Basics of recording (How To:)
Posted: Sun Dec 01, 2013 11:22 am
I'm planning on posting a few examples of the basics of recording, especially as it relates to whistle. There are plenty of other forums where you can get an understanding of the basics of how to chose recording (DAW) software, or what to look for in an audio interface (the thing that connects the microphone to the PC). I'm not going to get into that too much, but instead focus on the practical application wrt whistle.
So here is the first installment. It's called "Which microphone?" I made a short clip with one phrase repeated four times. I used a different microphone for each of the four takes. They are, in order:
Shure SM-57 -- About us$100
Shure SM-81 -- About us$300
MXL 990 -- Maybe $50 or $75, but used for as little as $15 if you get lucky.
CAD M179 -- $125
The first is a dynamic microphone. It is a live sound standard. You almost can't go to see some act on stage and not see an SM57 somewhere. The others are all condenser microphones. I used the same position for each microphone and kept the whistle in the same location for each take. I can hear differences in each of them, although not as much as some descriptions might lead one to believe. I'm kind of surprised that there isn't more of a difference between the 57 and the 81. The M179 has a variable position switch -- I used it in the cardioid setting, because the other three are also cardioid.
In the future I envision similar recordings using a microphone at different distances, moving the microphone within the room, and moving to different rooms. I also see demonstrations of EQ and compression being useful.
So here is the first installment. It's called "Which microphone?" I made a short clip with one phrase repeated four times. I used a different microphone for each of the four takes. They are, in order:
Shure SM-57 -- About us$100
Shure SM-81 -- About us$300
MXL 990 -- Maybe $50 or $75, but used for as little as $15 if you get lucky.
CAD M179 -- $125
The first is a dynamic microphone. It is a live sound standard. You almost can't go to see some act on stage and not see an SM57 somewhere. The others are all condenser microphones. I used the same position for each microphone and kept the whistle in the same location for each take. I can hear differences in each of them, although not as much as some descriptions might lead one to believe. I'm kind of surprised that there isn't more of a difference between the 57 and the 81. The M179 has a variable position switch -- I used it in the cardioid setting, because the other three are also cardioid.
In the future I envision similar recordings using a microphone at different distances, moving the microphone within the room, and moving to different rooms. I also see demonstrations of EQ and compression being useful.