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Tuesday, August 31, 2010

How to Record Violin (Or Any New Instrument)

Have an upcoming session but recording an instrument for the very first time? This tutorial has got you covered.

 
At various points throughout your recording career, you’ll have chances to record certain instruments for the first time.

Maybe you’ve never recorded an actual piano, or a drum kit.

Or maybe you’ll need to record something truly esoteric like an accordion, or a hammer dulcimer, or bagpipes.

Having never done it before, where do you start? I had the pleasure of recording a violinist in my studio last week.

I’ve recorded violin before, but never in my home studio. It’s a lot of fun to mic up a new instrument, but sometimes it’s hard to know where to begin.

You Don’t Have To Re-Invent The Wheel
Chances are someone else has recorded the instrument you’re about to record. Before your session, take a few minutes to find out as much as you can about recording that particular instrument.

Don’t make this a 4-hour research session, though. That’s how people end up researching for years and never actually finishing anything.

Ask a friend. Better still, check with your Twitter/Facebook friends. Post something in a forum, like PSW’s REP. All you’re looking for here is some quick feedback for where to start.

I’d also recommend simply doing a Google image search. You can learn a lot from pictures of recording sessions.

For instance, I just googled “violin recording session,” and in about 30 seconds of perusing the image results I had 2 new ideas for recording violin.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great idea to try new things. There are no rules, but just because everyone uses an SM57 on a guitar amp doesn’t mean you can’t use it, too.

Keep It Simple
For my violin session, I used a single mic (large-diaphragm condenser) through my Presonus Eureka preamp.

I set the mic up about two feet above the violin and about two feet in front of the violinist.

Could I have used 2 mics? Absolutely, however if the violinist moves around (most do), it would have caused all manner of weird phase issues.

Besides, the violin is a small instrument.

One microphone tends to capture the sound just fine. I didn’t mic the violin too closely, because violins don’t sound particularly wonderful when they’re close mic’d.

They tend to sound much better from a distance. That’s why I moved the mic back a few feet from the instrument itself. This is where having good acoustic treatment in your room really helps when you don’t want to close-mic something.

When the violinist was warming up, I moved the mic around just a little bit to find a spot that sounded good. I recorded a quick practice take and played it back.

It sounded quite good to me, so we jumped in and started recording. I didn’t waste unnecessary time trying out different techniques. Rather, I guessed at one setup, it worked, so we moved forward.

Some Quick Tips
If you’re recording an unfamiliar instrument, here are some things to keep in mind:

• If you’re using a directional mic, you can adjust how bass-heavy the signal is by adjusting the distance between the mic and the instrument. The closer the mic is, the more bass it will record (proximity effect).

• If the instrument is fairly large (piano, upright bass, orchestra), you’ll want to think about using multiple microphones. Keep in mind that the more mics you use, the more mindful you’ll want to be of phase issues. (See 3:1 Rule.)

• Use your ear first. Stand in front of the instrument and find the spot where it sounds best to your ear, then put the microphone there.

• If things aren’t sounding great, try using a different microphone. Changing from a condenser to a dynamic or ribbon can provide a whole new range of tonal options.

Have you recently faced the challenge of recording an unfamiliar instrument? Let me know in the comments below.

 
Joe Gilder is a Nashville based engineer, musician, and producer who also provides training and advice at the Home Studio Corner.

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Bartlett Microphones Introduces Battery-Powered Guitar Microphone Offering Natural Sound, Low Feedba

Intended to convey the timbre of the instrument accurately to the audience

Newly designed for acoustic guitarists, the Bartlett Guitar Mic Pro B provides hi-fi sound while rejecting feedback.

Selling for $179, this pro-quality miniature condenser mic attaches inside an acoustic guitar for sound reinforcement and recording. It is intended to convey the timbre of the instrument accurately to the audience.

According to Flamenco guitarist/teacher Jason McGuire, “The Bartlett Guitar Mic Pro B is compatible with wireless systems and “silent-removal” muting guitar cables. This setup gives powerful, natural and rich feedback-resistant sound. Thanks to Bruce Bartlett for listening to guitars and guitarists, and for solving a huge issue that I have been struggling with for over 15 years.”

The mic mounts on the front surface of a guitar just inside the sound hole. Two sticky Velcro pads are supplied for mounting. This placement results in high volume from the PA speakers, and it isolates the mic from other instruments.

A microphone mounted inside the sound hole normally sounds boomy, but the frequency response of the Guitar Mic Pro B rolls off in the low frequencies to compensate. The result is a natural, non-boomy tone. Frequency response is claimed to be very smooth from 80 Hz to 20 kHz.

Featuring a 620-hour battery life, the mic can be used with wireless mic transmitters, guitar amps and direct boxes. Removing the guitar cord shuts off the battery.

Easy to install, the USA-made Guitar Mic Pro B includes an endpin jack and a 9-volt battery holder. More information and product reviews are available at

Bartlett Microphones Website

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One Systems Appoints Richard Dean Associates As New England Sales Rep Firm

With a history of numerous sales awards throughout the years, Dick Bazirgan of Richard Dean Associates has over 30 years of marketing experience in the audio arena

One Systems has appointed Richard Dean Associates of Newburyport, MA as its new sales representatives for the New England region, effective immediately. One Systems’ President Doug MacCallum announced the appointment.

Dick Bazirgan leads Richard Dean Associates, with sales manager Bill King heading their professional audio and contractor sales team.

With a history of numerous sales awards throughout the years, Bazirgan has over 30 years of marketing experience in the audio arena. King has been with Richard Dean Associates for over 12 years and has a highly-successful background in audio sales.

Other members of the Richard Dean Associates team are Mark Rahilly, John Davidson, Sean Estella and Suzie Markos.

Impressed with the care and attentiveness One Systems takes in building perfect products made choosing to represent the company’s products an easy decision for King. “I’ve known of Mike O’Neil’s engineering work for years and knowing that he has his stamp on all One Systems products made me confident of the quality and performance of each speaker.”

MacCallum adds, “Richard Dean Associates understands our product portfolio, our commitment to excellent technical presentation, and our customer service provides a perfect alliance, ensuring long-lasting business relationships.”

One Systems Website

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Blue Microphones Introduces Stacey Moran As Vice President Of Marketing

Brings marketing experience with brands in the music product and pro audio industries to Blue

Blue Microphones has named Stacey Moran as its new vice president of marketing, where she is responsible for Blue’s overall marketing strategy and messaging. She will also be working closely with the product development team in establishing strategic plans, along with executing the launch process and marketing for each product.

“We’re excited to have Stacey on the team to fulfill this important position,” states John Maier, CEO of Blue Microphones. “Her knowledge of the audio industry and strategic approach to marketing are a perfect fit for bringing the Blue brand to market and helping continue our aggressive growth.”

Moran comes to Blue from TC Group Americas, where she handled North American marketing for brands like TC Electronic, TC-Helicon, Lab.gruppen, Dynaudio Acoustics and Tannoy. 

Prior to that, she held various marketing roles for such brands as Alesis and Sonic Foundry, and has also spent time on the advertising side of prominent audio publications. Her primary roles included the responsibility of developing and promoting brands, defining marketing objectives in partnership with executive management and product managers, and creating 360-degree marketing plans based on sales goals and long-term brand direction.

“Blue is in a perfect position to capitalize on their creativity and reputation in both the consumer and professional market,” says Moran. “I am looking forward to activating their market strategy and guiding brand awareness for such an innovative company.”

Moran will be based in at Blue Microphones headquarters in Westlake Village, CA.

Blue Microphones Website

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Church Soundguy: A Monitor Option That Kicks Butt

Once your praise band moves to in ears, do you have a plan for ensuring that everyone is truly hearing the best mix possible?

I am an audio engineer, a bass player, and a skeptic.

So, when I first saw the Guitammer Buttkicker system, I’m afraid it was the skeptic that spoke up sarcastically: “Oh boy. Another gimmick! Yet another electronic toy to pay for!”

But it was a cool idea, so I still went right over to look at it.

I sat down on the drum throne (why is it that drummers need a “throne” and everybody else gets “chair”?) and it was immediately evident why they’d named the product the “Buttkicker.”

They were playing some tracks through the system, and I was feeling it in my hindquarters.

Mostly, I was feeling the low frequencies: the bass guitar and the kick drum, as a drum throne and the flesh sitting upon it are not very efficient high frequency transducers.

However, being a bass player, those were the frequencies I was interested in anyway.

As, a bass player, there’s no such thing as too much kick drum.

If the band is going to be tight, then it starts with the bass and the kick drum being tight.

Since I am a “sound tech who plays bass” rather than a “gifted musician”, staying tight with the kick drum has been a slight challenge for me on more than one occasion.

A friend of mine was showing off the Buttkicker system, and he knew that I played bass, so he drew me to the bass player’s position on the stage and had me stand on a funny little platform.

It vibrated my feet, but they vibrated in time with the kick drum and the bass guitar: same principle, but we bass players take it standing up!

Aside: Since then, I’ve played bass sitting a wooden stool on the bass player’s platform and benefited significantly from this very Buttkicker effect . . .

“Now listen to this!” my friend said, and he pulled me off of the platform, clamped some good headphones on me and pressed play on a multitrack recorder.

It was through an Aviom personal monitor rig, so I could adjust the various instruments individually in my ears; I’ve always been a fan of personal monitors.

I was listening to a worship song that I knew, one I’d played with my church’s band many times, and it sounded pretty good.

I listened for a while, adjusted the bass and the kick drum so I could hear them better, then we talked about it.

Then he got this funny grin on his face, and pushed me back on the platform, said, “Now listen again!” and pressed play.

I put the headphones and listened, and immediately tore the headphones off and accused him of playing a different track.

“Nope. Same track.”

I put the headphones back on: the bass guitar and the drum were clearly out of sync; the difference was night-and-day! I stepped off the platform: it was hard to hear the problem.

I stepped back on, it was obvious: the bass player was a little bit off from the rest of the band, and without being able to “feel” the low frequencies, I could hardly tell.

As an audio engineer, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve asked the bass player to turn his amp down, and been met with “But I need to feel the bass!” And I have to admit, when I’ve been the bass player, the audio engineer has sometimes asked me to turn my amp down, and I’ve wanted to say the same to him.

Low frequencies – the kind of lows that are made by a kick drum and a bass guitar – are large waves: a low E on the bass is 27’ long; the low B on a 5-string bass is 36’ long.

A bass drum’s fundamental note can be 40’ long. These frequencies are indeed difficult to hear up close, and so the bass guitarist turns up his amplifier and the drummer plays extra loud so that they can feel the low frequencies and stay in synch with each other, and with the rest of the band.

By the time I stepped off of that funny little Buttkicker platform, I was completely convinced: a Buttkicker can be a wonderful tool for bass players and for drummers. It can allow them to play tightly in synch, creating a “groove” that the rest of the worship band can ride on.

It can allow them to play with less volume, so the rest of the band doesn’t need their monitors cranked up so loud.

It truly does make all the difference in the world for bass players and drummers when the band moves to in-ear monitors: there isn’t a headphone in the world that can replace a bass guitar cabinet, or reproduce the kick in the chest from standing or sitting near the bass drum.

After listening to the tracks with the bass and drums slightly off, my friend played another track. This time, the bass and drums were tight, completely spot on.

Standing on the Buttkicker made it obvious what the difference was, but even when I was not on the platform, the difference was significant: the whole band, the whole mix sounded “tighter” when the bass and drums finally got together. Non-musicians that I quizzed agreed that it sounded better, however, they couldn’t tell why.

Certainly, adding Buttkickers to a monitor rig would allow the bass player to turn his amp down (or remove it from the stage) and the drummer to play lighter.

And, as strange as this sounds, I have come to expect that if the bass player and drummer get Buttkickers, then the whole band will sound better.

Check out more from David McLain at the Church Soundguy blog.

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Korg Now Shipping MP-10 Professional Media Player

All-in-one MIDI instrument and dual-song player for the mobile entertainer

Korg is now shipping the MP-10 Pro professional media player, an all-in-one product brings together a reliable and easy-to-navigate performance interface with total hands-on control over the most essential forms of media required by the modern performer.

As a media player, the MP-10 Pro features two independent media song players; each is able to play both MP3 and MIDI files* directly from the massive 120 GB internal hard drive. The motorized 60-mm crossfader allows for DJ-style mixing.

Songs can be saved into multiple playlists, and the database can be sorted using any criteria. Playlists can be easily imported, or even created “on the fly.” Using the Find function, the MP-10 Pro will carefully search the entire database for the user’s favorite song. Once found, the song can be immediately sent to either of the two players. An ASCII keyboard can also be used to call up songs by name quickly.

As a MIDI instrument, the MP-10 Pro can play MIDI files from the song players. The internal sound engine uses the same EDS (Enhanced Definition Synthesis) found in the Korg M3 Music Workstation and can also be played from an external MIDI controller or instrument.

The front panel offers four assignable performance pads for triggering sound effects and musical phrases. Numerous on-board effects are available for the internal players and MIDI engine. For the entertainer, singer or MC, the MP-10 Pro is equipped with a TC Helicon vocal processor offering compression, EQ and delay.

A pitch shifter for changing keys, a time stretch function for changing the tempo and an advanced vocal remover allow MP3 or MIDI files to be customized to suit the entertainer’s style or to suit different singers’ abilities, which makes the MP-10 Pro a perfect tool for karaoke performances.

The MP-10 Pro features Korg’s color TouchView display, offering extreme ease of use. A comprehensive set of connections provides the MP-10 Pro with maximum versatility.

In addition to the PC keyboard, MIDI and USB connections, there are two XLR microphone inputs and two USB host connections to accommodate external media. The composite video output allows users to provide karaoke lyric display, or to mimic the touch screen display on an external monitor. A headphone-based cue system is provided as well.

The MP-10 Pro is now available with a U.S. MSRP of $2,700.

Korg Website

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Tech Tip Of The Day: Click Bleed

Is there any way to satisfy a musicians monitoring needs while eliminating click track bleed?

 
Q: So, first of all, a big thank you to PSW for all the monitoring articles lately.

They’ve really helped me deal with the monitoring needs of some very demanding musicians.

However, I do have a problem I’m hoping you can help me with.

Despite my best efforts, the vocalist still needs their click track turned up ridiculously loud, which is constantly causing bleed.

I’ve tried riding the track, to the point where I’m not mixing the song but rather their click track! Is there anything I can do?

A: There most certainly is hope, and I’m glad we’ve been able to help you so much thus far!

To almost instantly reduce the amount of bleed you’re experiencing from that obnoxiously loud click track, there’s only one step.

Change the click sound!

How?

Well there’s more than one way to accomplish this, however, depending on the plugin you’re using to generate the click, it may be as simple as choosing a new sample. In lieu of the traditional (and harsh metallic) metronome sound, try something like snare or woodblock.

Make sure to give the musician a bit of input on the final sound, but any of these options should be equally workable for them, and would cause near the bleed in the microphone.

If your plug-in is more basic (mine is), you still have a way to solve the issue. Simply run the click through an EQ and pull out the high frequencies. The duller, EQ’d click won’t penetrate the phones as well and, again, won’t be as audible in any nearby open microphones.

As always, we welcome input from the PSW community and would love to know how you handle click track bleed. Feel free to let us know in the comments below.

 
For more tech tips go to Sweetwater.com

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Game Creek Video Celebrates The Addition Of Two Calrec Alpha Consoles

This latest addition makes Game Creek an all-Calrec fleet.

Calrec Audio has announced that New Hampshire-based mobile production company Game Creek Video has selected Calrec Alpha with Bluefin High Density Signal Processing mixing consoles for installation in two HD trucks that will hit the road this summer.

Game Creek also added two Calrec consoles in 2009. The additions bring Game Creek’s Calrec total to 13, making it an all-Calrec fleet.

Game Creek will deploy an 80-fader Calrec Alpha desk in Larkspur, a standalone 53-foot truck with a 41-foot expanding side that was deployed in late July for a variety of sporting events, including ESPN GameDay telecasts during football and basketball seasons.

Game Creek’s second delivery this summer is Dynasty, which consists of a double expanding A unit with a single expanding B unit. Set to deploy later this month, Dynasty will carry a 96-fader Alpha.

Its primary mission will be to cover baseball for the YES (Yankees Entertainment & Sports) Network, but it will also see duty for the baseball playoffs and for Fox’s coverage of the World Series.

Both Larkspur and Dynasty will utilize the Calrec Hydra networking system, which supports an operator’s on-the-fly flexibility by enabling consoles to share I/O resources and control data over Ethernet fabric.

“Game Creek enjoyed its best year ever in 2009, in spite of the down economy. We believe our company has grown because we listen to what our clients need and want—and when it comes to audio, that means Calrec equipment,” said Paul Bonar, vice president of engineering at Game Creek Video.

“In the mobile television industry, Calrec is the accepted brand. If you have a Calrec console, anyone can run it.”

Game Creek’s bread-and-butter is large sporting events, most of which require a high-input audio feeds—usually in excess of 300 channels to accommodate stereo and multichannel surround.

Calrec consoles can handle a high volume of feeds through the use of the console’s Bluefin technology, which doubles processing power without increasing system size. With the Alpha, Bluefin provides as many as 480 mono-equivalent channels on a single DSP card, with full EQ and dynamics.

Game Creek Video currently runs 12 OB systems, 11 of them HD, with two of those capable of 3G-compatibility. The company has plans to expand its fleet, and its installation of Calrec consoles, with the addition of four new or renovated HD trailers within the next three years.

Calrec Audio Website

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The 129TH AES Convention To Feature A Historical Event On Stereo Optical Film Soundtracks

The 76-year history will be showcased by Dolby Laboratories’ Sr. VP Ioan Allen.

The 76-year history of feature film stereo optical soundtrack development will be showcased by a 129th AES Convention Historical Event presented by Ioan Allen, Sr. VP, Dolby Laboratories.

The two-hour event is scheduled for 3:00 to 5:00PM on Thursday, Nov. 4th at the Dolby Theater, a short ride from the Moscone Center in San Francisco.

According to Convention Historical Committee co-chair Bill Wray. the presentation will provide a comprehensive overview of stereo motion picture soundtrack development. 

Beginning with experimental recordings made in 1934, and moving through various stereo optical techniques including Perspecta Sound and Disney’s Fantasound, Mr. Allen, an Academy Award-winning cinema sound pioneer, will guide participants through the stereo optical film soundtrack evolution to today’s digital technology.

Landmark format advances will be vividly demonstrated by classic film clips.

Stereo Optical Film Soundtracks - 76 Years will be held at Dolby Laboratories’ Theater, a multi-format projection room/recording studio complex within Dolby’s South-of-Market headquarters.

The facility was designed as an ideal listening and viewing environment for film, recorded sound, and live presentations. 

In addition to his 1987 Oscar, Ioan Allen has earned Scientific and Engineering Awards from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. 

An AES Fellow, and recipient of the AES Silver Medal, Mr. Allen spearheaded the introduction of breakthrough film audio formats which have revolutionized the film sound experience.

He is a Fellow of SMPTE and BKSTS and active in U.S. and world standards organizations. In 1985 he received the Samuel L. Warner Award for contributions to motion picture sound.

“Historical Committee co-chairs Bill Wray and Gene Radzik have developed a unique event,” said 129th AES Convention co-chair Valerie Tyler.

“A quintessential SF-based audio pioneer, Dolby has earned a world-wide reputation for pioneering theatrical sound presentation. We are fortunate to be able to offer this event to our attendees.”

A limited number of $10. tickets for the Stereo Optical Film Soundtracks – 76 Years historical event will be available exclusively to registered 129th Convention attendees at the Registration Desk in the Moscone Center lobby on Thursday Nov. 4. 

A 20-minute shuttle bus ride will take participants to and from the site. Seating is limited.  A Preliminary Calendar of 129th AES Convention Events will be posted soon on the 129th AES Convention’s Website.

129th AES Convention’s Website

The Audio Engineering Society Website

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Fishman Appoints Ian Popken Director Of Product Development

Popken brings to Fishman expertise in all the areas that Fishman demands.

Fishman Acoustic Amplification has announced that Ian Popken has joined the company as Director of Product Development, assuming responsibility for both Engineering and Product Management.

Popken will work with our leadership team to improve the company’s product development capabilities and business framework.

“Ian’s vast experience and particular expertise make him uniquely qualified to lead our product development efforts and to take them to the next level in the months and years ahead.”

“We’re thrilled to have Ian on board to help move Fishman to even higher levels of performance and success,” said Fishman COO Jason Cambra.

Ian’s early career in engineering and management began with industry leading brands such as Boston Acoustics, Teradyne and Analog Devices. 

Later, as Director of Product Development for Russound, Ian’s customer and market driven approach elevated Russound to the #1 brand in multi-room audio.

More recently, as Market and Technology Strategy Manager at Bose Corporation, Ian led strategic long-range product planning and exploration activities for their Home Entertainment Division.

Most recently, Ian was the Marketing and Product Development lead for The OAC Group, a veteran independent consulting firm specializing in the consumer electronics and music industries.

Cambra added, “It is remarkable to have found someone who has expertise in all the areas that Fishman demands —amplifiers & transducers, acoustics, product development, market and user research — to name a few.”

“We are poised for growth and we are delighted to have found Ian at this critical juncture.”

Ian holds a degree in Electrical & Computer Engineering from Clarkson University and is an experienced classical guitar designer and builder.

Fishman Acoustic Amplification Website

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Monday, August 30, 2010

American Music & Sound Adds Division Manager & 7 Sales Managers, Launches Music Creation Division

The additional regional managers will provide a new level of service to dealers across the U.S.

American Music & Sound (AM&S) has hired Tom Menrath as division manager and added seven new regional sales managers to the new Music Creation Division.

Together with AM&S national sales managers, the additional regional managers will provide a new level of service to dealers across the U.S. for the beyerdynamic, Focusrite, Novation, Fostex, Kurzweil, Mono Cases, Nord, Studiologic, Vestax, Wharfedale Pro, and Xone brands.

“Our new regional sales managers all come from very strong pro audio backgrounds,” states Lynn Martin, president of AM&S. “They are an inspired team that will be able to provide strong support and dedication to our network of dealers.”

Tom Menrath comes to AM&S from Sweetwater Sound. ““We have put together an impressive national dedicated sales team,” says Menrath. “This will allow us to partner with our retailers and provide more personal assistance and follow-through to our dealers from the smallest independents to the largest brick & mortar and e-commerce retailers.”

Mark Towles, former president of Towles Marketing Group, is the AM&S regional sales manager covering the Northeast region. Ken Gilmer, formally of Korg/Marshall, will handle the Southeast region.  Bryan Butler from Hal Leonard’s software division will head up the upper Midwest region. Donovan Stark, previously with Solid State Logi,c will take care of the West Coast. Tim Gilpin, formally with Gibson’s Baldwin division, will handle the Central region. Ben Davis, who previously worked as a product specialist for AM&S, will take care of the Midwest. Josh Garcia from Taylor Marketing Group will cover the Rockies.

“The new managers,” continues Martin, “will organize, facilitate, and execute all the sales, marketing and product training necessary to increase our level of support and market awareness for our dealer and customer network.”

American Music & Sound Website

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Tour De Absurd: Unbound By The Fundamental Rules Of Reality

Everybody's dealt with horrible vendors from time to time, and Sully's got some tales from the road to which we all can relate.

I was just bitten by a dog.

Truthfully, not 20 minutes ago when I went to pick up a piece of gear at somebody’s house.

When I pulled into the driveway, an unholy spawn of a late night dalliance between Benji and the Geico gecko waddled over to me, growled, then bit me on the f***ing ankle.

I screamed like a five year old, which somehow triggered the garage door to open and spew a teenage girl carrying the gear I was there for.

“This yours?” she piped. “Your dog just bit me on the f***ing ankle,” I squeaked. “”Really? Sorry…” She froze with a look on her face that indicated she was now invisible and I should leave wondering where’d that girl go?

Needing more satisfaction I called the owner of the house.

“Hello?”

“Your dog just bit me on the f***ing ankle.”

“That dog’s 13 years old, he’s never bitten anyone.”

“Oh. Cool. Never mind then.”

“You sure?”

“Hang on a tic, let me make sure my portable morphine drip isn’t on high. Nope, machine’s good… the f***er definitely bit me”

The vicious dog attack left me sulking about the hound’s total lack of fear and respect for me. Then I got mad at myself for sulking about not being feared by an arthritic Chihuahua. Skillfully, I managed to cram in a 30-minute session of bi-polar self-loathing and admonishment in the time it took to drive from the scene of the assault to our bus.

A small, clarifying sidebar: Against my will, I’ve been educated about the straightforward hierarchy that exists in dog-dom by a friend who bites his new puppies. He favors the short snout breeds like Rottweillers. In order to school a puppy about who’s the “Alpha” in the hutch, he rolls the thing on it’s back and bites it on the neck.

Having come upon the disturbing scene of him hunched over, clamped to a dog and growling… I’ve gotta say it’s not something that prompts a salient comment right away.

Judging by the expression on the puppy’s face, I’m pretty sure he had some questions too. The relevant point is that once one animal bites another, dominance is established and then both go about their business.

As usual, I digress. Let’s reel this back in and connect pocket poodles with artfully deployed line arrays. The truth of the matter is a canine chomping me on the ankle merely represents a random act of nature, nothing more. It just happened to occur during a personal period of significant disillusionment with the human race.

It had suddenly occurred to me, as I stared down at the dog sticking out of my jeans, that this was a fitting coda to the four-week tour de absurd that I and the rest of my crew had just endured. During the preceding month, 90 percent of the production vendors we had met had attempted to convince us they alone were not bound by the fundamental rules of reality.

To prove this point, they had taken our advance phone calls, listened carefully to our requests, sagely reassured us all would be well… then rolled us over and tried to bite us on the neck when we showed up. Same deal as the dog. They looked us up and down and figured they could take us.

Act 1
Me: “Hey, how wide is this box?”

PA prestidigitator: “205 degrees for the long throw, 365 degrees for the downfill.”

Me: (Knowing it’s general admission) “OK.”

 
Act 2
The setting: a large field with bands of disgruntled raisins milling arrogantly about.

A2: “We’re ready, my lord. We are prepared for you to communicate with the magic box and give us the array angles for the sound system.”

Steak sauce: “I have spoken with the machine. It gives no advice today. You must have done something to anger it. Go now, butcher the factory program and burn the fatted DSP as an offering. Leave me.”

A2: “My liege, the troubadours will be upon us soon… Can you offer no wisdom for us to assuage their FOH knight?”

Steak Sauce: “Tell him…tell him… the sound will emerge crooked if you angle the speakers. Tell him flat… Yes, flat is best. Threaten to rub petroleum jelly on him and burn him as a witch if he questions you.”

A2: “You are indeed the wisest in the land.”

 
Act 3
Production manager motioning to four speakers hanging from swing chain flown with the aid of two winches off the front of a quad runner.

PM: “What da hell is that?”

Local vendor: “EV X-Array.”

PM: “No it’s not.”

Local vendor: “Yes it is.”

PM: “No it’s not.”

Local vendor: “Yes it is.”

PM: “No it’s not.”

Local vendor: “O.K., no it’s not. I bought an X-Array box and copied it.”

PM: “You mean EV X-Line. You copied X-Line.”

Local vendor: “Yeah, the big EV box. X-Array-Line.”

PM: “O.K., just so we’re clear…you pirated something from EV and call it X-Array.”

Local vendor: “Yeah. Sounds great too. Wanna see our V-Disc wedges?”

Act 4
The three principal characters enter upstage center and proceed downstage in slow motion, their movements reminiscent of Apollo astronauts bravely approaching an ill-fated capsule.

Bonded by an invisible energy, their gaze begins tracking the seventy-five degree seating angle until at last their eyes settle upon the top seat, 600 feet aloft. One holds a laser range finder and whistles quietly at the data it yields.

Their attention is suddenly diverted to the single horizontal row of two EAW KF750’s stacked neatly on the stage deck. A small man rapidly approaches the group.

He is equipped with a large black belt dubiously supporting a bricklike Tandy walkie-talkie with a solid three-foot antenna fully extended.

The effect is not unlike a remotely controlled Hobbit. A roll of gray tape used to seal air conditioning vents dangles from his meaty wrist, and he is thrusting an irate digit at the tiny speaker array.

Small Man With Big Belt: “I don’t want to hear it! Them speakers cover front row to top row perfect. They’re 70 degrees up and down so we don’t even need to tilt them. Sounds exactly up there like it do down here. I don’t want any of your smart-alecky talk about math. We done it this way for 10 years and it sounds great. Now, welcome and go away, I mix the opener tonight and I gotta make sure they’re happy”.

 
Act 5
A man stands beaten, his feet loosely clutching the prefabricated stage. His attention is captivated by the scene unfolding before his weary blue intelligent eyes…Men of ill-advised employment are hoisting a large-format console by attaching a 1/4-ton drape motor to its top-riveted session handles.

They stand under it, marveling at the graceful way it swings in the cool breeze. Our hero calculates that when the first handle lets go, the desk will swing low, hijack a stagehand at it’s nadir and force him to ride it bareback halfway to the rafters.

As the console reaches it’s apex and the second handle shears away, the desk will immediately divest itself of it’s passenger and enter a vertical spin, 25 feet off the ground, shortly proving wrong the load-out adage, “gravity is your friend”.

Quickly, without remorse, the sad man dispatches an intern to the balcony with a bin of economy popcorn and two video cameras. Word must reach the outside world of the transgressions that have transpired here…

 
Act 6
Me: “What version of the prediction software are you using?”

Them: “Ashly crossovers. They’re out front.”

I own a cat that hides behind the drapes when in trouble. It sits perfectly still, avoiding all eye contact, staring straight ahead looking like a paisley tumor respirating below the front window.

She is so convinced of her sudden undetectability that I have no choice but to accept the fact that the curtains have spontaneously evolved a tail and I should look elsewhere for her.

I marvel at her ability to gaze directly into the face of truth and maintain plausible deniability. Like the vicious miniature wolfhound noted earlier, the cat has eyed me up and come to the conclusion that she’s got my number.

I’d start dutifully working on a complex about my lack of respectability within the various animal phyla, but I know from experience, it’s not just me.

Many of the band guys I run into step off of the bus in the morning with dingoes latched to their ankles. They all have stories that somehow involve PA and lighting vendors avoiding eye contact and hiding behind backdrops with only their five D-MAG lights sticking out.

Sometimes I’ll look into their eyes, pat their dogs and smile with them, offering these words of solace: “get your sun block out boys, we’re goin’ to Hell.”

 
Finale
Me: “Two horns are popping red and two are green. Which is correct?”

System provider: “Which is better?”

 
Sully is a veteran live sound engineer and really has no clever off-hand remarks for this space at this time.

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Top Ways To Help Musicians Hear Themselves

The key to a great mix is getting your musicians working together creatively, which starts with a great monitor mix.

 
I’m often heard saying that the recording engineer’s job is to create an environment conducive to musical creativity and then capture that creativity.

Headphones are usually the only way that a musician will be able to hear themselves and (more importantly) how what they are playing works with the rest of the band.

Every musician will (eventually) ask to hear themselves much louder than everyone else. This makes sense as it will allow them to play the nuances of their instrument.

However, if they are only listening to themselves (or the click track) and not the everything else then what they play may be wonderful by itself but terrible within the mix. They may even compromise the art of their own playing as a result of a poor headphone mix.

For Example:
• Guitar players who hear themselves too loudly will not “bear down” with the pick as much as they may need to.
• Piano players who hear themselves too quietly may not play with the full dynamic range of the piano if they cannot hear themselves play softly.
• And finally, any musician that cannot hear the full rhythm will cause a combined pushing and pulling of all the instruments, and no one will be together or “in the pocket”, even if they are overdubbing alone.

Remember, you must make the musicians feel like they are playing together in a room without headphones (in fact I prefer to record bands that way). They have to be able to hear and feel each other clearly.

Sometimes you may have the luxury of multiple headphone feeds, which will allow you to tailor different mixes for the players that require them. Even given the advanced personal mixer technology available today, always be wary of letting musicians mix their own headphones completely by themselves, as they will tend to want to hear only themselves.

A Few Pointers:

1. No matter how loud the drums may be in the room, everyone needs some kick, snare, hat and other drum microphones. The timing and feel of the drum mics will sound different from the drum sound in the room.

2. Panning can be your friend. Sometimes moving some instruments just slightly off center will make it easier to the players to hear themselves without increasing volume or resorting to making the moniutor mix a solo mix for certain indivitduals.

3. You can always change the sound musicians hear in their headphones without compromising the sounds you record.

Once, I was recording a large horn section that was used to a compressed edgy sound. I wanted to go for something full, so I recorded them using a combination of ribbon and condenser mics going flat from Neve mic pre’s straight into the tape machine.

The section was not happy and complained that the sound was not what they were used to. I did not want to lose the fullness the mics were giving me, so I EQ’ed and compressed the monitor channels coming off the tape machine. Suddenly they were all happy and played well.

When I mixed, I was able to use all of the sounds with absolutels no EQ or compression (until those effects were called for) and was very pleased with the results. If I had changed the sound I was capturing to match what the musicians were used to hearing in their headphones, the final sound of the section would have suffered.

4. Make sure the musicians hear enough of the band and even the beat that they can perform to the song rather than just lay down their parts. Musicians will (and should) be concerned with their performances, but do not let them lose sight of the fact that they are playing within a song along with other musicians.

If they do not hear the others they will not be able to interact with them, even if it is only on a subconscious level.

5. Some drummers will ask for loud click tracks in their headphones. If you have only one headphone feed and the drummer needs to share the cue with other performers, it may be tricky for you to keep everyone happy. You may need to ride the click. And, speaking of riding the click….

6. Be prepared to ride the click track down in softer sections of a song, especially at the end.

There is nothing worse than trying to mix the very end of a song and having to fade out too quickly to keep the click from the drummer’s headphones from being heard.

Bruce A. Miller is an acclaimed recording engineer who operates an independent recording studio and the BAM Audio School website.

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National Geographic Robotics Documentary Recorded With Sanken CS-2 Short Shotgun

The CS-2 was selected for its ability to target a sound source and achieve clear source recordings in even the noisiest surroundings.

Award-winning photographer and filmmaker Max Aguilera-Hellweg encountered a potential disaster while shooting a documentary in Singapore about robotics for National Geographic: his Panasonic P2 camera fell and smashed his new Sanken CS-2 short shotgun microphone. 

Luckily the mic performed admirably during his filming and he was able to visit Sanken headquarters in Tokyo during his return trip to the US.

“The mic was working fine, but it got badly dented in the accident,” said Aguilera-Hedwig.  “I was worried that the electronics would fail, so I contacted Sanken and the response was unbelievable.”

“They immediately invited me to drop by and restored the mic to its original condition.”

Aguilera-Hellweg, who began his still photography career as an assistant to Annie Liebowitz at Rolling Stone, has worked for National Geographic, LIFE Magazine, GEO, Stern, The New York Times Magazine, Esquire, Fortune, Time, Newsweek, The New Yorker, and The London Sunday Times.

His short films have been viewed by 900,000 YouTube viewers, and he regularly shoots video to supplement his still photo features for National Geographic.

In researching shotgun microphone choices for his work, he visited Professional Sound Services in NYC and explained that he was getting too much ambient sound and they suggested the new Sanken CS-2 microphone, well known for it’s ability to target a sound source and achieve great clarity in recording.

“I used it for my coverage of a robotic event in one of the worst situations for audio, a large convention center where they were staging a robotic soccer game,” said Aguilera-Hellweg. “The Sanken CS-2 gave me a very clear sound with great response to the primary sound source I was looking for.”

The CS-2, newest model in Sanken’s comprehensive shotgun microphone line, offers extended reach in a standard length mic, which emulates the operation of much longer shotgun microphones.

“What most impressed me with Sanken, was the response in Tokyo,” said Aguilera-Hellweg.  “When a company responds like that, you gain a sense of trust that makes you feel comfortable with the equipment.”

“When you are out there in the field, there are so many variables and you can only depend on the gear and the people behind it.  I am trying to bring the full production value of really good sound and Sanken delivers just that.”

Sanken Microphone Co. Website

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Church Sound Files: Quick Tips For Maximizing Your Monitoring

Excerpted from recommendations to a client following a worship visit, these are critical aspects of monitoring often overlooked by the worship team.

Often times, it’s only through the critique of others that we are able to see the deficiencies in our systems, which is why I’m often called to visit clients services “in action.”

In the hopes that you may find some of follows below is an excerpt from the recommendations I made to a church client following a visit to their Sunday morning service.

The most prevalent issue throughout the soundcheck was that while the band sounded great, it took them a great deal of time to get the monitors right.

My Advice
1: There is always this tension that exists between tech and talent about stage volume. Thankfully with the entire band (except, well, we’ll call him Jimmy, who was also singing) using “ears” the stage volume was really at a minimum.

2: Structured monitor checking. When using ears it is very difficult for the engineer to know what the musicians are hearing.

My suggestion would be to have the engineer (or someone who can assist him) ask each musician what they want in their mix before the rehearsal starts. 

After the engineer has roughed in those levels on the soundboard the band should play through one song (unless it is a total disaster, don’t stop).  After the song each musician in an orderly fashion should give the engineer direction as to how they would like their mix changed. 

The band should then play through two-three more songs before the musicians can make any additional requests.  This forces the musicians to be precise in their monitor requests and also gives the engineer an opportunity to work on the house mix. 

After the two-three songs, each musician can once again in an orderly fashion ask for adjustments in their monitor mix.  Once this adjustment has been made, the musicians will have to live with the mix allowing the engineer to forget about monitors and only be concerned with the house mix. 

Note: The engineer should not adjust the master gain on any channel (except for an emergency) after the completion of the first song.    All adjustments need to be made using the faders (for house sound) and the aux sends (for monitors). Assuming a pre-fade auxiliary send the levels of the monitors will then not change when the channel faders are moved.

3: Shield or no shield?  As you may or may not be aware, I’m not a big fan of drum shields (yes, sometimes they are necessary) as it has been my experience that when the shield is removed the drummer begins to play with more finesse and stage levels begin to decrease.

In a room the size of many worship spaces (including this one) I would say that a shield is not necessary.  In the drum mics, I find that around 90% of what is picked when using a cage is cymbals. 

I didn’t have much of an opportunity to look at mic placement, and there’s often some room for improvement, however overall I would say take the shield away.

While these recommendations were made after hearing a specific clients service, they’re the same recommendations I find myself giving more often that one would imagine.

So, take note, and remember that most of what an engineer does and thus how he is perceived comes from his attitude toward the musicians.

Gary Zandstra is a professional AV systems integrator with Parkway Electric and has been involved with sound at his church for more than 25 years.

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