Recording Sound (eBook)

INTRODUCTION

Recording is in part an art, and I have long held the belief, rightly or wrongly, that expressing yourself is not a competition and therefore I do not measure its results, or rather think in terms of something being better or worse. Through this lens, at least, it is more a case of what moves and inspires you when it comes to the artistic aspect of capturing sound. I like to believe that we all express ourselves differently. Indeed, when it comes to choosing what to record there are no rules.

For example, I often enjoy routing different sounds, acoustic or otherwise, through various types of speakers and then experiment by placing objects on these speakers. Whether the sounds are pre-recorded or being generated live there and then, the speakers can be used to make various acoustic instruments and objects resonate. This acoustic excitation can take a fairly average sound and help to sculpt something that sounds interesting.

When such sounds are recorded, it can open up a plethora of creative possibilities. This signal flow and process, which utilises in part the technique of re-amping, is one of many techniques that will be addressed as the book progresses, but in essence this is arguably recording applied in a very creative manner and the results in some instances could be considered as suitable and a complementary form of sound design for a given brief.

Though the art of recording and taking the time to experiment can be extremely enjoyable and often rewarding, there are standards, formats and theoretical principles that underpin good practice, and this is something we will look at over the coming chapters: the science behind the art.

Having stated this, perhaps it would be good to begin by saying what this book is and what it is not. It is aimed at beginners and hobbyists, but ideally I hope it will also be a useful reference guide for those practitioners who may consider themselves as semi-professional. My intention is to introduce the reader to the theory and practice associated with recording in a manner that is not overwhelming, cold or discouraging.

I will use anecdotes from industry colleagues, friends and my own personal experiences to discuss the art and practice, hoping, perhaps more pertinently, to humanise the process and dispel some of the common misnomers associated with capturing sound.

It wilI be necessary to throw in some relevant and appropriate terminology throughout (although I hope the glossary will provide some explanation). This is not intended to sound clever. As I often tell my students, it is in part through learning the language of the practitioner that we can better understand one another. Even if it is just the basics, such knowledge and language can go a long way towards breaking down barriers and working towards shared values and standards associated with what is considered good practice.

Whenever I go on holiday and visit a non-English speaking country I will always try to learn the basics of the language native to where I am staying. I have always felt that not only do I feel better about myself (although perhaps that is just me), but that people appreciate and respect you for trying. My experience working with students and clients is no different. Whether in the studio or on location the recordings have always benefited in many ways from shared knowledge, not least in a creative manner.

I also want to redress that recording is in its own right a very specific art and discipline. This is not a criticism of modern production or how various stakeholders and practitioners identify a specific role within the process of making a record. It is simply to suggest that recording, mixing and mastering are all very different processes and, from recent experience at least, these separate disciplines tend to get mixed up and bundled into one process from time to time.

There are crossover points in terms of techniques, methodology and processing. Editing, for example, whether applied in a corrective or creative manner, can be utilised in all three of these distinct and arguably specialised stages.

Many thought processes, workflows and styles of practice can provoke debate. Some practitioners, for example, now apply techniques and processing to a stage of making a record that was previously associated with other specific stages, such as when processing associated with the arguably modern concept of mastering is applied at the mixing stage: I say modern because mastering was at one time primarily more focused on formatting the final product.

What works for one practitioner may be frowned upon by another and, depending on the genre and style of project, there are multiple factors to consider and ways of working to achieve a specified outcome.

Indeed, one of the many things I intend to do is not to get bogged down with semantics in relation to the job requirements or methods of other practitioners. This book is going to focus purely on recording.

This book is not a substitute for informed research or further study. It is an overview and hopefully a catalyst, a springboard if you please, towards starting a journey of discovery. My hope is that it will inspire its readers to get out and record various sounds. With the improvement of digital signal processing (DSP) and access to more affordable equipment, there has arguably never been a time less restrictive when it comes to capturing sound.

When it comes to capturing a good recording, my advice would be that you should concentrate on building up a store of knowledge that can be applied as needed:

1.Take time to learn the basic theory and practice (including the personnel, various practitioners and stakeholders) associated with recording. Be consistent in the standard of relevant knowledge you need to acquire to help underpin decision making, rather than relying on the occasional happy accident that might occur. A common suggestion is that ‘if it sounds good, it is good’. I don’t disagree with this sentiment but, whether a hobbyist or professional, it is good to know how to recreate your greatest sounding recordings for continuity at the very least. In order to achieve this I would suggest that you undertake additional research and reading, and when starting out on your journey try to focus your attention on the following:

•The basic principles of ‘acoustics’ (the science of sound or how a particular environment impacts upon a given sound within a particular space) and ‘psychoacoustics’ (how we perceive and respond to audio, or more specifically auditory stimuli, focusing on what happens between sound arriving at the ear and it being transmitted to and processed via the brain);

•Microphone types (operating principles and design);

•Microphone techniques (mono, stereo and multichannel arrays);

•Microphone placement and the listening soundstage;

•The signal chain or, as it is sometimes known, signal flow;

•Gain staging. This is in part the process by which the sound or sounds being captured are amplified to a usable level. Here a practitioner, for example, considers the signal to noise ratio (SNR) and the headroom of a signal. However, this can also be considered a very creative stage since, depending on the equipment being utilised in the signal chain, colour, tone, harmonic resonance and overtones can be added to the sound being captured.

2.Have a vision. Listen to reference tracks and storyboard what you are trying to achieve in terms of the overall production aesthetic. Above all else, try to enjoy the process and, where possible, take your time. Practise, experiment and work with a wide variety of sound sources, styles and musical genres in a variety of spaces.

3.Build upon the basic foundations laid out in this book. This should be achieved by investing time to undertake further study, research and practice.

There is something special about the process and art of recording that is more than just about capturing a sound or a given moment in time, a quality that may be described as organic.

Examining a human performance in detail, for example, taking time to analyse and celebrate all the imperfections and inconsistencies associated with playing an instrument and using the human voice to create a musical experience, will reveal something that is arguably unique. As I often tell my students, some of my favourite records are far from perfect.

I guess we can always debate the limitations and potential pitfalls, and ultimately run the risk of pigeonholing or backing ourselves into a proverbial corner, when attempting to state what constitutes perfection in anything, let alone record production.

Once again, however, rightly or wrongly I find the word is occasionally associated with some modern production tools and techniques when discussing the subject with my students – especially modern tools that can be used for tuning and timing.

My point is that recording in its purest application captures a performance in its natural state, including all the mistakes, and there is something human about this in terms of dynamics and feel. There is also something to said about the way sound is affected in terms of the acoustics within a given space. Again, when one contemplates the randomness of diffuse (uncorrelated) sound there is an aspect of chaos added to a recorded performance in terms of sound waves propagating (transmitting or moving) through a space.

Recording is in some ways an honest process when you look at it from this perspective. Unlike other stages in record production, you do not have to be fixated...