YOU DONT GO STRAIGHT INTO PRODUCING AN ALBUM
you demo it first to get a feel for what you actually want with a record.
Now, i could tell you exactly how to make sound go to the right place via the mixing desk, and i could tell you how to get play back right, i could tell you the way that the patch desk is supposed to be set out and i could tell you where the EQ is and what frequencies everything sits at.
yes, i really could tell you all that.
but i wont.
its way more fun if you find out for yourself.
the only thing i cannot tell you is how your song should sound, only you know that. You demo a song to figure out technologically how you want it to sound and if you should change anything in the song, such as chords. it gives you an idea of what it will sound like.
and then you listen to it, make any changes and go again, for real this time.
the recording process is not as easy as it sounds, there is alot of waiting around for mic placements and your late drummer, but it is also the process in which you decide what you sound like, or want to sound like because you will never know it untill your get into that box.
A software program can do anything, it can emulate every great amp in history, it can make you feeble drum kit sound like its ten meters tall.
but you cannot polish a turd.
Nat.
Sunday, 13 June 2010
Seventh: This is how it works in my studio
There are 2 types of studio that you will encounter.
the first is the large studio set up that you probably have in your mind when you read the word recording studio. The most basic of these studio's will have a computer, a large mixing desk (32 channels or over), a patch bay (which is a big place where all of the wires end up, just so your not crawling under the desk to plug your XLR into), a set of very very good monitors, a lot of wires tucked away in convenient places, a wall box (for plugging XLR's in), effects racks, a tape machine (optional).
and that's just the basics.
these studio's are generally owned by the producer, or by a record company, some of them are just privately owned by someone who really likes music. A small percentage are owned by the bands themselves.
On the other hand the stationary studio can be a very messy mish mash affair.
most studio's are a mixture of both analogue and digital equipment, only a very small percentage specialize in just one area.
and then you have the second type of studio, the portable studio.
a portable studio looks like this: a laptop with a music software program on it, a bunch of microphones, and audio interface and a MIDI keyboard.
that's it.
portable, right?
depending on the type of studio and the producers preference will specify the software that is used in the studio.
hey! do you wanna know something really cool and horrible all at the same time?
Pro Tools is a type of software and it, as well as Logic, is considered a professional software program. in order to run the software you have to have the hardware to go with it.
now, if you have ever seen a pro tools studio you will know that its brilliant, its all white and polished silver. it is beautiful.
but, its such a scam at the same time.
which i don't like.
technology, technology.
it all makes, or helps sound at the end of the day. you just have to pick the studio depending on what you want.
and then turn it up!
Nat.
the first is the large studio set up that you probably have in your mind when you read the word recording studio. The most basic of these studio's will have a computer, a large mixing desk (32 channels or over), a patch bay (which is a big place where all of the wires end up, just so your not crawling under the desk to plug your XLR into), a set of very very good monitors, a lot of wires tucked away in convenient places, a wall box (for plugging XLR's in), effects racks, a tape machine (optional).
and that's just the basics.
these studio's are generally owned by the producer, or by a record company, some of them are just privately owned by someone who really likes music. A small percentage are owned by the bands themselves.
On the other hand the stationary studio can be a very messy mish mash affair.
most studio's are a mixture of both analogue and digital equipment, only a very small percentage specialize in just one area.
and then you have the second type of studio, the portable studio.
a portable studio looks like this: a laptop with a music software program on it, a bunch of microphones, and audio interface and a MIDI keyboard.
that's it.
portable, right?
depending on the type of studio and the producers preference will specify the software that is used in the studio.
hey! do you wanna know something really cool and horrible all at the same time?
Pro Tools is a type of software and it, as well as Logic, is considered a professional software program. in order to run the software you have to have the hardware to go with it.
now, if you have ever seen a pro tools studio you will know that its brilliant, its all white and polished silver. it is beautiful.
but, its such a scam at the same time.
which i don't like.
technology, technology.
it all makes, or helps sound at the end of the day. you just have to pick the studio depending on what you want.
and then turn it up!
Nat.
Sixth: Power to your Point
PowerPoint is a software program that enables you to put key points, video's, pictures, charts and words into a presentation that responds at the click of your space bar.
it also induces the urge to ramble.
When you do a presentation you should make eye contact, yes? however when all your points and charts are on a big screen behind you you start to read off the big screen instead of looking at the people your presenting to.
as a program though PowerPoint is pretty easy to use and everything is clearly marked and all of the programs templates can be modified and customised if you really care that much.
and I'm not even done!
if you want to go really wild you can also customise the way the text flies in and out of your slide, you can also do this with the way your slides appear on the screen. some of them are quite extravagant and shouldn't be used in a professional PowerPoint.
PowerPoint also gives you the novelty of adding diagrams, pictures, movies, and music to help you make your point.
if your like me and cant be bothered to press a button when you need the slide to change you can also time all of the stuff in your presentation so that it runs seamlessly and you know how long your going to talk for.
now all you have to do is talk.
Nat.
it also induces the urge to ramble.
When you do a presentation you should make eye contact, yes? however when all your points and charts are on a big screen behind you you start to read off the big screen instead of looking at the people your presenting to.
as a program though PowerPoint is pretty easy to use and everything is clearly marked and all of the programs templates can be modified and customised if you really care that much.
and I'm not even done!
if you want to go really wild you can also customise the way the text flies in and out of your slide, you can also do this with the way your slides appear on the screen. some of them are quite extravagant and shouldn't be used in a professional PowerPoint.
PowerPoint also gives you the novelty of adding diagrams, pictures, movies, and music to help you make your point.
if your like me and cant be bothered to press a button when you need the slide to change you can also time all of the stuff in your presentation so that it runs seamlessly and you know how long your going to talk for.
now all you have to do is talk.
Nat.
Thursday, 10 June 2010
Fourth: When Live Needs to be Louder
A basic PA signal flow goes like this: Microphone, mixing desk, Amp, Speakers.
that's it. a lot of small mixing desks have a simple EQ and effects set up built into them, because carrying around a EQ and Effects rack is not really that feasible when your only working with a small PA set up, then there is the idea that in a small pub there is only so much you can do, its still going to sound like your in a pub. everything else is pretty simple from there with a small gig, though it does depend on what the bands instruments are and all that complicates is your Channel list and microphone selection.
Channel lists are basically just a big list of the instruments that will be used, the channel that they will go into on the desk, the microphone that will be used on that particular instrument and any effects that will be put on it. obviously the bigger the gig the bigger the channel list and the bigger the desk needed, but all gig, big or small, have a channel list.
Microphones are these things that turn acoustic energy into electric energy and they come in different shapes and sizes for different jobs. tricky instruments have special microphones made for them so that they fit in the most acoustically sound place on that instrument. they also have a polar pattern on them which is the direction around the microphone that will pick up the sound, all microphones have a polar patters and all of them fit into one of two categories: Dynamic and Condenser.
dynamic microphones are very robust, they are the tanks and units of the microphone world. they sound wonderful and last a long time, they are wonderful for anything that is very loud, they are not very good at quiet things though. they have a electromagnet inside them that turns the acoustic energy into electric energy.
Condenser's like quiet things and they need to be handled with care as they have a diaphragm inside them that can destroy a microphone if it is popped.
Big gigs are very different because the chances are you have a team of very strong men to help you carry them around. the signal flow for a big gig looks like this:
Microphone, Multicore (a big wire which cases lots of little wires, also called a snake), mixing desk, EQ rack, Effects Rack, Crossover (which splits the signal into High, Mid and Low signals. so it can be split into the right monitor), Amp, Monitor.
There is also the added complication of FOH and monitor engineers.
at a really big gig there will be a separate desk in the middle of the crowd somewhere that just deals with the sound that the audience hears, and then there will be a guy in the back that controls what the band hears on stage. The FOH engineer will send an untouched mix of all of the instruments to the monitor engineer via a multicore. the monitor engineer will then send it to the appropriate places.
this can be done in 2 ways, the band can have monitor wedges on stage or they can have wireless in ear monitoring. usually it is the in ear idea as this leaves more room on the stage for them to perform.
Sometimes with a large PA, such as a festival there will be a flown set of monitors attached to a truss and then there will be another in the crowd, and sometimes the sound doesn't get there in time, the way around this is to delay all of the monitors slightly so that they play the sound at the same time. its a very complicated process that involves a lot of science.
that's it. a lot of small mixing desks have a simple EQ and effects set up built into them, because carrying around a EQ and Effects rack is not really that feasible when your only working with a small PA set up, then there is the idea that in a small pub there is only so much you can do, its still going to sound like your in a pub. everything else is pretty simple from there with a small gig, though it does depend on what the bands instruments are and all that complicates is your Channel list and microphone selection.
Channel lists are basically just a big list of the instruments that will be used, the channel that they will go into on the desk, the microphone that will be used on that particular instrument and any effects that will be put on it. obviously the bigger the gig the bigger the channel list and the bigger the desk needed, but all gig, big or small, have a channel list.
Microphones are these things that turn acoustic energy into electric energy and they come in different shapes and sizes for different jobs. tricky instruments have special microphones made for them so that they fit in the most acoustically sound place on that instrument. they also have a polar pattern on them which is the direction around the microphone that will pick up the sound, all microphones have a polar patters and all of them fit into one of two categories: Dynamic and Condenser.
dynamic microphones are very robust, they are the tanks and units of the microphone world. they sound wonderful and last a long time, they are wonderful for anything that is very loud, they are not very good at quiet things though. they have a electromagnet inside them that turns the acoustic energy into electric energy.
Condenser's like quiet things and they need to be handled with care as they have a diaphragm inside them that can destroy a microphone if it is popped.
Big gigs are very different because the chances are you have a team of very strong men to help you carry them around. the signal flow for a big gig looks like this:
Microphone, Multicore (a big wire which cases lots of little wires, also called a snake), mixing desk, EQ rack, Effects Rack, Crossover (which splits the signal into High, Mid and Low signals. so it can be split into the right monitor), Amp, Monitor.
There is also the added complication of FOH and monitor engineers.
at a really big gig there will be a separate desk in the middle of the crowd somewhere that just deals with the sound that the audience hears, and then there will be a guy in the back that controls what the band hears on stage. The FOH engineer will send an untouched mix of all of the instruments to the monitor engineer via a multicore. the monitor engineer will then send it to the appropriate places.
this can be done in 2 ways, the band can have monitor wedges on stage or they can have wireless in ear monitoring. usually it is the in ear idea as this leaves more room on the stage for them to perform.
Sometimes with a large PA, such as a festival there will be a flown set of monitors attached to a truss and then there will be another in the crowd, and sometimes the sound doesn't get there in time, the way around this is to delay all of the monitors slightly so that they play the sound at the same time. its a very complicated process that involves a lot of science.
Fifth: Pop, Rock, Electronic and Other
All of the different genres have different things that establish them as that genre. right?
for example, rock music usually has guitars. and pop music usually adheres to the idea that it is mass marketed, radio friendly and easy to listen to.
however, how do we establish what makes a genre a genre? what are the technological factors that make them that genre?
which is a very hard question to answer.
Pop music is a shortened version of Popular, and popular is anything that is in the charts and is liked by the general public. Whats popular now is not what will be popular in ten years time.
Rock music has a huge spectrum, and can straddle into pop as the only defining factor is that it has a guitar in it.
Electronic is anything that has been created on something electronic, i.e not an instrument.
and other? well. that's everything else that isn't rock, pop or electronic.
still with me?
What are the technological defining factors?
well, realistically, there isn't. it is getting harder and harder to actually define something as many bands are striving to make themselves different therefore they are either making up their own obscure genre, or they are simply taking the best bits from a few genre's and throwing them together, ignoring the idea that they may not sound very good.
however for this exercise lets pigeonhole everything and simplify it all.
you wouldn't expect a rap drum pattern on a rock record, and you wouldn't like the idea of a huge, vocal driven, wall of sound type thing on a electronic record, right?
but this does happen! you do get really huge vocals on rock records, and you do get rap drum loops on them. i have used rap and rock drums on my own songs, which i class as Contemporary classical, but if you were going with my definitions then it would be electronic, which it isn't i can assure you.
so to answer my question in full: there isn't a way to categorize and pigeonhole a genre and tie it down and try to figure out what are the defining technological factors for a genre or band, it does not happen like that because all genre's have sub genre's and those sub genres have sub genres and then all of those genres cross over into other genres and their sub genres and their sub genres sub genres.
it isnt impossible, but realistically you will run your mind into circles and you will be there all day doing it.
my best advice?
go with the flow, if you want it on your song, then put it there. it doesn't matter if you have borrowed the technique from pop music or rap music, someone, somewhere will connect with what your doing, and if it doesn't fit into a genre then make one up!
its fashionable, darling.
Nat.
for example, rock music usually has guitars. and pop music usually adheres to the idea that it is mass marketed, radio friendly and easy to listen to.
however, how do we establish what makes a genre a genre? what are the technological factors that make them that genre?
which is a very hard question to answer.
Pop music is a shortened version of Popular, and popular is anything that is in the charts and is liked by the general public. Whats popular now is not what will be popular in ten years time.
Rock music has a huge spectrum, and can straddle into pop as the only defining factor is that it has a guitar in it.
Electronic is anything that has been created on something electronic, i.e not an instrument.
and other? well. that's everything else that isn't rock, pop or electronic.
still with me?
What are the technological defining factors?
well, realistically, there isn't. it is getting harder and harder to actually define something as many bands are striving to make themselves different therefore they are either making up their own obscure genre, or they are simply taking the best bits from a few genre's and throwing them together, ignoring the idea that they may not sound very good.
however for this exercise lets pigeonhole everything and simplify it all.
you wouldn't expect a rap drum pattern on a rock record, and you wouldn't like the idea of a huge, vocal driven, wall of sound type thing on a electronic record, right?
but this does happen! you do get really huge vocals on rock records, and you do get rap drum loops on them. i have used rap and rock drums on my own songs, which i class as Contemporary classical, but if you were going with my definitions then it would be electronic, which it isn't i can assure you.
so to answer my question in full: there isn't a way to categorize and pigeonhole a genre and tie it down and try to figure out what are the defining technological factors for a genre or band, it does not happen like that because all genre's have sub genre's and those sub genres have sub genres and then all of those genres cross over into other genres and their sub genres and their sub genres sub genres.
it isnt impossible, but realistically you will run your mind into circles and you will be there all day doing it.
my best advice?
go with the flow, if you want it on your song, then put it there. it doesn't matter if you have borrowed the technique from pop music or rap music, someone, somewhere will connect with what your doing, and if it doesn't fit into a genre then make one up!
its fashionable, darling.
Nat.
Third: Techie Recording For Beginners
The Recording Process can be summed up in three words, however the art of getting it right cant be summed up in any words.
put very simply, the recording process goes like this: Write the song, Copyright the song, Record the song, mix the song, copyright the song, master the song.
simple right?.
not nearly as complicated as you think because for every step in the simple list there is about ten for the actual list. for example you will need musicians, engineers, a producer, a mixer and a master-er.
most producers do not do mastering.
and most big name producers don't do mixing.
so you need 3 separate people for that. plus a guy to plug stuff in and turn things on.
then of course there is getting the song right, and actually deciding what you want it to sound like. so in reality the recording process looks like this:
come up with the idea for a song, Write the song, re write the song, Copyright the song, demo the song, find the right musicians and session performers, make the changes, practice the song, sit around for about a week while the engineer/producer argue over mics and mic placements, Record the song, decide you don't like the 4th chord in the second bar of the last verse so the producer decides to record it again (all of it) record it again, mix the song, copyright the song, master the song.
times that, plus a lot more niggle stuff and factor in tantrums because the drummer wants to do backing vocals and the fact that your bassist is stoned, by twelve and you have an album.
in theory.
however, because your producer is milking the money out of you its now costing you ten times more than you though.
as for the technology of the whole thing, you have to decide whether you want things done quickly or if you want them to sound good. Analogue studio technology sounds brilliant, even if you record into Logic and then re record the masters onto a tape machine it still sounds so much better than if you just bounce it to Wav, however it does take twice as long.
The way out of this whole paying for it thing is to do like all the cool kids are doing and do it yourself.
A simple home set up needs:
not so scary is it. it will cost you alot of money in the short term but once you realize your not shelling out for studio time you can get on with recording your ditties.
now go, my little geeky army, and profess to the world that Elvis had nothing on you.
Nat.
put very simply, the recording process goes like this: Write the song, Copyright the song, Record the song, mix the song, copyright the song, master the song.
simple right?.
not nearly as complicated as you think because for every step in the simple list there is about ten for the actual list. for example you will need musicians, engineers, a producer, a mixer and a master-er.
most producers do not do mastering.
and most big name producers don't do mixing.
so you need 3 separate people for that. plus a guy to plug stuff in and turn things on.
then of course there is getting the song right, and actually deciding what you want it to sound like. so in reality the recording process looks like this:
come up with the idea for a song, Write the song, re write the song, Copyright the song, demo the song, find the right musicians and session performers, make the changes, practice the song, sit around for about a week while the engineer/producer argue over mics and mic placements, Record the song, decide you don't like the 4th chord in the second bar of the last verse so the producer decides to record it again (all of it) record it again, mix the song, copyright the song, master the song.
times that, plus a lot more niggle stuff and factor in tantrums because the drummer wants to do backing vocals and the fact that your bassist is stoned, by twelve and you have an album.
in theory.
however, because your producer is milking the money out of you its now costing you ten times more than you though.
as for the technology of the whole thing, you have to decide whether you want things done quickly or if you want them to sound good. Analogue studio technology sounds brilliant, even if you record into Logic and then re record the masters onto a tape machine it still sounds so much better than if you just bounce it to Wav, however it does take twice as long.
The way out of this whole paying for it thing is to do like all the cool kids are doing and do it yourself.
A simple home set up needs:
- A Laptop - it needs to have enough power and hard drive space to store all your software and your ditties.
- A music software program - i would go with logic on this one if you are recording standard bands, its expensive but its an industry standard software package and it sounds amazing. its easy to use as well. If you are a DJ or you wanna do things differently then go with Ableton Live. it sounds wonderful and its quirkyness will never ever bore you. both of the software programs i have mentioned to you come with VST Instruments and various effects, you can buy more of both VST and effects if it doesn't come with what you want, or you can make your own sounds.
- A selection of mic's - you will need a dynamic, a drum kit set up (these mics are smaller and have little clips that make sure that the mic can be as close to the drum skin as possible, theyre really cute too), a bass drum mic (a D112 will do the job here) and a condenser mic for things like accoustic instruments, soft vocals and any soft instruments.
- A Audio Interface - this is basically a box with 2 jack spaces and 2 microphone spaces. it enables you to plug mics directly into your computer where the clever box will turn it into the right Electrical signal to sit nicely in your project and it also means that you dont have to run thinks like bass's and guitars through a mic to get them into your computer. Different sizes come with different things and there are lots of companies that make them. head to www.dv247.com for info.
- A MIDI keyboard - this is an optional thing, its a keyboard, but instead of it registering as audio on your channel it will register as MIDI. very useful if you are not into recording bands and prefer to make your own music. its also good if your using Ableton Live instead of Logic, and i would recommend you to you Ableton if you are not recording standard bands or if you are a DJ, The reason being is that MIDI keyboards also have lots of knobs, buttons and sliders for you to assign bits of Ableton to. If you are a going to use ableton i would disregard any of the mics, except maybe a condenser and a dynamic, for vocals.
not so scary is it. it will cost you alot of money in the short term but once you realize your not shelling out for studio time you can get on with recording your ditties.
now go, my little geeky army, and profess to the world that Elvis had nothing on you.
Nat.
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