Lesson 1- Xoe Wise - Posted on 2016-06-08 by Xoe Wise

I completed lesson 1 and an interview with Noam so far! We met at Rax Trax studios and talked and investigated phasing. He helped describe phasing by going through a drumkit setup. We listened to overheads, kicks, and other drums in and out of phase to hear the difference of two sounds in phase or out of phase. The snare was a lot clearer and more in front when correct. We also talked a lot about mono verses stereo in relationship to phasing. It was a lot easier to make decisions regarding the sound when listening in mono. Stereo phasing was also an intersting topic especially when thinking in terms of mixing. Having a great original recording in terms of phasing can then lend itself to more opportunity when looking out for stereo phasing during mixing. 

Before digging into listening to a session we also talked about the shape of a room and how that can lend itself to a great sounding room or not. The less exact symmetry a room has, the more random activity you have among the sounds which can help produce the most genuine version of the sound you are trying to record. An element of architectural randomness can be a very positive and unique element of not having as many auditory distractions that parallel walls can sometimes create. 

We talked about hearing and stereo concepts such as when you would listen to a drumset and hear different elements of the kit. Placing the mics in a way that allows the stereo imaging of a drum kit to come through is an important aspect of creating room and scope of sound.