Chapter 6 Excerpt

“Basic Multichannel Tracking”

Choosing The Right Mic

While it’s safe to say that most engineers rely on experience when choosing microphones, there are some things to think about when selecting a microphone.

    There’s no one microphone that does every single thing.”

    Michael Beinhorn

Select a microphone that compliments the instrument that you’ll be recording. 

For instance, if you have an instrument that has a very edgy top end, you wouldn’t want to choose a mic that also has that quality since those frequencies will be emphasized.  Instead, choose a mic that’s a bit more mellow, such as a ribbon.  This is one of the reasons that a ribbon mic works so well on brass, for instance.

Is the mic designed to be used in the “free-field” or in the “diffuse-field”? 

Free field means that the sound source dominates what the mic hears.  Diffuse field means that the reflections play a large role in what the mic hears. Mics designed for free field use have a very flat frequency response in the high frequencies, and as a result can sound dull when placed further away.  Diffuse field mics have a boost in the upper frequencies that make them sound flat when placed further away.

Select a mic that won’t be overloaded by the source. 

You wouldn’t want to put a ribbon mic or many condensers on a snare drum with a heavy hitting drummer, for instance.

Choose the right polar pattern for the job. 

If leakage is a consideration, then choose a mic with the proper directional capabilities for the job. If a mic is flat on-axis, it will roll off the highs when it’s 90 degrees off-axis.  If it’s flat 90 degrees off-axis, it will have a rising high end when it’s on-axis.

Is proximity effect an issue? 

If close-miking, will the bass buildup from proximity be too much?  If so, consider an omni.

Microphone Considerations

1. •Condensers of a given polar pattern will tend to give you more room sound than dynamics of the same polar pattern
   

2. •Omni’s will give you lower bass extension compared to cardioids 
   

3. •Large diaphragm condensers have lower self noise than small diaphragm condensers
   

4. •Small diaphragm condensers are generally less colored off-axis than large diaphragm condensers
   

The Secret Of Getting Good Sounds

Contrary to what many who are starting out in recording might think, just having great equipment doesn’t guarantee a great sound.  While you can’t really quantify how much each variable contributes to how something ultimately sounds (since each situation, even within the same project, is unique), you can generally break it down to something like this:

1. •The Player and the instrument contributes about 50% to the overall sound (sometimes a little more, sometimes a little less – but always the greatest portion)
   

1. •The Room contributes about 20% to the overall sound (even on close-miked instruments, the room is far more responsible for the ultimate sound than many engineers realize)
   

1. •The Mic Position contributes about 20% to the overall sound (placement is really your acoustic EQ and is responsible for the instrument’s blend in the track)
   

1. •The Mic Choice contributes about 10% to the overall sound (this is the last little bit that takes a good sound and makes it great)
   

If something doesn't sound right, there are a lot of things to change before you reach for the EQ. Try the following in this order:

1. •Change the source, if possible (the instrument you are miking)
   

2. •Change the mic placement
   

3. •Change the placement in the room
   

4. •Change the mic
   

5. •Change the mic preamplifier
   

6. •Change the mount of compression and/or limiting (from none to a lot)
   

7. •Change the room (the actual room you are recording in)
   

8. •Change the player
   

9. •Come back and try it another day
   

“I don’t use any EQ when I record.  I use the mics for EQ.  I don’t even use any compression.  The only time I might use a little bit of compression is maybe on the kick, but for most Jazz dates I don’t.”

Al Schmitt

“One of my big things is not to use EQ, or as little as possible, and not to add any but find what’s offensive and get rid of that as opposed to cranking other stuff to compensate.”

Mack

Secrets Of Mic Placement

Quickly finding a mics optimum position is perhaps the single most useful talent an engineer can have. Bruce Sweiden says mics are the voodoo magic of recording. Steve Albini says every mic has some place where it will sound best. Sometimes the search resembles questing for the Holy Grail. You should always trust your ears and begin by listening to the musician in your studio, find a sweet spot and then begin your microphone placement there. If you don’t like the resultant sound, then move the mic or swap it with another.  EQ is the last thing you should touch.

“I’ve been doing this long enough to know that a change in microphones or position is worth a lot more than tweaking EQs.  I have a tendency to think that if you start tweaking EQs too soon then you going to miss some obvious things, so the first thing I do is get the session sounding great flat.”

Frank Filipetti

REMEMBER:  Mics cannot effectively be placed by sight, which is a mistake that is all too easy to make (especially after reading a book like this). The best mic position cannot be predicted, it must be found.

To Find The “Sweet Spot”

1. -To correctly place an omni microphone, cover one ear and listen with the other. Move around the player or sound source until you find a spot that sounds best.
   

1. -To place a cardioid microphone, cup your hand behind your ear and listen. Move around the player or sound source until you find a spot that sounds best.
   

1. -For a stereo pair, cup hands behind both ears. Move around the player or sound source until you find a spot that sounds best.
   

Before you start swapping gear, know that the three most important factors in getting the sound you want are mic position, mic position and mic position.

1) Get the instrument to make the sound you want to record first. If you can’t hear it, you can’t record it.

“The major trick in all of this ……..is that you go out in the studio, stand next to the conductor and listen to what’s going on.  You’re job is to go in and capture exactly what he wants to hear out there.  So my microphone techniques are still the same as they were 30 years ago.”

Al Schmitt

2) Use the cover-one-ear-and-listen technique as described above to find the best place to start experimenting with mic position.

3) Position the mic and listen. Repeat as much as necessary.