Week 7

Micing and recording drums:

Using 3 sm57s a Beta 52A an AT2050 a stereo pair of rode NT5s and 3 MD421.

We placed SM57s on the top and bottom of the snare aligned to not point directly at the skin but to just skim over the surface. The stereo pair of NT5s were placed high above the drum kit but placed in a way they were the same distance to the snare as eachother so in the mix the snare is in the middle. The 3 MD421s were placed on the 20 toms and the floor tom positioned the same as the SM57s so they just skim the surface of the drum. The AT2050 was placed near the wall facing the kit initialy by we moved to to be facing the corner of the room which we all found to be a better sound. The Beta 52A was placed in the port hole of the kick and positioned to point at where the hammer hits the skin. The last SM57 was used as a talkback mic for the artists and the people in the room and in the end we placed it on its own stand next to the artist so they can talk hands free and it also added a nice bit of colour to the sound. 

Reflection

What?

What activities have I completed this week?

This week we went through the process of setting up and recording drums. We had a practice session after class where we recorded a guitar, piano and vocals.

So What?

So, what have I learned this week?

We learnt how to setup and dismantle a drum kit along with setting up the microphones and how to position them for different effects. One of the interesting points about mic placement i found interesting was the position of the over head mics. By placing them equal distance from the snare you can place the snare in the middle of the mix. The other mic I liked learning about was the room mic. initially we placed it facing the drum kit, but i suggested placing it facing the corner of the room which compared to just facing the kit sounded much better.

Am I on the right track with this unit?

I'm really enjoying the studio class work and the physical side of the unit but my reflecting and notes are lacking. Im learning lots but struggling to write them down/ put them into words.

Now What?

Now what will I do to move forward?

I need to spend some more time working on my reflections and filling out the data sections with more information instead of just absorbing it in class.

What feedback did I receive this week?

Add notes below from any feedback provided in class, during activities or as part of tasks.

I placed the room mic in the corner of the room and the lecture said it sounded much better then the initial position. He also trusted my knowledge of mic and signal flow and let me set up a majority of the mics and the console.

References

Audient. (2022). Audient asp4816. audient.com. Retrieved 8 February 2022, from https://audient.com/products/consoles/asp4816/overview/.

AVID. (2022). Protools. avid.com. Retrieved 15 March 2022, https://www.avid.com/pro-tools.

Shure. (2021). SM57 Dynamic Instrument Microphone. Shure.com. Retrieved 8 November 2021, from https://www.shure.com/en-ASIA/products/microphones/sm57.