The
Ribbon mics continue to impress with a great new acoustic session from
Graham Hodge CHECK IT OUT. The
BIG IDEA is to run a studio recording materclass weekend. Look out for
details!!!!!!!!!
Microphones
come in all shapes and sizes, and price ranges and today you can
buy a very nice condenser microphone for a fraction of the price
paid a few years ago. Home recording has prompted a huge increase
in sound recording for the hobbyist and the internet is full of
sites reviewing and selling recording equipment. It's very difficult
now to buy a bad microphone and with a little care and experience
you can make a pretty passable recording of just about anything
with a few sub £100 microphones. There are thousands of
models to choose from and we are constantly asked what is the
best mic for recording a particular instrument or style of music.
The answer is there isn’t one. I have heard some great recordings
made with a couple of Shure 57s and 58s and you really don’t
need a German valve condenser mic running through a Neve preamp
to make a great recording. What you do need is some practice and
experience. If you put a fantastic valve condenser in front of
a really good singer in a small boxy room, guess what? it will
sound boxy. You can put a terrible band into the most expensive
studio in the world for a month and I guarantee it will sound
terrible. But if you have a decent mic in a decent room with a
decent singer you can actually make a very good recording.
For
more technical spec and reviews visit our Links
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Recording
The secret is to understand the recording chain and all the
elements have to be in place to get it right. If you have good
performers with tuned instruments (and that includes the voice)
and they are in a nice sounding space, then with a little experimentation
of mic position you can get a good recording from almost any
microphone. There have been a number of listening tests where
the listeners weren’t told which mic they were listening
to and dependent on the room and position people often preferred
the sound of a £70 Shure to a £1500 Neumann. It
really is down to confidence and experience. Have a listen to
the drum sounds on some of the great 60s albums like Sgt Pepper
and you can't really hear the kick or the toms but the songs
sound fantastic. Even better check out Bebop a Lula by Gene
Vincent and hear what can be done with a couple of old ribbon
mics and a mono tape recorder. Stunning!
So, don’t get bogged down with the idea that you can't
record decent music without spending thousands of pounds on
the latest must have gear. Use what you’ve got
and experiment with different mic positions and more importantly
different rooms. The best advice is to go down to your local
club and start recording the bands. Then you'll realise why
every live venue has a box full of SM57s and 58s.
This is probably the most fundamental point in the whole of
sound engineering chain. Use any decent microphone and experiment.
Try different positions and microphones to see which one works
best on that particular day.
