recording review sheet.pdf

4
Name: ___________________ Biggest strength as a recording engineer: ________________________________ Questions that require thought, not recall. Process, not definitive answers. Questions you don’t know the answer to. Questions about Projects 1C5 and InCClass Project Questions about Signal Flow (see separate PDF) Questions about the studio Questions that involve planning for a recording (How would you plan to record X, and why? What backup approaches would you have? How would this relate to a final product?) Questions that involve unknown equipment (Someone shows you a weird object and asks you to record him playing it. How would you go about the process?) Questions that involve troubleshooting What is the effect of preamp gain on your final sound in the mix? How does gain affect leakage/bleed? How does the need for additional gain affect your choice of mic placement? 1) What do we mean by masking? Masking is a phenomenon in which a sound with greater amplitude (the mask) causes us to not hear another sound with similar frequency and lower amplitude. Masking occurs for a period of time (~30ms) before the masking signal is present, and for a period of time after (~200ms). 2) What techniques do we use to overcome masking issues? Many! Some are: Simple manipulation of levels, spectral management to give each element of the mix its own space in the frequency spectrum, and temporal techniques that move competing signals out of masking range. 3) How is masking different from combCfiltering? How is it the same? a) Masking is a phenomenon of human perception, while combKfiltering is a phenomenon of physics… that is, we hear combKfiltering, and analysis tools (frequency analyzers, etc.) can detect it, while we DON’T hear masked frequencies, even though analysis tools still detect the frequencies that are masked in our perception. b) Masking involves a single frequency affecting only similar frequencies. CombKfiltering involves a frequency and all its harmonics across the spectrum. c) CombKfiltering and masking are both phenomena that involve frequency6dependent cancellation of sound that occurs when two signals are combined. 4) Describe how to set up an MCS decoding matrix in ProTools. List/draw all tracks and bussing, etc. Assume input is on two mono tracks labeled “M” and “S”, and ultimate output should be a stereo pair called “Out 1C2” (THIS IS THE MASTER FADER FROM CLASS TODAY). How would you adjust the parameters of the decoding matrix in this setup? In 1 —> Track M —> Bus 3K4 (panned center) In 2 —> Track S —> Bus 1 Bus 1 —> Track +S —> Bus 3 Bus 1 —> Track KS —> PHASE INVERT —> Bus 4 Bus 3K4 —> Track STEREO —> Out 1K2 To adjust the stereo width, use faders on tracks M and S. More S = more stereo width. 5) If you were to add spot mics to this MS setup, where would they fit into the mix described in part 4? They should be sent ultimately to Out 1K2. They should NOT be sent to Bus 1, Bus 3, or Bus 4 K that is, they should

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  • Name:&___________________&&Biggest&strength&as&a&recording&engineer:&________________________________&&&Questions&that&require&thought,&not&recall.&&Process,&not&definitive&answers.&&Questions&you&dont&know&the&answer&to.&&Questions&about&Projects&1C5&and&InCClass&Project&Questions&about&Signal&Flow&(see&separate&PDF)&Questions&about&the&studio&Questions&that&involve&planning&for&a&recording&(How%would%you%plan%to%record%X,%and%why?%%What%backup%approaches%would%you%have?%%How%would%this%relate%to%a%final%product?)&Questions&that&involve&unknown&equipment&(Someone%shows%you%a%weird%object%and%asks%you%to%record%him%playing%it.%%How%would%you%go%about%the%process?)&Questions&that&involve&troubleshooting&&What&is&the&effect&of&preamp&gain&on&your&final&sound&in&the&mix?&How&does&gain&affect&leakage/bleed?&How&does&the&need&for&additional&gain&affect&your&choice&of&mic&placement?&&1)&What&do&we&mean&by&masking?&Masking%is%a%phenomenon%in%which%a%sound%with%greater%amplitude%(the%mask)%causes%us%to%not%hear%another%sound%with%similar'frequency%and%lower%amplitude.%Masking%occurs%for%a%period%of%time%(~30ms)%before%the%masking%signal%is%present,%and%for%a%period%of%time%after%(~200ms).&&2)&What&techniques&do&we&use&to&overcome&masking&issues?&Many!%%Some%are:%Simple%manipulation'of'levels,%spectral'management%to%give%each%element%of%the%mix%its%own%space%in%the%frequency%spectrum,%and%temporal'techniques%that%move%competing%signals%out%of%masking%range.%&&3)&How&is&masking&different&from&combCfiltering?&How&is&it&the&same?&a)%Masking%is%a%phenomenon%of%human'perception,%while%combKfiltering%is%a%phenomenon%of%physics%that%is,%we%hear%combKfiltering,%and%analysis%tools%(frequency%analyzers,%etc.)%can%detect%it,%while%we%DONT%hear%masked%frequencies,%even%though%analysis%tools%still%detect%the%frequencies%that%are%masked%in%our%perception.%b)%Masking%involves%a%single'frequency'affecting'only'similar'frequencies.%%CombKfiltering%involves%a%frequency'and'all'its'harmonics'across'the'spectrum.%c)%CombKfiltering%and%masking%are%both%phenomena%that%involve%frequency6dependent'cancellation'of'sound'that'occurs'when'two'signals'are'combined.&&4)&Describe&how&to&set&up&an&MCS&decoding&matrix&in&ProTools.&List/draw&all&tracks&and&bussing,&etc.&Assume&input&is&on&two&mono&tracks&labeled&M&and&S,&and&ultimate&output&should&be&a&stereo&pair&called&Out&1C2&(THIS&IS&THE&MASTER&FADER&FROM&CLASS&TODAY).&&How&would&you&adjust&the&parameters&of&the&decoding&matrix&in&this&setup?&&In%1%>%Track%M%>%Bus%3K4%(panned%center)%In%2%>%Track%S%>%Bus%1%%Bus%1%>%%Track%+S%>%Bus%3%Bus%1%>%Track%KS%>%PHASE%INVERT%>%Bus%4%%Bus%3K4%>%%Track%STEREO%>%Out%1K2%%To%adjust%the%stereo%width,%use%faders%on%tracks%M%and%S.%%More%S%=%more%stereo%width.&&5)&If&you&were&to&add&spot&mics&to&this&MS&setup,&where&would&they&fit&into'the'mix'described'in'part'4?&&They%should%be%sent%ultimately%to%Out%1K2.%%They%should%NOT%be%sent%to%Bus%1,%Bus%3,%or%Bus%4%K%that%is,%they%should%

  • only%mix%with%the%L/R%STEREO%output%of%the%MS%matrix,%not'with'anything'in'the'matrix'itself.%%7)&What&is&the&difference&between&additive&and&subtractive&EQ,&and&when&is&each&best&used?&Additive%EQ%is%boosting,%or%increasing%the%amplitude%of%a%specific%frequency%range.%%Subtractive%EQ%is%cutting,%or%reducing%amplitude%of%a%specific%frequency%range.%%Additive%EQ%is%generally%used%to%enhance'sound'and'make'positive'changes'to'tonality,%while%subtractive%EQ%is%generally%used%to%remove'problems.%%Additive%EQ%often%covers%a%wider%range%of%frequencies%(Q)%to%provide%a%naturalKsounding%change%of%tone;%Subtractive%EQ%is%often%surgical,%narrow%and%deep%to%cut%out%exactly%whats%unwanted%without%affecting%overall%tone.&&8)&Whats&a&bus?&&&Basically%a%wire;%a%signal'path'between'elements'of'a'mixer'or'DAW%in%which%signals%from%various'sources'can'be%combined,%and%from%which%this%combined%signal%can%be%sent'to'multiple'destinations.&&1)&Name,&draw,&and&label&5&stereo&miking&techniques.&&3)&How&do&humans&perceive&stereo?&&How&do&various&mic&techniques&approximate&this?&Temporal%and%intensity%cues.%%UNDERSTAND%WHAT%THESE%MEAN!%&Describe&a&situation&where&one&stereo&technique&would&clearly&be&better&than&another.&Use&everything&you&know&about&stereo&techniques&to&explain&why.&Why&is&what&matters.&&1)&What&is&the&difference&between&a&pressure&microphone&and&a&pressureCgradient&microphone?&2)&Imagine&a&new&cardioid&microphone,&the&{Your&Name}&245C.&&Draw&it's&pickup&pattern,&including&lines&at&100&Hz,&1000&Hz,&and&5000&Hz.&3)&What&are&the&differences&in&transient&response&between&a&condenser&and&dynamic&mic?&&How&would&this&affect&your&recording&of&whale&song?&4)&If&you&want&to&get&approximate&the&sound&of&an&omni&mic&with&a&cardioid&mic,&how&would&you&place&it&(in&terms&relative&to&the&placement&of&the&omni&mic).&5)&Oh&no!&&That&sound&is&way&too&bright!&&What&can&we&do&with&the&mic&to&help&this?&6)&What&kind&of&mic&would&you&choose&to&record&a&woman&singing&to&a&flock&of&sheep,&and&the&sheep&singing&back?&&&&&&&&&&&1)&To&the&right&is&a&diagram&of&an&analog&waveform.&&Illustrate&how&a&digital&representation&would&be&derived.&&Make&sure&your&illustration&demonstrates&sample&rate&and&sample&size.&

    &

  • &&&&&&2)&Illustrate&on&the&right&a&digital&representation&that&does&not&accurately&capture&the&frequency&of&the&analog&waveform.&&&

    &&&&&&&&3)&Notice&that&this&diagram&has&two&complete&cycles.&&Illustrate&two&different&sample&sizes,&one&on&each&cycle&(e.g.,&2Cbit&sampling&on&the&first&cycle,&3Cbit&sampling&on&the&second).&

    &&4)&Illustrate&on&the&back&of&this&page&what&happens&when&the&analog&signal&has&an&amplitude&greater&than&that&corresponding&to&Full&Scale.&&1)&What&is&a&decibel?&&2)&What&are&some&common&decibel&scales?&&&3)&What&is&digital&audio?&How&is&it&represented?&(Assume&PCM)&&4)&What&are&some&differences&between&digital&and&analog&audio?&&5)&What&is&determined&by&sample&rate?&&&&6)&What&is&determined&by&sample&size?&&7)&What&do&we&mean&by&dBFS?&&

  • 8)&What&is&the&loudest&sound&we&can&represent&in&digital&audio?&The&quietest?&&9)&What&is&catastrophic&and&graceful&in&digital&and&analog&audio?&&10)&How&do&we&relate&different&scales&in&the&studio?&&1.&How&would&you&record&a&piano?&&2.&How&would&you&record&a&string&quartet&on&the&beach?&What&unique&challenges&would&you&face?&&3.&How&would&you&record&a&live&opera&performance?&What&unique&challenges&would&you&face?&&4.&Oh&no!&&You're&recording&with&a&stereo&pair,&but&you&don't&hear&any&sound&on&right&side.&&Draw%a%decision&tree&to&diagnose&the&problem.&&Maybe&on&the&back&of&this&page,&so&you&have&room.&&5.&What's&the&most&important&piece&of&gear&in&your&recording&setup?&Why?&&6.&Describe&the&main&parameters&of&the&following&effects,&and&give&example&for&each&of&how&you'd&set&them&for&a&specific&situation&& a.&Delay&

    & b.&EQ&

    & c.&Compression&

    & d.&Reverb&

    7.&What's&the&benefit&of&24Cbit&vs.&16Cbit&recording?&&&&8.&What's&the&benefit&of&88.2K&vs&44.1K?&&9.&If&you're&in&this&class,&you've&used&this&studio,&no?&Please&describe&the&setup&process&to&record,&including&cable&connections,&mixer&routing,&session&setup,&etc.&&That&is&what&is,&fill&in&the&(long!)&blank&for:&you&walk&in&the&room,&__________,&then&you&hit&record.&&&