another good book to go for, really clear, worries free, no complications and technicalities, really helpful… at least for me.

Title: Basic EFFECTS & PROCESSORS

Author: Paul White (that guy REALLY knows what he's talking about)

Year: 2000

Publishers: Sanctuary Publishing Limited.

ISBN 1-86074-270-X

Nestor · Post by **Nestor** » Thu Apr 11, 2002 9:25 am

STUDIO LAYOUT: THE COMPONENTSThe mixing console is the never centre of a traditional recording studio, and the positioning of everyting else is in relation to the mixer. In the desktop studio, however, you may have both a computer and a mixer, and so the focal point of your system is both the keyboard and monitor of your computer (it doesn't matter where you put the a CPU) and your hardware mixer. You have to be able to operate both without moving from the ideal monitoring position, which usually menas having the mixer dead centre, with the computer monitor behind it and the computer keyboard in front. Unfortunatelly, you'll also need to be close to the computer when you're working on your master MIDI keyboard, so the best solution is often to use a tiered keyboard system. In my own studio, the MIDI deyboard slides out from beneath the computer table when needed, but otherwise the general layaut is the same.

If you have more equipment than you can accommodate at the central monitoring/mixing position, think carefully about what equipment you'll need to operate when mising and set things up to accommodate this. For example, you don't need to have perfect stereo imaging when recording, so our master keyboard could be set slightly off to one side. This shoudn't be a problem, as long as you can still see the computer monitor and reach the keyboard.Similarly, DAT recorders and CD burners can generally be positioned to one side, as you don't need to reach them very often during a mix.

THE COMPONENTS
For the musiciona working alone, a combined mic pre-amp and compressor is the ideal tool with which to get a high-quality audio signal into the system, and if you play guitar or bass, one of these that also features line- and instrument-level inputs would be useful. All serious mic pre-amas will provide phantom power for capacitor microphones, and some also include EQ. Most pre-amps are rack-mounted affairs, as are synths modules, samplers and some MIDI interfaces, so it's often best to put all of these in a free-standing rack positioned to one side of the mixing position. The cables between this rack and the mixer can be tied together and hidden in specially-designed split corrugated plastic tubing. Even so, you should avoid having mains leads running alongside signal cables, as this can introduce hum into the system, and you should also keep mains-adaptor-style power supplies away from signal cables.

I'ts very important at this point to stress that nothing sould be placed between the monitor speakers and the mix engineer's head, so if the rack is higher than the bottom of your monitor speakers it sould be moved right around to the side.

You'll find a stereo DAT tape machine useful, and alghough tape is old technology DAT has the advantages of being reasonably cheap and easy to archive.Conventional DAT malchines work at 16-bit/44.1 kHz or 48kHz, although some specialist models are now available that can record at 24-bit resolution by running the tape twice as fast. A good cassette deck is useful for creating quick listeting copies, which you can try in the car or in your ghetto blaster, while a regular CD player patched into your mixer will help you to compare what you're doing with other recordings quickly and easily. If your computer set-up doesn't include a CD-burner, you should get one as soon as possible, but make sure that it's supported by the CD writing software that you plan to use. These can also go into your equipment rack, and if you have some devices that aren't rack mountable you can alwasy invest in some rack shelves.

My own system is based around a small digital mixer, which includes dynamic processing on every channel, as well as a very respectable onboard effects. Even so, there should still be aplace for high-quality autoboard effects inb your system, especially high-end reverb, and in most cases these can be left patched into the aux send/return loop of your hardware mixer. More traditional studios rely on patchbays for plugging in outboard effects and for changing routing options, but it's better if you can configure your desktop system to avoid them. Not only do patchbays contribute to cost and complexity but they also become unreliable once their socket contacts have become tarnished or dirty. They also seem to attrack more than their fair share of interference and ground-loop problems. Even so, if you feel that a patchbay would make life easier for you, by making some of your more commonly changed connections more accessible, then by all menas use one. My only advice would be to keep it as simple as possible and to cover it up with a cloth when not in use so as to prevent dust from settling in the sockets.

Digital patchbays are now becoming increasingly common tools for handling the optical or co-axial digital interconnects between soundcards or interfacers, digital mixers and recorders. Again, it's worth getting one if you find that you're constanbly having to replug connectors, as RCA phono connectiosn don't stand up well to being plugged and unplugged on a regular basis.

Just get a Pulsar...je je...

_________________
Music is the most powerful language in the world!

[ This Message was edited by: Nestor on 2002-04-11 11:07 ]

Nestor · Post by **Nestor** » Thu Apr 11, 2002 9:31 am

THE MONITORING SYSTEM

THE MONITORING SYSTEM
A practical monitoring system for a home studio would be a pair of nearfield monitors and a pair of headphones. While it's never a great idea to do all recording and mixing over headphones, because of their different imaging properties and the way in which they can misrepresent bass, they are still extremely useful, and are able to pick up small distortions, noise and other flaws that loudspeakers might miss. Think of headphones as your audio microscope.

A stereo hi-fi amp, or a dedicated power amp of at least 30 watts per channel, is probably the minimum requirement for accurate monitoring, because, although you may not mix very loudly, frief signal peaks can often exceed the average signal level by a huge margin. For accurate monitoring, it's essential that your amplifier can translate these peaks cleanly.Distorted signal peaks caused by an under-powered amplifier can also lead to tweeter damage.

If you're using a hi-fi amplifier (as opposed to a sutidio monitoring power amp), ensure that it has either oux, CD or tuner imputs that you can use to accept the output from your sound card or interface. You can't use the phono record deck inputs for this purpose because these have built-in tonal correction circuitry for redord player cartridges, and they would make your mexies sound completely wrong. They're also not optimised for use at line level.



_________________
Music is the most powerful language in the world!

[ This Message was edited by: Nestor on 2002-04-11 10:44 ]

Nestor · Post by **Nestor** » Thu Apr 11, 2002 10:18 am

LOUDSPEAKERS
Everything you do in your studio is evaluated over your monitor loudspeakers, so it's important to choose a pair that you can rely on to let you know wht's really happening.Choose the most honest-sounding speakers that you can afford, rather than speakers that flatter, and try not to be tempted into buying speakers that are too big fo the roomin which you're working. Medium-sized, two-way nearfield speaker systems are the best choice, as they tend to be more resistant to abuse than regular hi-fi speakers. When auditioning speakers, take a selection of familiar CDs with you so that you have some sort of reference point. The demonstration material that most salesmen have to hand is chosen purely because it sounds impressive.

I personally prefer to use active loudspeakers (those with separate built-in amplifiers for the bass-mid driver and the tweeter), as they sound tighter and cleaner than passive models of the same power rating. Using active monitors also means that you don't have to worry about choosing a suitable amplifier, and you also don't need speaker cable because the speakers are driven directly from your mixer or soundcard line output, often via a regular XLR mic cable. Whether you use active or passive speakers, you'll still need to pick either magnetically-shielded models or those fitted with low magnetic radiation drivers if you want to use them near a conventional computer monitor.Failure to do this may result in colour distortion at the edges of your monitor display. (Flat-screen LCD monitors are unaffected by magnetic fields.)

Nestor · Post by **Nestor** » Fri Apr 26, 2002 11:58 am

MIKING ELECTRIC GUITARS
Although there are now many guitar pre-amps that sound perfectly good when DI’d, there are still occasions when an amp sounds best. To mic up an amp, place a cardioid mic (generally a dynamic model) close to the speaker grille and point it directly into the speaker. It’s very tempting to hang the mic from the cabinet handle, so that it dangles in front of the speaker, but this means that the most sensitive part of the mic will be pointing at the floor rather than at the amp. Of course, you can dangle an omni mic in this way because they pick up sounds from all directions.

Nestor · Post by **Nestor** » Fri Apr 26, 2002 11:59 am

BACKGROUND NOISE
When recording quieter instruments, try to be aware of what other sounds the mic will be picking up in addition to the music. For example, I’ve heard quartz watches ticking away on acoustic guitar tracks, and you should also listen out for wall clocks, central heating systems, computer drives and fans, and other external noises. The best way of checking is to use enclosed headphones. Background sounds are largely hidden in some types of music, in which case you needn’t be too obsessive, but exposed solo instruments need to be recorded very carefully.

Where a number of mics are being used to record separate sound sources, it’s important to minimise crosstalk into them or the overall sound may be compromised and you’ll have less control over the individual instruments when it comes to mixing. The general rule to is to try to space mics at least five times further apart than the distance between the mic and the instrument. (This 5:1 rule doesn’t apply to stereo-miking set-ups because the intention there is for both mics to pick up the same sound, albeit from a slightly different perspective.)

Drum miking is covered in some depth in my earlier book “Creative Recording II” (also published by Sanctuary), but essentially the secret is to make sure that the drums sound good before you start recording. General-purpose dynamic mics are OK for snare and toms, but you should use capacitor mics for overheads and choose a mic for the kick drum that is specifically designed for the purpose. (Most vocal or instrument mics roll off the low bass that you need to capture intact.)

Snare and tom mics may be placed around two inches from the head and two or three inches in from the edge of the drum, while the kick-drum mic is usually positioned inside the shell, at around six inches from the point at which the beater impacts with the head. This requires a hole to be cut in the front head (which most drummers do anyway), and damping can be achieved by placing a folded blanket in the bottom of the drum. Remember to observe the 5:1 rule wherever possible when setting up the mics in order to minimise spill between the drums. If you’re using cardioid mics, these may also be angled away from each other to further reduce spill. A stereo pair of overhead mics should be positioned at least three feet above the cymbals, spaced apart by roughly the width of the drum kit.

Nestor · Post by **Nestor** » Fri Apr 26, 2002 12:02 pm

WARMTH
You’ll hear recording engineers talking a lot about equipment or mics that sound “warm”. This is a difficult description to pin down, but in general it means that something sounds solid and transparent at the low end without being harsh at the high end. Warm vocal mics also have a tendency to flatter the chest resonances of the voice to some extent, which makes the performer sound larger than life.

As a very general rule, large-diaphragm capacitor mics (with a capsule diameter of three quarters of an inch or greater) tend to produce a warmer, more flattering sound than the more clinical small-diaphragm models, although this is at the expense of a less-accurate off-axis response. Well-designed valve mics also tend to have a warm character that doesn’t sound unlike mild compression. Even so, you don’t have to buy a valve mic in order to obtain a warm sound; a valve pre-amp or some other valve processor used in the signal chain may create the same effect, as may using some compression. The converters used in some soundcards and interfaces – while producing perfectly good technical specs on paper – can sound a little cold or tin, and so if you use a mic/line pre-amp or voice channel that includes some valve circuitry, you should be able to help balance this. Photo-electric compressors (i.e. those that use a lamp and photo-resistor to control the signal gain) can also sound very flattering on vocals.

IN reality, any respectable mic will provide you with a good vocal sound, if used properly, so if you’re having serious problems, it’s unlikely that a better mic will bring about the improvements you’re after. Always suspect the room acoustics first if you’re getting a boxy sound, and remember to keep the mic away from those noisy computer drives and fans.

Nestor · Post by **Nestor** » Fri Apr 26, 2002 12:15 pm

USING MICROPHONES
The mic placements shown in textbooks can only ever be approximate, so a little experimentation often pays off in obtaining a better sound. One way to find the best mic position is to wear fully-enclosed headphones so that you can hear the output from the mic as you move it. As the performer plays the material, you can then choose the best mic position by ear.

Few instruments, if any, produce all of their sound from one point, which means that, if you place the mic too close to the source, you’ll capture only one element of the sound. Rock music is exempted from this rule, as electric guitar cabinets are often miked very close, but in that case the aim is to obtain an impressive sound, not necessarily a natural one.

When working with instruments such as acoustic guitars that have soundholes, try not to aim the mic directly a the hole itself; it may produce a large and apparently healthy signal, but it’s also likely to sound too boomy or boxy. Pull back the mic and move it to the side of the soundhole until what you hear in the headphones seems even and natural.

For recording sound sources that are less well documented, I’ve devised a simple (if approximate) rule that should enable you to obtain natural-sounding results. You should first estimate the length of the section of the instrument that produces the sound and then use that as an initial distance at which to position the mic. For example, most of the sound from an acoustic guitar comes from the body, so the mic distance should be at least the same distance away as the length of the body. Similarly, a mic recording a piano should be around a piano’s width away. The same theory also applies to wind instruments. In this case, don’t put the mic too close to the noisy end; if you position it a little farther back, this will allow all parts of the instrument to contribute to the overall sound. You can then use your headphones to fine-tune the mic position.

Nestor · Post by **Nestor** » Fri Apr 26, 2002 12:35 pm

USING MICROPHONES
All cardioid-pattern mics exhibit a proximity effect, producing more bass when used very close to the sound source, thanks to a side-effect of the pressure-gradient principle on which they operate. Most fixed-pattern mics used in project studios use a cardioid pattern, as this helps reject unwanted sound coming from behind the mic. A good vocalist can use the proximity effect to his or her advantage, using it as a kind of real-time tone control, but inexperienced singers may find it a problem. Singing at six inches or more from the microphone should be enough to avoid these problems.

Another reason not to work too close to a vocal mic is that any variation in distance, caused by the singer moving about, will affect the signal level as well as the proximity bass boost. On the other hand, moving too far away will result in a greater proportion of the room reverb being recorded, often resulting in a boxy sound. (A distance of six to twelve inches is generally fine for solo vocal recording.) If you’re recording at home in an untreated room, hanging up sleeping bags or blankets on either side of an behind the singer will help to create a more neutral recording environment, absorbing unwanted reflections.

It’s unwise to record vocals without using a pot shield between the mic and the vocalist, thus preventing bumping noises on B and P sounds. A nylon stocking stretched over a wire hoop or wooden ring is cheaper than a commercial model, and works just as well. Place the shield halfway between the singer’s mouth and mic and your popping problems should disappear without the sound of the mic being compromised. External foam pop shields are notoriously ineffective at preventing popping.

A surprising amount of low-frequency vibration reaches the mic if a hanging cable is accidentally knocked or kicked, so take care to secure loose cables. Taping or clipping the cable to the mic stand will help, but leave a loop of cable at the mic end to allow for further adjustment. This loop will also absorb some of the remaining vibration energy travelling along the cable. The low cut filter on the mic or mixer may help to reduce very low-frequency vibrations, but always try to produce as clean a signal as possible at source before switching these in. Also, you should be aware that the low cut filters on some mics work at quite a high frequency, and if you’re working several inches from the mic then the resulting sound may be too thin.

djody · Post by **djody** » Fri Apr 26, 2002 12:55 pm

Coool Thanks..

Laterz