Recording a pop song cover

Task 3A: Multi – track Recording

Producer: Ryan Hobin

Primary Sound Engineer:

Name and artist of song chosen: Yellow by Coldplay

Instruments you will use, and how you will mic these (microphone placement).

 12 string Yamaha acoustic guitar:

I will record this instrument by using the condenser microphone AKGC100S as this is designed for use with instruments that have a higher frequency of sound and a lower sound pressure level, making it ideal for recording acoustic guitar tracks. I will use 3 of these mics, one positioned directly at the sound hole in order to pick up the majority sound waves where the sound will be clearest and loudest. I will position another one at the fret board in order to pick up reverb or spilled sound from further up the guitar in order to create a fuller sound. The mics will be placed 20-30 cm away from the guitar in order make sure that the mic picks up as little unwanted noise as possible and the track is as clear as possible. The last mic will be placed pointing at the wall that the guitar is facing about 1-2 feet away as an ambient mic in order to create a large room sound picking up the sound waves which bounce off the walls to create the effect of reverb and delay.

Ashbury concert ukulele:

I will record this instrument by using 2 AKGC1000S mic, as I believe it will create a better quality recording of the higher pitched acoustic instrument, as it has a much lower SPL to most instruments. The ukulele is quite small and therefore I will only use one mic on the body of it pointed directly at the sound hole about 20-30cm away. However I will use the other mic by pointing it at the ukulele about a 3-4 feet away in order to create a fuller sound, but still keep the close feel of the second guitar on the original track, as I believe using an ambient mic as I intend to with the 12 string acoustic guitar would eliminate that effect and be redundant.

Vocals:

I will record this using a Rode NT1A condenser microphone and a pop shield. I will use these two in tandem in order to create a high quality vocal recording. I believe that a condenser microphone is the best choice as the vocal and backing vocal lines of the original track are quite gentle which means they will have a low SPL. I will use the pop shield in order to prevent any unwanted background or unintentional noises that the performer may experience or create. I will record multiple vocal tracks for certain parts of the track as it will create a much more rich/full vocal sound that is more authentic to the original track. I will also use two AKGC1000s microphones positioned behind the vocalist to pick up any sound waves that bounce back at the singer to create reverb and delay on the vocal line.

Tambourine:

I will record the tambourine with 2 SHURESM58 mics. This is due to the high SPL levels of the loud percussive tambourine, a dynamic mic is needed to pick up the sound effectively and create a clear sound. I will use one mic reasonably close to the tambourine to pick up the majority of the sound waves, and use another further away to pick up any echo or reverb to create a larger room feel which I feel will fit the sound of the instrument.

Direct Input (DI)

Direct input is when instead of using the movement of the microphone to record sound, the instrument is instead plugged directly via jack lead into a recording desk or DI box; however due the desk we will be using (Mackie 1640i) having DI capabilities we will not require a box. This can only be done with electric instruments. Some of the benefits of using DI are there will be no unwanted background noise or unclear sounds. However DI will also result in the loss of some frequencies which could make the recording less sonically interesting/pleasing to the audience.

Epiphone bass guitar:

We will use DI to record our bass guitar tracks. We will do this as we believe the sound of the track is very gentle but also sonically large will lots of frequencies. By recording an electric bass with microphones we believe that the sound will cut through the recording drastically and not fit in very well. By using DI we think that we can adjust the way the track sounds to make it less abrasive; as amps can often create a crunchy sound when recorded with mics.

M-Audio Keystudio 49i:

We will use DI to record our keyboard tracks. We will do this as we believe it will give the clearest possible sound, and give the simple clean effect we are looking for in our track. This is due to the effect that when using DI, unclear sound or background noise is impossible. It will also allow us to add some minor effects to the recording should we desire to change the sound slightly in order to perfect the track.

Track list:	Instrument/part of instrument/mic or DI/name of possible performer:
Track 1	Acoustic Guitar/ Sound Hole/Mic/ Lewis Jones
Track 2	Acoustic Guitar/Neck/Mic/Lewis Jones
Track 3	Keyboard/DI/Lewis Jones
Track 4	Bass/DI/Lewis Jones
Track 5	Vocals Lauren/Mic/Lauren Thomas
Track 6	Backing Vocals/Mic/Lauren Thomas
Track 7	Tambourine/ Mic/Brandon Moss
Track 9	Ukulele/Mic/Lauren Thomas
Track 11
Track 12

https://soundcloud.com/user-401119215/sets/yellow-cover-ryan
Above is the link for all of my tracks. The bass was difficult for the musician so we split the recording into two parts and positioned it in a seamless way in the final track.

Multi-track Recording log

Section A (to be completed before the recording session)

Name: Ryan Hobin

Number and length of session: (1) – 2h

Date of session:

 1^st December 2015

Names of engineers:

Brandon Moss

Ryan Hobin

Names of musicians and instruments being recorded:

 Lewis Jones (Acoustic Guitar)

Goals of the session (at least 2):

Record a clear acoustic guitar track, and a reverb track

Implement a backing track of the original song for musicians to follow

Section B (to be completed after the recording session)

Were all goals achieved during session? If not what reasons were there for this?

 Yes, to a high quality.

What are your plans for the next session in the studio?

 Record a DI bass track

Section A (to be completed before the recording session)

Name: Ryan Hobin

Number and length of session: (2) – 2h

Date of session:

 10th December 2015

Names of engineers:

Brandon Moss

Ryan Hobin

Names of musicians and instruments being recorded:

 Lewis Jones (Bass Guitar)

Goals of the session (at least 2):

Record a clear, good quality bass guitar track

Experiment and learn how to make the levels on a DI  track sound good.

___________________________
Evaluation so far:
So far our recordings have been very successful, not only are they in time, they also have a very similar  tone. This allows them to fit together in a way which is very pleasing. The levels are also good as the bass is not drowned out by the guitar, and despite being DI, is very well integrated into the song. I believe that as long as we keep the tone as gentle as it has been so far with the remaining instruments the results should be a successful representation of Coldplay's yellow, but with an original spin on it. This has secured my belief that replacing the male vocal with a female one, and electric guitar with acoustic ukulele, is a good one. Having two tracks also adds to the intended tone as it creates a larger room feel which fits with coldplay's original symphonic tone, I believe that this will be fully achieved with the addition of vocal and backing.
____________________________

Section B (to be completed after the recording session)

Were all goals achieved during session? If not what reasons were there for this?

 Yes, to a high quality.

What are your plans for the next session in the studio?

 Record a DI Keyboard track.

Section A (to be completed before the recording session)

Name: Ryan Hobin

Number and length of session: (3) – 2h

Date of session:

 16th December 2015

Names of engineers:

Brandon Moss

Ryan Hobin

Names of musicians and instruments being recorded:

 Lewis Jones (Keyboard)

Goals of the session (at least 2):

Record a clear keyboard track, make it sound natural in the track.

Record a clear tambourine track, avoid distortion

Section B (to be completed after the recording session)

Were all goals achieved during session? If not what reasons were there for this?

 Yes, to a high quality.

What are your plans for the next session in the studio?

Record vocals

Section A (to be completed before the recording session)

Name: Ryan Hobin

Number and length of session: (4) – 2h

Date of session:

 16th December 2015

Names of engineers:

Brandon Moss

Ryan Hobin
Lewis Jones

Names of musicians and instruments being recorded:

 Lauren Thomas (Vocals) (Backing Vocals)

Goals of the session (at least 2):

Record clear vocals with a gentle tone.

Record Backing vocals, with sonically sound harmonies

_______________________________________
Evaluation so far:
The DI keyboard track has now been added. I believe that recording it DI was a good idea as it created a bright happy sound that i believe will be a key factor in the final cover. We raised the high end levels to give a shorter snappier sound on the more upbeat flourishes in the song. This created a very interesting feel which merged well with the existing tracks. Vocals have also been added, as planned we used a female vocal. The result had the desired effect and the track is very soft, we did not have access to the NTA mic we had planned to use as it had broken. So instead we used an AKGC1000s with a pop shield. The effect was still potent even without using the planned equipment. We also decided to record another track however this time we positioned the mic at an angle and further away in order to created a thick reverberated feel to the vocal line, this worked very well as demonstrated in the final vocal.

__________________________________

Section B (to be completed after the recording session)

Were all goals achieved during session? If not what reasons were there for this?

 Yes, to a high quality.

What are your plans for the next session in the studio?

Record Ukulele and tambourine

Section A (to be completed before the recording session)

Name: Ryan Hobin

Number and length of session: (5) – 2h

Date of session:

 17th December 2015

Names of engineers:

Ryan Hobin

Lewis Jones

Names of musicians and instruments being recorded:

 Lauren Thomas (ukulele) Brandon Moss (tambourine)

Goals of the session (at least 2):

Record a gentle ukulele track, make sure the volume is stil loud enough to be heard on the track via mixing/mic placement

Record a tambourine track, kept a a steady rhythm throughout.

Section B (to be completed after the recording session)

Were all goals achieved during session? If not what reasons were there for this?

 Yes, to a high quality.

____________________________________

Final evaluation

I believe that the style of cover that I set out to record has been achieved to a very high standard. The large symphonic, yet gentle sound that I envisioned from the start have been achieved to a high quality, this gives the cover originality but keeps the 'soul' of the song which made it so popular to start with. Due to time constraints and equipment failure I was unable to records the ambience tracks for tambourine and ukulele, however I feel that the final recording is very good even without them. Upon reflection I also believe that there was a risk of the song becoming too cluttered and losing some of the frequencies of the existing tracks, taking away from the unique feel. I also decided to reduce the backing vocal effect towards the end of the song for the exact same reason, and I wanted the song to come to a gradual halt. I felt that having a double vocal track at the point in the song prevented this from happening. We have also added the ukulele track. The ukulele was used in place of the electric guitar in order to create a sonically smoother feel the the track, as I believed the electric guitar would be too coarse a sound for the track. I believe this effect was achieved to a high quality. I was especially happy to see that the ukulele was not drowned out by the other instruments due to the higher gain and volume settings i put in place to ensure it remained in the foreground of the song as a main component. The final track was the tambourine track. Often overlooked as an instrument, I believe that this track was invaluable to the cover. This allowed for a stronger sense of beat within the track. Due to the tambourine being one of the less abrasive percussion instruments being available I think that it did not take away anything from the calm tone of the track.

Being a recording engineer

Acoustic Guitar

Roles of Personnel:

Ryan Hobin- Ryan will be in the control room. He will be using Cubase and the Mackie 1640i desk in order to record the guitar. It will be Ryan’s job to give constructive criticism and decide whether or not retakes are required. Ryan will communicate with the performer and set up man via the talkback device. The skills required are good listening skills in order to assess the sound quality and other factors of recording. He must also have good communication skills in order to properly explain and identify what he wants the performer/set up man to change and how.

Hayden Bridgen- Hayden will be setting up mics and other equipment in the recording space. He will be in charge of deciding which microphones are best suited for the sound being recorded give the current environment. He will also be in charge of connecting the equipment in the performance area to the control room. He will also guide the performer in hoe they should position themselves and their instrument. Hayden must have good knowledge of microphone theory in order to be able to effectively decide which microphones should be used and how. He must know where mics should be positioned.

Lewis Jones-Lewis will be playing the guitar for our recordings. His responsibilities are mainly to ensure that the recording displays each note potently and that they are of a good sonic quality. Lewis will have to have a good knowledge of mic/guitar relations and how they should be used and set up together in order to achieve a professional sound quality.

We will use 2 AKG C100S microphones to record the guitar, as they are condenser microphones. We will use these as they have a much better high frequency response when compare to dynamic mics such as the SM58. High frequencies are vital to making a good quality acoustic guitar recording.

Some problems that may occur include equipment failure such as a cable or microphone breaking. There may also be problems with the Cubase software can computers can sometimes be unreliable. We may also have to do many recordings, which may cause us to become stressed. We have to stay focused and calm in order to achieve the best results possible. Time restrictions are also a problem so we will have to be time efficient with our recordings.

Electric Guitar

Roles of Personnel:

Ryan Hobin- Ryan will be in the control room. He will be using Cubase and the Mackie 1640i desk in order to record the guitar. It will be Ryan’s job to give constructive criticism and decide whether or not retakes are required. Ryan will communicate with the performer and set up man via the talkback device. The skills required are good listening skills in order to assess the sound quality and other factors of recording. He must also have good communication skills in order to properly explain and identify what he wants the performer/set up man to change and how.

Hayden Bridgen- Hayden will be setting up mics and other equipment in the recording space. He will be in charge of deciding which microphones are best suited for the sound being recorded give the current environment. He will also be in charge of connecting the equipment in the performance area to the control room. He will also alter the positioning of the amplifier if necessary. Hayden must have good knowledge of microphone theory in order to be able to effectively decide which microphones should be used and how. He must know where mics should be positioned.

Lewis Jones-Lewis will be playing the guitar for our recordings. His responsibilities are mainly to ensure that the recording displays each note potently and that they are of a good sonic quality. Lewis will have to have a good knowledge of mic/guitar/amp relations and how they should be used and set up together in order to achieve a professional sound quality.

We will use 1 SHURESM58 dynamic microphone in order to record the amp as it can handle a much higher SPL than a condenser mic, this will be needed as a highly distorted electric guitar has a much higher SPL than an acoustic guitar

Some problems that may occur include equipment failure such as a cable or microphone breaking. Also amps can be unreliable at times and so we may have issues with that equipment too. There may also be problems with the Cubase software can computers can sometimes be unreliable. We may also have to do many recordings, which may cause us to become stressed. We have to stay focused and calm in order to achieve the best results possible. Time restrictions are also a problem so we will have to be time efficient with our recordings.

Glockenspiel

Roles of Personnel:

Ryan Hobin- Ryan will be in the control room. He will be using Cubase and the Mackie 1640i desk in order to record the guitar. It will be Ryan’s job to give constructive criticism and decide whether or not retakes are required. Ryan will communicate with the performer and set up man via the talkback device. The skills required are good listening skills in order to assess the sound quality and other factors of recording. He must also have good communication skills in order to properly explain and identify what he wants the performer/set up man to change and how.

Lewis Jones- Lewis will be setting up mics and other equipment in the recording space. He will be in charge of deciding which microphones are best suited for the sound being recorded give the current environment. He will also be in charge of connecting the equipment in the performance area to the control room. He will also guide the performer in hoe they should position themselves and their instrument. Lewis must have good knowledge of microphone theory in order to be able to effectively decide which microphones should be used and how. He must know where mics should be positioned.

Hayden Bridgen-Hayden will be playing the glockenspiel for our recordings. His responsibilities are mainly to ensure that the recording displays each note potently and that they are of a good sonic quality. Hayden will have to have a good knowledge of mic/percussion relations and how they should be used and set up together in order to achieve a professional sound quality.

We will use a SHURESM58 mic in order to record the glockenspiel as it has can handle the higher SPL levels of the glockenspiel well and create a more delicate sounding recording in comparison to the harsh sound condenser microphone recordings. The shure can also handle higher pitches unlike the deep range D112 mic, this makes it the ideal choice for recording the glockenspiel.

Some problems that may occur include equipment failure such as a cable or microphone breaking. There may also be problems with the Cubase software can computers can sometimes be unreliable. We may also have to do many recordings, which may cause us to become stressed. We have to stay focused and calm in order to achieve the best results possible. Time restrictions are also a problem so we will have to be time efficient with our recordings.

Recording Evaluations
One of the first tasks in my music BTEC was to find out the definitions of certain key terms that are important in sound recording.

Transducer

A device that converts variations in a physical quantity such as pressure or brightness, into an electrical signal, or vice versa - e.g a microphone.

Diaphragm
A thin disk in a microphone or telephone receiver that vibrates to produce electric signals

Electromagnetic Induction
The Production of an electromotive force across a conductor when it is exposed to a time varying magnetic field

Capacitor Plate
An electronic component that stores an electric charge and releases it when required

Pre-amp
An electronic device that amplifies a weak signal

Sound pressure levels
A measurement of Sound Pressure, measured in dB 

Condenser Mic
These mics let sound waves vibrate the diaphragm. In this mic they are in front of an electrically charged plate. These mics are used with instruments that have a lower sound pressure level such as acoustic guitar.

Dynamic Mic

These mics work by letting sound waves vibrate a diaphragm. The voice coil wire on the back of the diaphragm then moves through a magnetic field created by a magnet inside the mic in order to create voltage. These are usually used to record higher SPL instruments such as electric guitar/drums.

We recorded a gockenspiele first to show how percussion intrusments could be recorded with different microphones. We first recorded using the SHURESM58 dynamic microphone. This is not only a popular choice for live vocalists, but also for instruments in and out of the studio. Dynamic microphones are often used for percussive instruments due to heir loud nature and high SPL. We recorded the glockenspiele from about 30cm away from the mic and using the MACKIE1640I we controlled the levels to create a sound we felt comfortable with. This was done in a sound proofed recording studio to minimise back noise and create a good quality clean sound. The mic was pointed directly at the glockenspiel as the SHURESM58 has a cardioid polar pattern which means that the sound is picked up most strongly from directly in front of the mic.
https://soundcloud.com/user-401119215/glock-task-0004-audio-shure

After doing this we recorded it in the same location with a condenser mic, the AKGC100S. We did this to see how the different mics would change the way the recordings sounded. On this recording in comparison to the SHURESM58 the sound is a lot harsher and more brash. This may be due to the performer perhaps playing the glockenspiel louder, however it could also be due to the fact that it is a condenser mic which is not designed to record high SPL sound such as a glockenspiel. The AKGC1000S  The AKG also uses a cardioid polar pattern which meant that we set it up by pointing it directly at the glockenspiel keys to make sure the sound is picked up strongly, The mic was once again set up at a 30cm distance from the glockenspiel as to create a good quality recording, however despite this the sound is still very tinny due to the high pitch of the instrument. When compared to the SHURESM58 recording the sound has much more sonic power and is a lot less gentle.

https://soundcloud.com/user-401119215/glock-task-0006-audio-akg-jth

We also used the AKGD112 in the soundproofed studio. This is another dynamic mic, and as such appears to be able to handle the high SPL of the glockspiel well. This one again gives it a much more gentle, soft sound. We set up the mic in the exact same way as the other mics as the polar pattern was once again cardioid meaning that the mic was pointed directly at the glockenspiel keys at a distance of 30cm. This caused the sound to be very similar to the SHURESM58 recording as they are both dynamic mics meaning they use a voice coil and a magnet to create voltage. However as the D112 is designed as a bass drum mic it is meant for picking up deep bassy sounds and so some of the higher notes on the recording can seem strained at times as the sound is already very tinny. Whereas some of the lower notes are a little more potent as the D112 gives its signature punchy effect to the notes.
https://soundcloud.com/user-401119215/glock-task-0005-audio-egg-jth
We found that the main flaws in these recordings were created by the performers and set up people in the room, this is why after we recorded some with mistakes in caused by people accidentally creating noise, the set up people left the room when recording in the future.

After doing these three recordings we then went outside to see how recording outside would affect the mics and the sound quality. We used the H2HANDYRECORDER to do our open air recordings as it has many different settings which change the current polar pattern. This allowed us to review different sound whilst using the same mic. At first we put it on the 120 degree setting, this gave a strong sound however it could not handle the high SPL of the glockenspiel and this combined with the background noise from the wind and other factors created a very distorted sound.
https://soundcloud.com/user-401119215/120-degree-jth
We then put in on the 2ch setting. This was even more distorted than the previous setting and picked up even more wind noise. This is because once again the SPL was way too high for the H2HANDYRECORDER to handle effectively. However in this recording the mic did give a much larger feel to the sound as there were no walls for the sound waves to bounce off, this is why the notes seemed to ring out for longer on this recording, despite the fact they were heavily covered at times by the distorted notes being played.
https://soundcloud.com/user-401119215/jth-2ch
After this we put it on the 4ch setting and went inside a class room. This setting was once again very distorted, and very similar to the 2ch recording in many ways. It gave a decent amount of reverb due to the enclosed, small space. However, in this recording there was much less background noise and virtually no audible wind noise affecting the mic for a majority of the recording.
https://soundcloud.com/user-401119215/4-ch-jth

We found that the main flaws in these recordings were for one the mic itself. The H2HANDYRECORDER could not handle SPL of the glockenspiel which is what gave it the dirty robotic style distortion. Another major issue was the background noise generated from being outside, such as engine noise from the road and wind noise. If I were to do open air recordings again I would do them in a much more isolated area to minimise man made noise, and perhaps do it on a less windy day, perhaps using something as a wind breaker to minimise air noise. However I am aware that by doing that I risk losing the open air sound I desire from open air as sound waves may bounce off the wind breaker.

We were then tasked with recording an acoustic guitar to try and effectively create a good quality sound recording. An acoustic guitar has a reasonably low SPL and also quite a high sound frequency, this lead us to believe that a condenser mic would be best suited for the task of recording the guitar. The guitar we used was interesting as it was a twelve string. This meant that the strings were doubled up similar to a mandolin which creates a much more delicate yet full
sounding acoustic noise, the frequency is also higher. We set up an AKGC1000S 30cm away pointing directly into the noise hole of the guitar in order to record the strongest and most clean sound as this is where the noise is released from. I believe that the choice of mic allowed for such a good recording as the notes are clearly distinguishable and somewhat sonically elegant. This was recorded in a sound proofed studio and run through a MACKIE1640I mixing desk so that we could control sound levels such as gain and mid range.
https://soundcloud.com/user-401119215/guitar-studio-0006-audio-audio

Some of the problems we found with the recording were that due to the fact we only used one microphone the sound was very flat and lacked some depth.  Also, the levels could have been set up better as the guitar sounds almost as though it is a little too far away. One of the other problems is that the mic is picking up the clacking sound of the pick hitting the strings of the guitar, we planned to solve these problems for final recording in order to achieve a higher sonic quality.
The reason the AKGC100S worked much better for this instrument than it did for the glockenspiel is that the guitar had a much lower SPL than a glockenspiel which makes it a much more suitable recording subject for a small diaphragm condenser microphone such as the AKGC1000S. Which is why it sounds so much more clear and gentle than the glockenspiel recording of the same mic. (See second link from the top)

When we did our final recordings we decided what we would change for the acoustic guitar set up. We stayed recording in the sound proofed studio, but changed quite a lot of other factors. On the MACKIE1640I we raised the mid level and high range level. We also decided to use two mics instead of one, on pointed directly at the sound hole and one at the fretboard to pick up any vibrations further up the guitar, and then layer the two recordings over each other in order to create more depth of sound with a much higher sonic quality, we also moved the mics slightly closer to the guitar to try and remove the sound of distance we had previously. I believe that we succeeded in this as the quality of the recording is much clearer. Also the sound of the pick clacking against the strings is much less noticeable and seems to blend into the sound much more, however we did have an issue with the buttons of the guitarists clothes banging against the wood of the guitar, as can be heard in the recordings. However despite this i believe the sound quality is much higher.
Sound Hole
Fret Board

We also decided to record an electric guitar in the studio as well. Using what I had learned from my research into the early and modern recordings of Black Sabbath and AC/DC, whose music prominently features electric guitar as an essential component, i was able to try and recreate some of the methods they used in order to try and create a thick heavy sound similar to the styles of heavy metal and hard rock. I did this by setting up one dynamic mic against the amp with large amounts of gain and distorsion to create the crunchy coarse sound of a metal guitar. In order to make the sound darker and more deep,  pointed the mic at and angle towards the wall of the speaker cone in the amp, as pointing it directly towards the cone can create a brighter feel, an undesirable effect in the genre. We also set up a mic around 20ft away as an ambient mic, a technique used by the sound engineer Tom Allom when recording Black Sabbath's first album. This created a larger room effect and also created a more reverberated sound. It also picked up any acoustic reflecting from surfaces in the room. We used a condenser mic for this as the SPL the mic was receiving was much lower than that of the dynamic amp mic. One problem we encountered was that as the guitarist was in the same room as the amp being recorded, there was some background noise of the pick hitting the strings. If we had access to the facilities we would hook the guitar up to an amp in a separate sound proofed room with only the mics in order to create a pure sound with zero background noise corruption.
Amp
Ambient