Brief 2, Unit 48 - Recording

Task 1 - Recording in different locations using different microphones 

Brief Explanation - We first headed to an office/classroom equipped with a guitar, an audio recorder and three different types of microphones to record with. We also had a set of wires with us a set of wires to connect the audio recorder and the microphones together. We had brought two 'C1000s's' to record in stereo. This requires two as you get sound from the left and right side therefore creating a stereo recording. We sat down and played a few chords on the guitar recording each different sound set. We treid to keep the recordings the same length and chords used. We positioned the microphones a few inches away from the guitar's oval sound hole to try get the best sound possible. After finishing in the classroom we carried out the same process in a Hall and finally Outside finishing our recordings.


The PolarPatterns for each microphones are as follows -

• C1000s - Cardioid
• RODE NT2A - Cardioid
• SM58 - Cardioid

Equipment Used - 

• C1000s
• RODE NT2A
• SM58
• Wires to connect to microphones
• Acoustic guitar 
• Olympus LS-100 Multi-Track Linear PCM Recorder 

Track List - 

Outside - Link to playlist

• C100s
• RODE NT2A
• SM58

Hall - Link to playlist

• C1000s
• RODE NT2A
• SM58

Classroom - Link to playlist

• C100s
• RODE NT2A
• SM58

Evaluation of recordings -  

Outside -  For outside the recording was more focused on the lacking of the background noise and in this case the RODE was the most effective. It sounded warmer picking up the lower areas of the uitar with little background noise while the C1000s there was little amounts of background noise and the lower tones of the guitar wasn't picked up as much. The SM58 however there was heavy amounts of background noise.

Hall - The hall picked up reverb well. Saying this the SM58 had the best recording. It was crisp being able to retrieve the higher and lower tones of the recording and also picking up reverb without clumping the sound together - The structure remained  The RODE was next also picking up the reverb however with background noise while the C1000s wasn't picking up the reverb and the tone that should accompany it. It sounded two dimensional.

Classroom - The Classroom recordings all have little background noise so it came down to he quality. For quality I would say the C1000s had the highest audio quality with the SM58 next and then the RODE. The RODE sounded like it wasn't catching the specific points of the recording while this is what the C1000s was exceeding at. Due to there being no background noise this was highly evident. One way to improve the rode would be to put the microphone further from the microphone.

Evaluation - I believe the best recording was the SM58 in the hall. It perfectly picked up the reverb adding the tone that comes with reverb while also having great quality. Outside was too noisy and the classroom had less warmth and tone.

Task 2 - Recording different instruments in recording studio 

Brief Explanation - For this task we headed to a recording studio with the task of recording 5 high quality sounds. For each instrument we held the microphone a few inches away from the sound source again trying to get the best sound we could. 2 people were in the recording studio playing instruments while 2 others were in the back office of the studio processing the sounds on the computer. This required us to use a mixing desk paired with 'CuBase 9' audio software to edit down the sounds trying not to produce clipping in playback. After this was done the sounds were exported to a memory stick and added to sound-cloud.

The PolarPatterns for each microphones are as follows -

• Guitar - C1000s - Cardioid
• Piano - Two C1000s - Cardioid
• Tambourine - RODE NT2A - Cardioid 
• Bongo - SM58 - Cardioid
• Cymbal - SM58 - Cardioid

Equipment used - 

Track List - 

• Guitar Stereo
• Piano Stereo
• Tambourine
• Bongo
• Cymbal

Evaluation of recordings -

Guitar - C1000s -  The guitar didnt have a lot of background noise however it did sound like the lower notes were getting clumped together like it was compressing the sound. This gave it less structure. The quality was alos therefore mediocre.

Piano - Two C1000s's - The piano also had the same issue as the guitar. The lower notes were being clumped together sounding like compression. While it helped the audio quality to have it in stereo there was gradual background noise.

Tambourine - RODE NT2A - This recording was warmer than the other two. It also explored the different levels of pitch giving it more structure. Audio quality in a word was just better - more crisp; highs were higher and lows were lower. It sounded great.

Bongo - SM58 - The recording of the Bongo was very clean. It reached the highs of the side hits of the bongos and then easily picked up the lower areas of the audio. The SM58 worked very well.

Cymbal - SM58 - The SM58 worked well in the bongos however with the cymbal the sound seemed condensed together. It might be because of the volume of the cymbal is sudden. It sounds condensed because of the lack of the high and low tone.

Evaluation - Without question the best recording in the studio was the RODE. It didn't sound compressed and sound like the recording had structure. It sounded quality for a studio while the C1000s  just sounded amateur. The SM58 sounded great on the bongos but the cymbal let it down.

Brief 2 - Unit 49 - Sequencing A Pop Song

Cubase

Final Song -  Click Here

Information on Cubase 

Cubase is a music production software developed in Germany created by 'Steinburg Cubase'. Released in 1989, the first version ran on at Atari ST Computer. 
Cubase works by creating projects which allows the user to edit Midi patterns, edit raw songs (audio files) and much more. 
After 47 versions its now on its latest - Cubase 8.5.

It is a highly respected music production software allowing people to create and edit music. It has been relatively easy to use with an acceptable amount of challenge. 

Creating a new project

To set up a new project in 'Cubase' open 'Cubase 6' and create a new project by heading into file and then new project. Press create project and the project is now there.

Creating new tracks

To create tracks go to the top of 'Cubase' and click on project then add track. Your 3 options will be audio, instrument and Midi - click instrument and scroll down to 'Synth, then 'Halion Sonic SE'. Under the count option add how many tracks you need then click add track. This should ad the requested amount to the project.

Assigning a synth

To assign a synth to track click the header of the track and to the side it should show the instrument, Midi output and the sound its going to play. Make sure the Midi input is 'Halion Sonic SE' and under that there should be an instrument tab. Click that and use the search box to find the instrument needed. Once found the instrument the sound will be played through when requested.

To input Midi data

To input Midi data you fist need to create the space for the music to be in. This involves getting the pencil tool from the top toolbar ad drawing along the track the needed amount of space for music to inhabit. Get rid of the pencil tool and select the space for music you just created. Once double clicked you should enter a timeline view seeing each piano note on the Y axis then the time of the note on the X axis. To create a note. Find the pencil tool once again and draw on the note you need to make. The length will replicate the sound made as will the note.

Fading and Exporting 

To fade a track out first press the down facing arrow in the instrument block. When you drag the box down to expose the volume of the bar a line should appear going across the track. First press 'R' on the left where the instrument if you click on the line whereabouts you need the sound to start decreasing and then press where you want the sound to go, in this case faded out.

To export the track head to file, export then audio mixdown. Change the name of the track and then export it to an audio file. This should then be able to play through the computer. 

Sylenth

Sylenth is a digital synthesiser. Synthesiser being it actually creates the sound rather than just manipulating a sound inputted into it.

Oscillators -

A oscillator allows you to change the waveform of a sound.

A normal wave form would be sine. This is curved with the crest and the trough being the same under the waveform and above it. This creates a soft sound.

Another wave form used is square. A square waveform jumping from the trough to the crest very quickly creating a sharper sound.

This is similar with triangle and sorto. They are not completely soft or sharp as each one posses attributes contributing to each sound variation.

One can mis these waveforms together to create sounds that are much different.


Amp MV-

The amp MV is also referred to as an envelope  It changes how the sound starts and finishes. It does also  change the middle part of the sound however it strongly links to how it begins and ends.

Attack is how the sound starts. More importantly how long it takes the sound to start. It changes if there is a long or short build up. This again can change the tone of the song.

Decay is how long the sound takes to reach its peak; its constant sound.

Sustain is how long the sound carries on for in a constant state.

Release is how the sound ends. It increases or decreases the cut-off of the sound. Allowing a delay can increase the atmosphere of the sound.


Volume -

Volume on Sylenth includes the master output. This controls the volume of the overall sound outputting the synth. Next to the volume control there is a bar showing the volume of sound emitted. This shouldn't be to high it touches red as it will clip the sound making it distorted and less smooth. It should be managed and kept around yellow.

The EQs are also next to the master output. They include the low, medium and high sound frequency's that can be altered. Low focuses on the bass and lower frequency's while mid is the medium and the high is the treble.  


LFO -

Low Frequency Oscillation or LFO provides repeating waveforms (usually between .1 and 250Hz) that may be used for control and timing in voltage-controlled modular synthesizer applications. LFO's are generally used to create slow modulations such as vibrato and tremolo in electronic music equipment.


Filters -

Filters also manipulate the sound. A low pass filter will only allow high frequency's to pass while high pass filters only allow higher frequency's past.

Sampling Packages 

Groove Agent 

Groove agent is a sampler in Cubase. This means it plays sounds when asked to. The sounds can be assigned to pads, like a keyboard, when pressed it will then play the notes.
Cubase has 8 groups of 16 pads. You can switch through these groups through the top above the pads. On drum agent you can control Volume, Pan, Cut off and more through 6 knobs underneath the screen.
It uses samples from 'Media Bay'. Samples just therefore play the respected sounds linked to the pad notes.


Assigning a drum track in Cubase 

To create a drum track add a track as normal instead of selecting 'Halion Sonic SE' select 'Drum - Groove Agent One'. To the left head to the box under 'All Midi Inputs' and select 'Drum - Groove Agent One'. To the bottom right of that select box there should be a piano symbol. Once clicked a virtual drum machine will pop up on the screen showing 16 pads to the right. After you have opened the drum machine head to the top tabs once again, had along to media and click media bay. Media bay is where you locate, preview and use all your needed drum sounds. Head to the search box after reading the drum notation for the correct drum on the piece of music and try to find it in media bay. Once found drag the sound onto the drum pad. Each pad has a corresponding note on the piano. If you open the recording view on the track preparing to add notes in, when adding a note to the selected key a drum corresponds to the drum sound will activate in relation to the timeline.

Midi

Musical instrument digital interface - Midi

• Midi is not musical 
• Midi is not an actual sound
• Midi is not an actual digital music file
• Midi is nothing more than data - Set of instructions for a Midi player

The instructions to the computer determine the instrument, note and length of the requested note.

Format

Stored as '.Mid'. Files are extremely short as it is just instructions, a series of code. It is much bigger than '.MP3' or '.Wav'. These files are much larger as they have actual audio to play. 

These files allow you to edit, playback and open midi audio instructions - Tracks on Midi software.

Used for - 

• The Karaoke industry
• Old video games
• Old mobile phones

Midi Specifications

Midi is written in Binary.

Binary is written individually in bits.

8 bits make up a byte.

3 bytes create a Midi file.

The 3 Midi files are -

1. Status 
2. Data 
3. Data 2

Midi Connections 

Midi controllers have 'Midi in' and 'Midi out'.

Some also have 'Midi Thru' which allows multiple controllers to be hooked up to a computer and controlled  This is useful in a classroom situation. 

Midi Manager 

There are 2 different ways to manage and view Midi files.

1. Key Editer - This allows one to edit, apply and delete notes 
2. List Editer - This view allows you to see the binary code associated with the notes

Channel Messages

In the beginning of Midi there were 16 channels.

1 x x x - defines the type of message.

x x x x - defines the channel number.

Midi Interface 

Hardware to control Midi tacks are called controllers.

• *see - 'Midi Connections'*

General Audio 

A way to define the sounds needed in a Midi track is defined using 'GM' codes. Each instrument is directed a number. In this case 'GM - 01' or 'GM - 02'. This tells the Midi player software what instrument to assign to the sounds. 

There are 127 different instruments to assign as thats the highest number the binary code can reach.

Unit 2 brief 1 - Extracting information from written sources

I have presented this assignment by having a text describing the album adding context relating to the overall magazine article prosthetic, having a brief paragraph on the recording process of the album including techniques and instruments used then having a video, track list and evidence of my research through other mediums (in this case books). At the end of the article there is a bibliography with numbers corresponding to where the information was in the text. If clicked the numbers take you to the website in question. 

All of the work is my own, only researching the recording processes and audience feedback. 

For each article the content goes as follows:

• Title
• Album name
• Producer
• Artist
• Year/Date
• Genre
• Article on my opinions why the record is revolutionary
• Article on the recording processes
• Embedded song from album
• Track list
• Evidence of research from other mediums

Radiohead - KID A

Album Name - KID A

Producer - Nigel Godrich

Artist - Radiohead

Year/Date - October 2nd, 2000

Genre - Alt Rock

I am not old enough to have existed during the time of 'Kid A's' release however I believe to be knowledgeable of the impact it had. Following Radiohead's huge success of 'OK Computer', an album which regularly is featured on 'best ever albums' lists, it was faced with a hungry audience looking to dine on the next 57 minute alternative rock joyride they experienced so clearly with 'OK Computer'. Despite the hype however most fans were confused. As they dropped the needle, pressed play on the CD player or rolled the cassette for the first time they were greeted with the first few notes of the album; the first few notes of 'Everything in its Right Place'. 

It must have been strange. Strange for fans of a rock band producing material like 'Creep', 'Just' and 'Paranoid Android' to hear those first few notes. Those electrical, sharp but strangely warm notes. The century changed and music was dignifying it with strange new sounds people had never heard before. What is incredible however is that Radiohead had the nerve to do it first; the risk of losing fans over replacing guitars with ambient synths and hard electric kick drums, 'Kid A' was new. 

The 3 opening tracks of the album are the biggest range in musical genres situated throughout the record. The opening track is, in my opinion, one of the best songs ever produced. The opening notes are strange and intriguing. There is no other sound like it. As the notes proceed the rise of Thom's warped wail is introduced accompanied by a steady kick drum. It all fits. Dark atmospheric synth noises rise and fall out of volume and vox vocal samples are thrown in on occasion. Throughout the whole song you feel on edge; almost as if you shouldn't be listening. 

It is followed with the track 'Kid A'. This track is so simple yet so diverse. Its almost emotional. The track starts with a steady soft build up followed by warm chords and odd sounds; like the feel of a soft blanket when your really drunk - great metaphor I know. A slow, manipulated voice of Thom is introduced and even though you cannot understand what is being said one easily gains a certain tone. Sharp drums kick in and the soft sounds originating from the vocals and the beginning of the track are pushed to one side but are still the main drive of the track. The drums are constant. They are fast and lack in a certain rhythm or structure making them feel like they don't belong in the piece of music. The track ends with warm synthetic chords over monotonous kick drums sounding soft.

The 3rd track on the record, 'The National Anthem', opens with a sharp, slow and deep bass melody which is present throughout the track. Drums kick in with symbols crashing, strange synth sounds and trumpets echo in the background. For the first minute and a half it sounds like perfected, organised, engineered chaos. Thoms vocals, again, sound alien building the busy, brash tone of the track. The horns kick in at the peak of the song sounding more like Radioheads early grunge records than the previous opening tracks to 'Kid A'. 'The National Anthem' almost as a reminder that everything is not okay as one might have thought; it is a return to reality.

Tracks continue to confuse in the subject of typical genre. 'How to Disappear Completely', 'Treefingers' and 'Motion picture soundtrack' are slow psychedelic features with long synth chords and Thom's soft voice while 'Optimistic', 'In Limbo' and 'Morning Bell' feel hard, sharp and angry receding back to Radioheads previous musical efforts however the track 'Idioteque' is almost techno with a hard kick and a sharp monotonous snare. It is one of the more experimental tracks on the album.

The whole record feels bleak, sharp but strangely warm; there is an element of hope if you dig hard enough. This is reminiscent of the artwork. The jagged mountain tops but the stillness of the sky above. Radiohead are often portrayed to produce dark material however I believe behind the long sharp notes, hard drums and strange vocals there is something else. A saving grace; a warm, fluffy blanket. A perfect metaphor of modern society run, and owned, by the internet and computers. On the other hand this record could just be a record, a 49 minute piece of music devoid of any metaphoric meaning.  

16 years later 'Kid A' feels more fresh than ever. It was, and still is, the perfect follow up to 'OK Computer'. 

The recording of Kid A was a big difference to Radiohead's normal recording process. Guitarist Ed O'Brein wanted the band to strip back to their roots once again playing guitar pop tunes while lead singer Thom Yorke, wanted different; he believed the band should explore different styles because its 'boring' being the same. 
They set to work on their forth album in a series of European studios finally settling for a studio in Oxford. They used a series of software including 'Cubase' for media sequencing and 'Protools' for the editing of tracks. The opening track was recorded using a Fender Rhodes Mk 1 piano bought by Thom Yorke in 1996 mic'ed up with a Shure SM57s however after trying the song again used a Sequential Circuits Prophet 5 they decided to stick with the second attempt. The title track also used a creepy sounding vo-coder for the vocals building on the eerie style of the record. This was all further manipulateed post production. Lead guitarist Johnny Greenwood fell in love with the Ondes Martenot synthesizer using it on tracks 'Kid A' and 'The National Anthem'. He got his hands on a 1 of 50 digital Ondes Martenot by contacting Maurice Martenot's son. This inspired 'Daft Punk' and 'Muse' to also use the synth. He also utilised a Moog Rogue to create the more abstract songs on the piece (1).
The track 'Motion Picture Soundtrack' was recorded using a pedal organ while other band members added sampled harp and double bass sounds. They tried to recreate the feel of an old 1950's Disney soundtrack. 
They finished recording in Spring of 2000 with over 30 songs under their belt. They were yet to know how to release the record touching into the idea of a double LP or a set of EPs however they were unable to find a track list they were happy with. This led to the album 'Amnesiac' released the next year. Known to many as the demo tapes from 'KID A'. The final mix was completed by Nigel Godrich, and was then continued to be mastered by Tim Rich in Abbey Road Studios (2)

1. Everything In Its Right Place 
2. Kid A
3. The National Anthem
4. How To Dissapier Completely 
5. Treefingers
6. Optimistic 
7. In Limbo
8. Idioteque 
9. Morning Bell
10. Motion Picture Soundtrack

Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, Thats What Im Not

Album Name - Whatever People Say I Am, Thats What Im Not

Producer - Domino Records

Artist - Arctic Monkeys

Year/Date - January 23rd, 2006

Genre - Rock, Indie Rock, Garage Rock, Post-Punk Revival


Indie rock had stood at a stagnant, dull stand still in Britain. 2005 saw Bloc Party's debut and Gorillaz's second album gain popularity however in 2006, people were grasping onto anything remotely indie rock. The words 'don't believe the hype' left a young, naive Alex Turners mouth and Britain had found the most important band since Brit-pop era Oasis.
Hot off the success of The Strokes's debut in 2001 the Arctic Monkeys continued the post-punk garage rock revival of growing popularity in a dull, pop filled new millennium. The Arctic Monkeys had the most attitude since Liam Gallagher and also had the power of social networking at their disposal. At the mere age of 20 Alex Turner had a lifetime of lyrics to accompany the bands aggressive but gripping tone. The guitar rifts reflected on the drum solos. It all just fit; fit in such a perfect manor it won them a mercury prize. (3)
The opening track, 'The View From The Afternoon' was loud, grabbing you in and forcing you to listen. This was followed by the records most powerful track; the track alone is, by choice, the soundtrack to most peoples youth. Fuelled by the relatable story's of adolescence, growing up in clubs and the antics those nights ensued; 'I Bet That You Look Good On The Dancefloor' is the modern Wonderwall. Proceeding this is the guitar hook heavy 'Fake Tales Of San Francisco'. Each song so different yet so similar delicately weaved together by the pure, not yet corrupt coolness of Alex Turner.
'Whatever People Say I Am, That's Whats I'm Not' is revolutionary due to the fact it is Britain's fastest selling debut album mainly because of the rise in social networking and the power the medium brought to artists and producers trying to get recognised. It inspired, and proceeded to create, the indie kid generation. (6)

The band played live together in one room but with the amps placed in separate rooms and the bass amp in a corridor for separation. Each musician had their own mini mixers to tailor their headphone mix to their own preference. Alex Turner also chose to sing live on a couple of the recordings (4).
The drum recording were achieved using more mikes than the Monkeys original demo recordings. Kick drum and toms were double miked in addition to the overheads and room mikes. The snare was miked top and bottom, with an AKG 451 placed at the side heavily compressed to give the kick a harder sound. Guitar and bass amps were also double miked. Vocals recorded through a Neumann M149 proceeding a Urei 1176 Compressor. (5)
The average number of takes for each song was around 4.
Overdubbing post production was kept to a minimal only overdubbing backing vocals, percussion and organ.
The whole album was recorded in 15 days at Chapel Studios, Lincolnshire in September 2005.

1. The View From The Afternoon

2. I Bet That You Look Good On The Dancefloor

3. Fake Tales Of San Fransisco

4. Dancing Shoes

5. You Probably Couldn't See The Lights But You Were Staring At Me

6. Still Take You Home

7. Riot Van

8. Red Light Indicates Doors Are Secure

9. Mardy Bum 

10. Perhaps Vampire Is A Bit Strong But... 

11. When The Sun Goes Down

12. From the Ritz To The Rubble

13. A Certain Romance

The Beatles - Abbey Road

Album Name - Abbey Road

Producer - Parlaphone

Artist - The Beatles

Year/Date - September 26th, 1969

Genre - Rock n'Roll

As last records go, this is one of the best. After a series of recording efforts looked down upon by 'The Beatles' themselves and their fans they decided to have one last go at it. Paul had said he wanted it 'like we used to' and George wanted a 'good album' so they rejoiced once more at EMI studios to record 'Abbey Road'. The Beatles at the time weren't getting along; John wanted to pursue his own musical career while Paul wanted to join the album but on his own terms, which he was granted. Despite their differences as a group 'Abbey Road' proved to people that, as a band, they were still in their prime producing lyrics and recording feats other groups at the time couldn't imagine.
'Abbey Road' is without a doubt the most consistent Beatles record. There were some strange moments  featured on 'Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band' and 'Revolver' which took you out of the fluency of the record however Abbey Road is the most fluent and consistent Beatles effort since 'Rubber Soul'. Every song is single worthy from the modern sounding 'Come Together' to the more psychedelic 'Octopus's Garden'. It all sounded like it belongs on the same record. The two singles from the album, 'Something' and 'Here Comes The Sun', are certainly highlights of the record; Both written by George Harrison it proved his songwriting credibility (6). 'Something', using a structure defining each set of instruments from strings to drums sounding almost like the tempo changes mid song to 'Here Comes The Sun' so well known even today it is covered and featured regularly in pop culture. It featured George on his acoustic guitar and introduced a 'moog synthesiser' to the album. (7)
While the singles are quite uplifting in the themes and musical tone many of the tracks from 'Abbey Road' are quite dark putting deep slow guitar melodies to good use. For example the track 'Because' has a distorted guitar sounding quite sharp before introducing an opera of voices from 'The Beatles' themselves sounding more like a psychedelic Queen track than a Beatles one. The track 'I Want You (She's So Heavy)' is slow dragging you through making you listen to each drum being hit and each guitar string being played to a point yet again you feel like the tempo of the song changes throughout as the tone drastically shifts from rock to straight psychedelic.
Side two of the record which has eleven song of the seventeen featured on the record feels like one long song rather than eleven shorter features; yet again 'The Beatles' continuing to innovate. 'Abbey Road' is also full of surprises from the brash modern sounding opening of 'Mean Mr. Mustard' to Ringo Stars relentless non stop drum playing on 'The End'.
It is without a doubt the best 'Beatles' album if not the best Rock n'Roll record ever recorded.

The first recording sessions was February 22nd, 1969 only three weeks after the 'Get Back' sessions. The last recording session was August 1st the same year.
'Abbey Road' was the first Beatles album to be recorded with an eight track sequencer allowing them to add 8 tracks of audio on a piece. Their previous efforts had either four or two. Paul McCartney actually said eight was too many.
John Lennon played a 'Moog Synthesiser' white noise effect during the track 'I Want You (She's So Heavy)' to simulate the wind. They recorded two versions of the track, one straight after the 'Get Back' sessions and one during the 'Abbey Road' recording sessions. Both sections ran for around 8 minuets making it 'The Beatles' second longest track. The wind effect created by the 'Moog' was overdubbed on the second half of the track. Paul, during the final edit, quickly halted recording making a jarring stop to the track and side one to the album. This finish fit in with the tone of the track.
This was the first Beatles production not to be produced in mono. Ringo Star said he used the toms a lot more in production than any other Beatles production. He had to be convinced to do a drum solo on 'The End' and only did one because he liked the new heads on his drums.
'Abbey Road' was recorded through a solid state transistor mixing desk, the 'TG12345 MK1'. This let the Beatles take full advantage of the eight track sequencer and overdubbing. The mixing desk had individual compression mesures and limiters per channel. (8)
After doing al the remixing and crossfades Paul accidentally left 'Her Majesty' in the tape. It features at the end of the record now as a homage to the mistake.
The recording clarity for the time was due to there being several microphones throughout the whole recording process. The drums on 'The End were recorded with two microphones to introduce the stereo sound.  (9)

1. Come Together 

 2. Something 

 3.  Maxwell's Silver Hammer

 4.  Oh! Darling

 5.  Octopus's Garden

 6.  I Want You (Shes So High)

 7.  Here Comes The Sun

 8.  Because

 9.  You Never Give Me Your Money

 10.  Sun King

 11. Mean Mr. Mustard

 12.  Polythene Pam

  13.  She Came Through The Bathroom Window
14.  Golden Slumbers
15. She Carries The Wait
16. The End
17. Her Majesty

Bibliography

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3. Quora. 2015. why are arctic monkeys so popular. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.quora.com/Why-are-the-Arctic-Monkeys-so-popular. [Accessed 22 September 2016].
4. NME. 2016. Why 'Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not' Is Still A Masterpiece - 10 Years . [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.nme.com/blogs/nme-blogs/whatever-people-say-i-am-thats-what-im-not-10-years-on. [Accessed 22 September 2016].
5. The Independent . 2016. Arctic Monkeys, 10 years on: How 'Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not' defined a generation. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/arctic-monkeys-10-years-on-how-whatever-people-say-i-am-thats-what-im-not-defined-a-generation-a6823046.html. [Accessed 22 September 2016]
6. Dimery et al. RD 2011, 1001 You Must Hear Before You Die. 5th Ed. London, Cassell Illustrated 
7. pitchfork. 2009. The Beatles - Abbey Road. [ONLINE] Available at: http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/13431-abbey-road/. [Accessed 26 September 2016].
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Unit 49 brief 1 - Setting up sound production equipment

Recording Studio Set Up

This will describe how to set up the recording studio in Landau Sixth Form.

First log into the computer (Username: Teacher, Password: sicko) and open the music software 'Cubase 7', not 6. The program should be in the applications folder.

For all the screens the pop up press cancel. When loaded head to 'file' and click on 'new project'. Click 'empty' from the tab on the right. 

Click on 'devices' then 'device set up' and check the audio driver (ASIO) is connected to the 'Onyx Firewire', the mixing desk, to check it is all set up. The preset under inputs and outputs should be set on 'Onyx'.

Head to 'project' then 'add track'. Do this for as many mono tracks you will need in your recording sessions. Using the bar on the right change the input to each track. Each input will respond to the numbered input on the mixing desk. 

To test audio comes out of the track press the monitor icon, small speaker, on the track. 

If everything is done correctly the audio should come out of the studio monitors. 

Effects

Equalisation: Equalisation boosts or reduces certain aspects of a sound. Normally the bass, mids and treble. Bass is the lower frequency sounds, mids are the middle frequency sounds normally vocals and treble are the high frequency sounds like hi-hats. For example if you wanted to change the volume of a bass guitar in a studio because it was more powerful than the other noises you could.

Reverb: Reverb is sound waves bouncing off walls until it reaches the listener. When speaking the sound will pass the listener, hitting the walls until the energy of the sound fades out. The sound hitting the walls slowly fading out is the reverb effect. If in a large hall with smooth walls the reverb will be longer as the sound waves reflect off the wall easier causing a longer reverb.

Compression: Compression is the gap in the dynamic range between the low and high frequency sounds. This is done by boosting the quieter signals and attenuating the louder audio signals. There is a ratio used throughout compression. For example 2:1 would be as soon as the sound hits the threshold (1) the sound decreases by half (2). Useful terms regarding compression are -

• Threshold - how loud the signal has to be before compression is applied.
• Ratio - how much compression is applied. For example, if the compression ratio is set for 6:1, the input signal will have to cross the threshold by 6 dB for the output level to increase by 1dB.
• Attack - how quickly the compressor starts to work.
• Release - how soon after the signal dips below the threshold the compressor stops.
• Knee - sets how the compressor reacts to signals once the threshold is passed. Hard Knee settings mean it clamps the signal straight away, and Soft Knee means the compression kicks in more gently as the signal goes further past the threshold.

Noise Gate: A noise gate is a hardware device or plugin that can be set to automatically mute the signal during parts of the audio track where the instrument is not being played, and un-mute again when the instrument is being played. Some noise gates are able to close partially thereby reducing the level rather than muting the signal altogether.

Flanger: Flanging is an audio process that combines two copies of the same signal, with the second delayed slightly, to produce a swirling effect - Used by artists such as 'Jimi Hendrix' and 'The Beatles', was originally created using two tape recorders.

Microphones

There are two types of microphones. Dynamic and Condenser. Microphones change the form of sound from sound waves to an electrical signal.

Dynamic are used for more high-pressure level sound. Sounds less delicate.  The top of a dynamic microphone is the capsule. The metal tip covering the capsule is called the guard. When using a microphone sound waves hit the diaphragm and vibrates. The diaphragm is connected to a coil. The vibrating of the sound waves causes the coil to move up and down creating an electrical signal, this process being called electromagnetic induction. This electrical signal travels down the body of the microphone, through the XLR cable into the pre amp boosting the electric signal sending it into the mixing desk.

Example: Shure SM58  (Silver for vocals) and Shure SM57 (Black for instruments)

Condenser microphones are much more delicate so are used for lower pressure sounds. Sounds like female voices or softer instruments. The sound waves hits the diaphragm, as it does the dynamic, however it hits something called the front plate. There is a small gap between the front and back plate. The sound hitting the front plate causes it to vibrate changing the distance between the front and back plate therefore changing the capacitor/current between the two places creating an electrical signal. Again this goes through the XLR cable and pre amp inputting into the mixing desk. These microphones need power however. A battery can be used or power from the mixing desk called phantom power which is 48 volts.

Example: AKG C1000s

Setting up a PA system correctly

First taking the boxes apart. The lids should be stood up to the side so they are not a tripping hazard. The boxes are on wheels so they can be pushed. The top of the boxes should be the mixing desk while the bottom should be the amplifier.  An amplifier boosts the signal from the mixing desk making the sound levels broader; bass is lower, treble is higher. When placed in position the mix desk’s wheels have clips preventing them from rolling. 

Moving the speakers into place is next. The bass bins (bigger out of the two sets of speakers) should be moved either side of the audience. They should be moved with two people. Lifted wit the legs and not the back. They are placed either side of the audience as the mixing desk is in a stereo format so there Is a left sound and a right sound. Mono is only one sound output. With stereo format one can control the placement of the sound with a control called panning.  A pole, called a pillar, is inserted into the base bin, which holds the other speaker. The other speakers output higher sounds so the mids and the treble. This other speaker is inserted on the top of each pillar, again lifted with two people with the legs not back. One must ensure everything is stable and on securely so nothing falls off. 

Next you have to connect the speakon cables to a power supply. Noted the power supply is the mains so there are electrical risks. These cables are thick as they carry the sound and a power supply to power the large speakers. The speakon cable should be taped to the floor so nobody trips over it. The speakon cable should be entered into the speaker and rotated until a click is heard. The left should go into A in the amp while the right should be inserted into B.

Next is connected the mixing desk to the amp. This requires jack leads. The left jack lead goes into STL while the right goes into STR (Stereo Left/Right). This is imputing sound from the mixing desk into the amplifier, which amplifies the sound and inputs in to the speakers.  Jack leads come in ¼ inch or 3.5mm.  This should also be connected to the mains again taping wires to the floor so there is no tripping over. You should also flat line the desk so it isn’t really loud when you plug in the microphone and you should be standing behind the speakers as if you stand in front the inputs and outputs will create a feedback loop which isn’t a nice sound.

Next is the microphone, which should be plugged into the mixing desk’s top channels. The microphone transudes inputted sound waves into electrical.  This is plugged in via XLR cables, which feature a male side and a female side. The female goes into the microphone and the male goes into the mixing desk.

Turn on desk.

Turn on speakers.

Level check with EQ’s being low, mid and high (Bass, mid and treble).

When packing up make sure everything is how you found and the wires are looped and taped up.

Equipment List

• Mixing desk, Yamaha EMX 5016 CF 
• Power Amp, ASX 18 dB Technology for mixing desk, the t.amp A1400 for main speaker, the t.amp A2400 for the sub speakers
• Sub Speakers (dBs)
• Main Speakers (dBs)
• Support Pillars 
• XLR Cables
• Speakon Cables
• Jack Cables
• Masking Tape
• Power Leads
• Shure SM58 Microphone

(Risk assessment is in RED)