I was able to get some hands on experience working on the console tonight! We had a really great drummer/bassist named Chris doing some session work and I had a chance to do some basic tracking of his playing.

 

The session worked out great because this weeks reading was centered around microphone placement. David gave me a really nice lesson on micing a drum kit. Since there are so many different pieces to a drum kit I was able to get a great overview of all the different ways to arrange the microphones. In total I counted 13 microphones. They were all mostly dynamic microphones with a couple of AKG condensor microphones used for overheads. We also had an ambient microphone set up to capture the natural reverb of the room. There is definitely a lot more to miking a drum kit than I realized. Of course this isn't the only way to mic a drum set as I learned that some musicians, like a jazz drummer for example, may prefer the sound of 1 or 2 overhead mics alone because the tonal quality will be different than miking each individual piece of the drum set. How microphones are set up really comes down to the sound that the musician is seeking.

 

I also learned a few things about recording my electric guitar. In my reading I learned about a product called "ReAmp". It was developed by a very well established producer named John Cuniberti (whom I have followed for many years because he has produced many of Joe Satriani's records). This piece of equipment would allow me to record my guitar directly into the "ReAmp" without any effects and then re-amp the signal through an actual guitar amplifier as if I was playing my guitar through the amplifier directly. This can help elimininate leakage problems because no microphones are used in the initial recording process since this is a direct input recording device. This is a very cool device and one that I am definitely considering adding to my wish list.

 

For now, I am going to continue honing my microphone placement techniques by implementing what I am learning at "Shine On". I learned a cool way I can record my guitar by using a Shure SM57 dynamic microphone in the back of my 1x12 cabinet in conjunction with a Sennheiser e609 microphone at the front of the amplifier. The SM57 mic would be used as a boost to my solos and will produce a different sound because it is being used from the back of the amp. Something fun to try out this week...

 

I was able to get a very basic overview of the console including some of the key shortcuts and basic functions for recording a session today. I learned how to switch back and forth between the different screens in pro tools, how to label a track, how to mark a key spot within a track, how to adjust tempo and meter, and how to fade all of the tracks in and out. There were a few other miscellanous tasks I learned how to do which I made note of for future reference.

 

I am looking forward to getting more experience like this and can't wait to get Pro Tools so I can practice what I learn at the studio at home. I just moved and I have a room solely dedicated to practicing my guitar, composing, and recording my projects. This is really exciting becuase I have never had a space completely dedicated to working on my music. I am going to draw up a floor plan of my room and next week David is going to offer me suggestions on how to arrange my equipment as well as how to treat the walls to get the best possible sound for mixing. Can't wait !