In this assignment I will be looking at different equipment that is required for recording. I will be comparing different systems and pointing out the pros and cons of each system to make an informed decision on which one should be used in the scenarios.
HARD DISK RECORDER
The hard disk recorder is a piece of hardware equipment which is used to record and store audio files onto. It works as an external hard drive. The benefit of having a hard disk recorder is that they have a lot more space than your average USB stick and they can come with two hardrives. Another benefit of the hard disk recorder is that they wont crash like a computer could meaning that your files are safe from suddenly being lost due to your computer crashing and not saving your work.
AUDIO INTERFACE
An audio interface is basically an external soundcard. It converts analogue audio into digital audio so the computer can read the information. An audio interface can vary on the amount of inputs that it has. For example one audio interface may have only two xlr inputs this would make it a two channel audio interface. Audio interfaces have different sample rates and bit depths that they can perceive as well as send out.
Dynamic microphone
Dynamic microphones are used recording high spl sounds as they are less sensitive than a condenser microphone meaning they wont be damaged by these high sound pressure levels. They are used to capture the sound of the kick drum, and the toms on the drums and a electric guitar through an amplifier.
Condenser microphone
The condenser microphone is used for recording higher frequencies sounds such as acoustic guitars, vocals and the overheads for the drums. The condenser microphones is best with these kind of high frequencies because they are built especially for it.
Mixing desk
The mixing desk is used to combine and mix audio signals during a recording or a live broadcast. Mixing desks have several different features which are split into channel strips. Depending on the mixing desk it will have different amounts of channels and different form of eq and different numbers of bands. Each channels strip will have a gain control (Used to boost or cut the signal), EQ (used to edit frequencies) depending on the console these controls can vary for example a fully parametric EQ system would have two extra controls than a fixed EQ system but the concept is still the same. Auxiliaries which can be used to control effects such as reverb or delay or it can be used to send audio to a pair of headphones. Panning is used to place the signal somewhere in the stereo field. Lastly the fader is used to control the overall volume of the channel and to mix audio levels.
DAW
A digital audio workstation is a piece of software used for recording, playback and editing audio and MIDI. Programs like Cubase of Protools are used in the professional scene. Although some DAW's have advantages over others in certain aspects it's mainly down to personal preference for which one you use. Some general features that every DAW has is a mixer with all of the plug-ins and effects, EQ and the ability to record in audio and midi data.
Studio monitors
Studio monitors are speakers used for playbacks of audio. Monitor speakers can come in different forms such as two-way or three way monitors. Some monitors have a certain frequency band boosted (usually bass) however for studio monitors they should have a flat frequency response so you can create an accurate mix.
Cables
XLR CABLES
Xlr cables are three pin connections which are commonly used for connection microphones to and audio interface or some other device.
USB
USB cables can be used for a lot of different purposes such as connecting devices to and from your computer Midi controllers, audio interfaces)USB cables are also used to transfer different types of digital information such as MIDI and digital audio.
RCA
RCA cables are stereo cables which are used to transfer analogue audio. They are usually used to connect monitor speakers to a audio interface.
AKG c414
The AKG is a multi purpose condenser microphone with a lot of standout features which makes it useful in many different situations.
The AKG c414 has the ability to change the polar pattern that it uses, making it useful for all kinds of situations such as recording vocals, guitar or drums. For example for the voice over scenario you could use the cardioid polar pattern to capture a clear precise voice recording. For the 3 piece Jazz recording you could use a different polar pattern such as using the omnidirectional polar pattern on the drum kit.
This microphone has the ability to reduce the dB level going into it making it perfect for higher SPL uses such as kick drums or loud vocals. This makes the microphone a good choice in the rock band scenario as you could use it for every instrument and change the dB reduction level accordingly. For example the drums you might want to reduce it by 12 or even 18 depending on how hard the drummer is playing it. For vocals you might just want to reduce the dB level by 6 if the vocalist is shouting down the microphone.
Another feature of this microphone is that it has a frequency filter on it allowing it to filter out certain frequencies creating a better recording for different instruments. For example when recording the bass for both the Jazz 3 piece and the band you may want to get rid of some of the high end by selecting 80 hz or even 160 to only capture the low end sounds. For the voice over this feature might be used to reduce a certain frequency which is standing out in the ambient noise.
Another feature of this microphone is that it has the standard frequency response of 20hz-20khz but also has a flat frequency response line which means that the frequency isn't effected by dB level. This means that the microphone is more reliable and you don't have to worry about it being effected by how loud the sound the microphone is receiving. Another important point is that the frequency line is flat on each polar pattern.
Focusrite Clarett 8 pre
The focusrite clarett 8 pre is an audio interface with several features that we can use for the three scenarios.
The focusrite has 8 inputs which is just the right amount of inputs we will need for recording our three different clients. There are 6 combi jack on the back on the system and two on the front, this means that you can plug in either xlr cables or jack to jack cables. This is good because it's the exact amount of inputs that we need so we aren't buying more inputs for no purpose. The two combi jacks on the front of the system have phantom power buttons for condenser microphones.
Another feature of the focusrite clarett 8 pre is that it has a display screen on the front of the device which allows you to see the levels of the signals coming into the audio interface. There are 8 knobs which allows you to change the gain on every input channel. You could use this as a make shift mixer.
The 'AIR' function of this device is an extra circuit in the mic pre which gives the sound a bit more top end. It's usually used for things captured by condenser microphone such as vocals, high hats and over heads.
The focusrite clarett 8 pre comes with the focusrite control software which allows you to tamper and configure signal routings, monitoring options as well as the option to control the global hardware setting, things like sample rate and synchronisation can be changed using this feature.
Fostex D2424 hard drisk recorder
One feature of the Fostex D2424 has is an attached remote which allows you to easily flick through the hard drive and playback the audio files. The remote has a screen on it which allows you to see what files you are selecting, a play button, a stop button, auto play, fast forward, execute/yes key which allows you to execute a non destructive editing function such as copy, paste and erase.
As briefly mentioned earlier one of the standout features is that you can do several non destructive editing actions. You can copy, paste, moving the file and erase. The good thing about these small features is that you organise files without having to search through all the other files inside of your computer. Using these features you could section all of your drums for the rock band ep into one folder or have all of the instrument parts for one song in a folder on the hard disk recorder.
Soundcraft ghost 24
Each of the 24 channels has a line input, a microphone input and phantom power for every channel which allows us to use as many condenser microphones as we want for our three tasks. The desk also has multi bussing on every channel so we can assign channels to busses. You could use this during the recording of the 3 piece Jazz demo so you can mix three different faders instead of five or even more. Each channel has direct outs on it.
The soundcraft ghost has a LED display for each channel which shows you the gains for each individual channel. This coupled with the gain knob makes it incredibly easy and efficient to manage the gain levels for each channel. The display also has a left and right bar which shows you how loud the left side is or how loud the right side is which helps to create an even sounding mix on the fly. This would be good when recording the 3 piece Jazz demo as you could mix the demo while recording it into the DAW of your choosing.
The desk has four band eq with high/low shelving EQ as well as two fully parametric Eq's for the mids. This means that you can really go into detail on your mid frequencies when cutting and boosting. But have less options when it comes to the highs and lows. Shelving filters allow you to boost or cut frequencies above or below a certain point. It works a lot like a filter.
