Author Archives: dashel15

Compression, EQ, Drums Notes, DAC, Reverb

DAC

  • ADC- Analog Digital Converter

 

  • DAC- Digital Analog Converter

 

  • The Highest Sample Rate You Can Use = Improved Fidelity

 

  • A digital sample is an instantaneous voltage measurement

 

  • Bit depth 24 bits per sample

 

  • 16 bits is the standard for CDs

 

Mix Reverb

 

  • The % of dry vs. wet

 

  • Decay Time (short) .7-1.5 secs, (long) 4.5

 

  • Diffusion: How are the frequencies that goes in going to spread out?

 

  • Cut below 200 Hz Cut

 

  • Pad is every volume dropped

 

Drums

 

  • Low frequency detail two mics on the ground one up top
  • Near coincident
  • Two mics 8 feet out from the floor in a stone arc went in a delay device
  • Binary means it’s made with two components
  • Dynamic= Changing         Refers to volume in music
  • Dynamic range is the highest and lowest volume that a mic or circuit can get
  • Compressors control dynamic range boost lows and cuts highs (volume not frequency), controls volume
  • Expanders expand dynamic range
  • Threshold- Is the point in the signal that the compressor works “time for me to compress not time for me to compress”
  • Ratio- 4:1 ratio compressing took it down to 25% if it goes over the threshold you dial these in as well as the threshold
  • Attack- how soon after it reaches the threshold do I compress
  • Release

 

Guidelines of Compression

o   Vocal ratio between 4 and 8 to 1

o   About 6 db of gain reduction after threshold

o   4 to one magic ratio for basses

o   Parallel Compression- you get a regular version as well as a compressed version

o   Ducking the bass compresses the bass

o   Multi-band compression Signal in split into 4 compressors each picks up different frequencies – knock you down mixes

Equalizers

Two Categories

Peaking- Peak at 1000… Peak however many db at 1000 and nothing else

Center frequency is the most affected frequency

Shelving- Peak and then everything above it is also consistent raise at     the same db

 

 

 

ABBA

Article by Micheal Trentow -http://abbamikory.blogs.com/abbamikory/2013/05/interesting-interview-with-michael-b-tretow-in-february-1980.html

ABBA Documentary -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MoMFMPVCL-A

Dancing Queen -https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=dancing+queen

Take a Chance on Me -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-crgQGdpZR0

The ABBA Experience

  • ABBA is a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm Sweeden in 1972, comprising Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad
  • The name “ABBA” is an acronym for the first letter of each band member’s name.
  • ABBA has sold over 380 million albums and singles worldwide although the band was only active for ten years 1972-1982. One of the band’s greatest hits “Dancing Queen” has been commonly regarded as one of the most successful singles of the 1970s as well one of the greatest songs of all time (rated 174 on RS 500 greatest songs of all time).
  • The band mixed in Polar Music Studios in Stockholm, Sweden where other famous artist such as Led Zeppelin, The Ramones, and the Beastie Boys recorded. A Harrison 4032 mixing console was used, which was modified by technician Leif Mases to give it a unique sound, which almost resembled a Neve. The Harrison 4032 Console is famous for recording Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” as well as tracks from bands such as Blondie, Beach Boys, Sade and many others. The 4032 is still sought out by collectors for it’s distinct vintage quality.
  • The band’s mixing engineer was Michael B Tretow born August 20th 1944 (his birthday is today!).
  • Drums

When recording drums they were almost always put in an isolated drum booth to get a more dry sound and to avoid leakage onto other tracks.

o   The toms were recorded with AKG 414’s;

o   The bass drum and the bottom of the snare were recorded with RE 20s; and at the top of the snare was a CK1.

o   To get the overall sound of the kit he would place 2 mics about 7 ½ feet apart on the ground (he read this in a US recording magazine). He never used limiting or compression on the drums and only relied on ‘good old tape saturation.

C34 and U87 used for VOX

U87 for acoustic guitar

Glockenspiel- RCA DX66

 

 

 

  • Piano/Synth

o   The grand piano is cut with three 414s in the sound holes.

o   The middle mic is limited and fed through the MXR Flanger

o   Polymoog synth feed it through a Dolby 361 unit in the decode position.

  • Guitar

o   Guitar amps isolated in a closet or a separate room

o   Fed through a MXR Flanger

o   2 Mics, Dynamic for the amp and Condenser for the room

 

-To add ambience to the overall track, after the final take was recorded Michael would ask the band to overdub all the instruments and record them with two ambience mics only

 

Homework Week 1

Questions for Week 1

1. Talkback is a way to communicate with with the artist in the recording area

2. Slating is when the engineer records their voice onto the track at the beginning of a track to identify the song and the take

3. A mic preamp is what the mic signal goes through so it can be brought up to a level that other equipment can process because mic signal are originally pretty weak

4. Mic level is signal strength -60dB

5. Line level is signal strength +4dB

6. Four sections of mixing counsel

Input- signals going in

Output- signals going out

Monitor- Allows you to listen to signal

Communications- allows talkback to artists

7. Direct sound is sound that has not been reflected

8. Early reflections- The sound that arrives later that the direct sound and has bounced of the recording spaces but only 1 or 2 bounces

9. Echo is a repetition of sound

Reverb is the persistence of sound after the sound is produced

10. mix- change eq/levels

edit- move/record/delete tracks. display audio/waveforms

11. You can use AU tracks to route signals and cannot record on them directly