weimerhead

In the successive study of recording a variety of instruments, this week in audio arts we got around to the electric guitar. I think Christian tends to favour dynamic microphones for this, so when I headed into the studio to record the electric for myself, I used a Shure’s SM 58 and Beta57. Each of these mics I tested on/off axis, and I also placed a Neuman U-89i around 80cm back from the speaker. I did this because I wanted to know how condenser mics, with larger diaphragms handle the amplifier and also explore the benefits and disadvantages of recording general room ambiance with the electric. Click on the following to have a listen.

SM 58 on axis:


Beta 57 on axis:


I increased the gain slightly (on the mixer) for the Beta57 ‘on-axis’ take, so I apologise- this is not an entirely consistent experiment with the mics. In the ‘Beta57 take’, clearly there is a richer transient response, while more of low-frequency power in the SM 58 take. It’s hard to say whether that has anything to do with the 1000 Hz higher frequency range of the Beta57, or whether it has some to do with the change in gain levels, or maybe some religion that no one knows about, but I think that overall the Beta57 did a better job (on axis) for this style of whiney, monophonic, clean guitar line. When I soloed out the 89i in ProTool’s, I expected perhaps a little more reverb, but this wasn’t particularly the case (being in the dead room), and really the sound was not as dissimilar from the SM 58 and Beta57 as I had expected. Something I need to look into now is recording with distortion/overdrive, so any comments on this would be appreciated.

Later in the week I continued recording my ‘studies in composition’ group, using a few new ideas. For one, I used both of the sound screens in EMU, between the piano and string section, trying to reduce bleed between the mics in recording. For the string section itself, I used a Neumann KM-84i for both the cello and violin, and used a Neumann U-89i for the string section in general, which gained a little more ambience over the smaller KM-84s’. I used the Yamaha MZ-204, which I’ve nicknamed “nugget”, to record woodblocks, and finally I recording a suspended cymbal and Tamborine with Rode NT5s’. Also, with the help of a valiant and determined Luke, I got the ‘talkback’ system to work. Ultimately, this all gave me a much better recording quality than last weeks feeble attempts and I feel like I’m ready to do the Audio Arts assignment next friday. Here is Zaen Lee’s Reef:


With our look at ProTool’s in creative computing we continued to review the main functions of the program, uncovering various shortcuts along the way. Christian showed us the function of each cursor tool, with time compression/expansion crop being one of the more interesting of these. Another was the ‘random draw’ pencil tool, which apparently finds its functionality in making plug-in effects feel progressive. In the brief chance I had to make a NIN remix, I experimented with most of these tools:


The airing of Shine on you Crazy Diamond in workshop was a sheer delight, appearing on what I feel is one of Pink Floyd’s better albums (‘Wish you were here’). Songs like this I heard for the first time only years ago, and remember being shocked when I realised how profoundly they, and Pink Floyd have influenced music. The use of the synthesizer is extremely tasteful when compared with most of Pink Floyd’s contemporaries, and is so reminiscent of bands like Air or Ladytron today. The lead guitar lines in Shine on you Crazy Diamond have been at the heart of rock ever since, just think of Tool. The chordal harmonies of their rhythm guitar, as well as simple melodies, in the album’s title ballad Wish You Were Here reminds me so much of Radiohead’s ‘The Bends’ and ‘OK Computer’ era, as well as their followers like Coldplay. If The Beatles can be considered the pioneers of chordal structure as know and love it, I think then Pink Floyd are certainly their equivalent for musical texture.

Bibliography

Lee, Zaen. “Reef”. Composed in 2006. Recorded by Jake Morris, courtesy of EMU.

Christian, Haines. "Audio Arts – Recording Electric Guitar." Practical Class presented in the Electronic Music Unit, Studio 2 and Dead Room, 5th floor, Schulz Building, University of Adelaide, 9th May (2006).

Christian, Haines. "Creative Computing – Digidesign’s ProTools." Lecture presented at the Audio Lab, 4th floor, Schulz Building, University of Adelaide, 11th May (2006).

Harris, David. "Music Technology Workshop – Pink Floyd." Workshop class in the Electronic Music Unit, EMU space, 5th Floor, Schulz Building, University of Adelaide, 11th May (2006).