Dear fellow musicians,
I have been staying away from my blog for too long! I guess I just got too caught up in daily life issues. Truth is, I have been spending most of my free time in the studio, learning the ropes of recording. It has been an interesting journey so far. Starting at zero, I first learned about the physics of sound. Learned how the soundwaves travel through air and how a perfect recording situation can be built up within various room shapes.
I learned about different converter principles (basicalls microphone technologies), learned which ones to use for which instruments and how to position them correctly.
Moreover I had to really dig myself through a number of Pro Tools and Logic X tutorials.
Today, I wanna start this little blog series called „Studio and recording series“, in which I will share some of the insights I have gained so far. This first episode covers various microphone types by brands such as AKG, Shure and Sennheiser. So, let´s get started:
If you plan on buying a little set of mics for home recording, these microphones might be interesting to look at:
Shure SM 58 (good price, very stable, very popular for vocals (more live, than in the studio), drums and even guitar recordings (just take of the basket).
Shure SM 57 – very similar to the SM 58, similar price range, but more suited for instruments, than vocals
Shure SM7B – a legendary microphone, as it was used by Michael Jackson for the recordings of Thriller. Originally designed more for speakers than singers, this mic stands for excellent sound quality. It is rather sensitive, but makes for a warm sound.
AKG C 414 – a perfect mic for vocals, guitars, even snare drums (if applied underneath the snare) or base amp recordings (careful though! It shouldnt be placed to closely to the amp!). This mic is very sensitive, and very honest. It´s much more pricey than the Shure mics, I just named, but well worth the investment, if you plan on going professional in the long run!
So let´s take a closer look at the mics and their „personalities“ 😉
Shure SM 58: The Shure SM 58 is a dynamic microphone, which basically means that it is an immersion coil microphone. Mikes of that type can deal well with low (base) frequencies and still work well for the higher notes. They have a resilient membrane. However, because of that resilience, they have problems grasping the high frequencies rather accurately. If you want to use the SM 58 for vocal recordings in the studio, you will have to give it a try to see if you like the way it reproduces your voice. Some love it, some don´t!
The Shure SM57 is very similar to the SM58. It is basically like a SM58 without the basket. You can use the SM57 for plenty of instruments. Whether you wanna record drums (e.g. the snare, the toms, the crashes), or for bass/guitar amp recordings. The SM 57 is pretty much a must have I´d say!
The AKG C414 is a condenser microphone. Microphones of that type, work on the basis of condenser plates that capture the vibration by measuring the alternating distances between both plates. They are highly sensitive and may not be suited for very low frequencies, as these frequencies might actually harm the membrane. They are perfect for mid and high ranges though and give back a very realistic sound. If you are a singer with little experience, this mic might be too sensitive for you to start with! It doesn´t hide anything;) It comes with various „directivity patterns“ and is very versatile though! Take it to record guitars, vocals, base or percussions if you like.
To give you a better idea of how to use the different mikes, I´d like to share this picture with you from last Saturday. We recorded a drumset (without toms, but with a woodblock and a second snare as a timbale).
Take a close look at all the microphones. Can you spot how many there are?
We were using Shure SM57s for the woodblock, the timbale on the right, the snare (and additionally a AKG C414 underneath the snare). We used the AKG C414 for the highhat and 2 overhead mics to record the entire drumset additionally.
The basedrum was recorded with a AKG D112 and (you won´t be able to spot that one) a Shure Beta 91 inside the drum! See how the microphones were placed. The difficulty lies in recording a specific drum element without recording to much of the other drums.
Send me your questions and comments! I am only starting out in the field of audio recording, so I am excited to hear other opinions.
Enjoy the rest of the weekend!
Yours,
Katie