Here you will find some general information on recording techniques commonly found in books and internet resources which can increase your understanding on the recording process and help your session at Digital Services Recording Studio.

Recording is essentially the process of capturing an audio source onto a medium that can be played back for later listening. This can be done in a number of ways. The most popular way consists of a Microphone pointed at an audio source and hooked up in to a Microphone Pre-Amp. The pre-amp amplifies the signal and sends it out to an audio interface such as a sound card or a tape machine where it will be converted to either a digital signal to be saved on a hard drive or magnetic energy to be saved on tape. What microphones to use and how to use them largely depends on the type of music you are recording and the sound you are going for.

Proper microphone selection is essential for a great recording. One of the most common microphones you will find in both a recording studio and a live music venue is the Shure SM-57. This is not a one mic does it all; however it does work in a lot of demanding situations. We often use the SM-57 on Snare Drums and loud Guitar Amplifiers. The SM-57 is a Dynamic Microphone which consists of a diaphragm attached to a movable coil that vibrates with the air pressure of the sound. The coil moves within a magnetic field and generates an electric current. Dynamic Microphones do not require any additional power other than the sound itself! Neumann microphones are often found in studio applications because of their quality and crisp reproduction of the audio source. Most of the Neumann microphones are called Condenser Microphones. A Condenser Microphone picks up sound by an electrically charged, metalized diaphragm which is separated from a conductive back plate by a thin air layer. Sound waves striking the diaphragm cause a minuscule voltage change, which is increased by a tiny amplifier circuit within the mic body. Since power is require by both the microphone capsule and the amplifier circuit, these microphones must have an additional power source which is normally “phantom power” from a mixing console such as our Solid State Logic 6000E Series console, or an external power supply like that found on the TLM 149 that we often use on vocals.

Microphone placement is the next step in a great recording after selecting your microphone. Placement depends on the microphone, and the style of music you are trying to record. The best time is to keep moving the microphone around and testing it until you get a sound you are happy with. There are some general placement patterns that you will often find engineers using however. These placement patterns have been tested but aren’t guaranteed for every application. One common microphone placement for a guitar amplifier would be to stick a Shure SM-57 straight and perpendicular to the cone of a speaker in the cabinet a couple inches from the grill. Then take another SM-57 and place it about 45 degrees on axis from the cone at the same distance as the first microphone.

Microphone selection and placement are big subjects which take up many big books of information. Here are some links to online resources for recording information:

Home Recording BBS – A popular forum for recording enthusiasts.
http://www.homerecording.com/

Microphones – Information on microphones and how they work
http://arts.ucsc.edu/ems/music/tech_background/TE-20/teces_20.html

Microphone Placement – Information on microphone placement
http://www.pfarrell.com/prc/michints.html