Diving Into Music Tech

A look into the depths of music technology and recording from the perspective of a new student studying the area - Daniel White

[dan-whitesnake]

My final composition is now finished and mastered. This was quite a task for myself, especially considering the vast range of instrumentation at use, but I believe to have done somewhat well in this regard. Here's hoping.

I thought I'd write a final post on another inspiring piece not included in my previous research. The song above is called, 'Corynorhinus' and was featured in the film, Batman Begins. This piece features not only the sound of the piano recording I was after, minus certain elements of dynamics, but also the intense percussion I've mentioned so many times before.

It is another piece by film composer Hans Zimmer and I feel it greatly captures  elements I hope to replicate in my science fiction film score. 

[dan-whitesnake]

After putting the piano parts into my composition on Logic X, I've realised that EQ will be a very important factor in mixing this composition. My experience with mixing tracks is quite minimal in comparison to most, however I do know what kind of sound I'm looking for, and after digging around in Logic's array of different effects I've managed to increased the low end sounds of my piano recordings to my desired taste.

As this is a very intense piece of music, I want the lower parts of the piano to be low, deep sounding and very snappy to the ear. Using a bass expander tool along with a spike in the channel's EQ, I've managed to blend the low end sections of my piano recording to my desired taste. 

I'm yet to get heavily stuck into the mixing of this track, and after adding my piano recording, its now become clear to me that the whole composition is a bit too loud as a whole. Over the next few days, I'll be heavily editing all of the tracks in my compositional as to reach not only the sound I desire, but also a sound that makes the most of all the instrumentation, evenly and openly.

My main concern is drowning out important frequencies and/or instrumental sections. Having so many tracks will no doubt prove this to be an interesting and rewarding challenge.

I intend to mix this track through studio headphones and monitors.

[dan-whitesnake]

Today I recorded the final version of the piano parts to be featured in my film composition. I did this by using a pair of AKG 414 microphones, both facing exposed piano strings.

I used the mike positioning photoed above (although the mikes don't look all that close to the piano strings in this photo, they were moved closer after initial recordings) as the piano parts in my score are mainly  really high up, or really low down on the piano keys. I took off the front section of the piano as to best capture the sound in a better form of clarity; after research on recording for up-rights, this became a significant point, and was highlighted by various individuals.

I used a cardioid polar pattern on both microphones because this seemed like an obvious choice to use for an up-right piano, especially with the microphones positioned so close to the strings. The end  result sounded very good, and I'm now busy mixing these parts into my final composition.

[dan-whitesnake]

As to give a better insight into the workings behind my composition, I've included a screen grab of a selection of the instrumentation I'm using. You'll notice a varied mix of electronic and orchestral instruments as to best fit the themes and styles desired in my chosen style. 

I've heavily edited various synths as to create a sci-fi like ambience in the music, and I've also used panning as a way to distort the listening experience, and immerse the listener in a surrealistic and futuristic environment. 

[dan-whitesnake]

I spoke in my first post of how John Cages views on the differences between noise and sound intrigued me. Cage stated that there was ‘no such thing as silence’, and after research into a selection of his works, I came across his highly controversial and rather abstract piece, ‘4:33.’ I’ve included a copy of the score above. 

This piece of music really does challenge the notion of sound, and despite being silent, it is a piece that will never sound the same to the listener twice. It allows for the environment to take centre stage, and not only does it capture the response of the individual listener, but it also the response of all other people listening in a room. For example, some might moan, some might gasp, and others might even question what it is they are actually listening to.

It is true, silence is an elusive term, especially from the point of a species who can’t turn off their own sense of hearing. Even the quietest room in the world still allows the participant to ambit some type of sound, and for those who have had too long an exposure (the record for the world quietest room being a mere 45 minutes), some find them selves going a little loopy and have to leave before madness begins to set in.

Cages views state that there is no clear distinction between noise and sound. Listening to the music of Stockhausen is a good case in point, although that is another article all by itself.

In my composition thus far, I have used numerous abstract sounds that are musically questionable. They serve as a back drop atmosphere as to ground the feel of my piece. Cages ideas of music and noise are certain apparent in certain different technological aspects of not only my composition but various modern music today, dub-step being quite an obvious example in popular culture.

Sources: Ross, A. 2010, SEARCHING FOR SILENCE: Onward and Upward with the arts, The New Yorker Magazine, Inc, New York, N. Y. 

Davis, Alexander. (2012) World’s Quietest Room Will Drive You Crazy in 30 Minutes. Available: http://news.discovery.com/human/life/worlds-quietest-room-will-drive-you-crazy-in-30-minutes.htm

[dan-whitesnake]

I've been talking a lot about the works of Clint Mansell, and figured it would be highly relevant to post some of his music. The track above is from the film 'Moon,' a science fiction film directed by Duncan Jones.

Being from a science fiction movie, the whole OST features a very ambient and eery soundscape. The piano recordings are manipulated to create a dull echo like quality, as pads under pin the melodies. This is in part what I aim to create in my final composition, however I wish for my final piece to be far more dramatic and intense in comparison.

As a composer with no limitations, I can freely do this. Unlike Mansell I have no set script or scenes to follow. I can make my music shift as I please. This allows me to far more easily create the dramatic drum and percussion sections I talked of in my previous entry. 

My recording for piano will be a simple set-up that will incorporate the use of mutiple microphones (two overheads, and a stereo microphone set) as to best capture my playing. At present I'm deep into composing my final piece,  at present using software instruments to fill the gap of what I wish to record next week. 

I hope to create a science fiction type movie theme, incorporating the use of various manipulated synths and software instruments. The piano section will be recorded live, and the rest will take full advantage of logic pro's instrumental libraries.

At present I feel I'm well on target to completing this, and look forward to recording this week and the next. 

[dan-whitesnake]

My ideas for my final composition are now all slotting together. I spoke in an earlier post of how I'd like to create an ambient film like score, much like those done by Clint Mansell for the movie, 'Moon.' My central recording would be my main instrument (this being the piano) and other instruments were to come from Logic Pro's vast software selection. 

After playing with the idea initially, it dawned on me that the percussion was slightly lacking, and so I turned to the inspiration of another famous film composer, this being Hans Zimmer. His blending of electronic instruments with orchestral ones make his music very prolific. However, it is not for this  reason alone that I turn to his music for research and inspiration. 

The track above is part of Zimmer's OST for The Dark Knight Rises . For my final piece, not only do I want to blend Orchestral instruments i.e my piano playing, with more electronic and ambient soundscapes, but I also want to create the feel of an epic movie score. 

Zimmer's compositions are specifically epic because of the stark contrast in their compositional elements. Quiet sections allow for crescendo like build-ups, and heavy, well timed percussion glues the music to form an intensely dramatic composition. 

My final piece will be a blending of ambient instruments and live ones, and will feature contrasting sections as to fit the feel of an epic film score. I hope to include heavy orchestral and electronic percussion, much like that featured in the above song, to create an emotive and intense musical experience. 

[dan-whitesnake]

Initial Recordings

This week featured a few recordings with different microphone positioning. Sadly I could get hold of the DPA stereo mics as I intended, however I was able to at least experiment with the AKG C1000's (a microphone I'm much more familiar with in honesty). At some point this week I will  post some recordings featuring both of theses microphones.

I've learnt that the C1000's are far better as an overhead mic than an individual recording device. When it comes to my final live recordings I will be relying on these as to multitrack my final piece of audio. The main recording will be done with the DPA microphones; these have a far great frequency response and are sure to much better t picking up all the different notes of the piano.

I've now also started work on my final composition, and have begun to compose a piano and instrumental line to work around. I've been listening to more of Clint Mansell's film music and have decided to centre my piece around his ambient and eery style of composition. I hope to manipulate my piano recording as  best to achieve this, along with including a wide range of software instruments from logic pro. I will detail this project plan further in a later post, along with some samples of Mansell's music. 

[dan-whitesnake]

After research this week into the various different types of microphones I've come to the rather simple conclusion that... there are great deal of mic's choose from in the realm of music technology, and each comes with its own specific advantages depending on what you're recording.

My recordings will be limited only to microphones I have available to rent out at my university, although the selection seems more than enough for the purposes of my composition.

Along with there being a dozen different microphones, there are also a million different ways of placing them. When I come to recording later this week, (last week was busier than I expected) I hope to try out various different set-ups as a means to find the sound I'm looking for. 

I've began early work on my composition, although at these stages nothing is set in stone. My listening has led me to more ambient style soundscapes and films scores, particularly those by Clint Mansell, and to be more specific, his film score for the movie, 'Moon’. I'll be sure to post some audio examples in my next post, as I feel these soundtracks are along the same lines as what I wish to create for my final composition. 

The big question lingering after all this research is of course, 'What microphones do I intend to use’? I've narrowed down three in total, and depending on their availability I hope to record with all of them this saturday. These microphones are as follows:

DPA 3506A Stereo Kit

2x AKG C1000s

I've realised from my research that my recordings would be highly beneficial if they were done in stereo - the wide range of frequency on the piano makes a perfect point for this. Likewise the microphones I intend to record with must have a high range of frequency response. The DPA stereo kit should definitely be up to this task. My main reason for using the C1000s is to compare the sounds as I'm sure there will be some significant differences in audio recording. I also want to see if I’m able to capture some of the physical aspects of a piano performance i.e the sounds of the fingers hitting the keys, or the pedal resonating the strings. The music I intend to play will be just simple extracts that encompass the different frequencies of the piano. I hope this will give me the best feed back when it comes to using the different microphones on the day.

[dan-whitesnake]

I've been looking further into audio and now also midi reproduction and I've found some interesting results regarding the application of such processes. The song above, although most likely made from midi (looking specifically at the piano track) is a composition from music producer 'Joe Ford.' It features heavily produced sections that take advantage of the effects a modern day producer and/or composer has at his/her disposal.  I particularly like the manipulation used on the Piano part as it really gives the 'frozen sound' effect featured in the songs title. 

I'm still not a hundred percent sure on what my final musical composition will be, however I've been looking into the works of various composers, these including big film composers such as Hans Zimmer, Clint Mansell and Thomas Newman. I'd like to create an epic yet emotive film like score, featuring a central audio recording of a piano, perhaps manipulated and enhanced for emotive effect. 

With regards to miking a piano, I've been doing research into recording for both upright and grand pianos. An upright  seems a lot more tricky to record for, but none the less, next week I hope to post up some recordings using at least two different microphones. I'm sure to learn from the results, and the positioning of the microphones I decide to use, so expect a detailed description sometime next week.

For now I hope to look more specifically at microphone placement, and later at the various effects that can be used to enhance a recording in a studio. I still like the idea of recording the subtleties featured in piano playing, such as the fingers hitting the keys etc. John Cages views on the distinction between sound, noise and music could play a significant part in my instrumental recordings. It would be interesting to see what results I can get. 

[dan-whitesnake]

I've been listening to various different types of Piano music in the past few weeks; as the piano is my main performing instrument, I'm constantly on the look out for new and emotive soloist compositions.

As I've searched more deeply over recent days, I've found numerous examples of beautiful pieces of piano music recorded in a great number of different ways. Microphone placement it seems, plays just as bigger role as the performance itself. 

The composition above is by producer and instrumentalist, 'Olafur Arnalds.' It is a very moving piece of music, and features a lot of piano dynamics not only in specific playing, but in the capturing of the subtle noises the player would make as a result of his or her performance. The piece is played on an old squeaky piano, and the effect is very powerful on the music. The performance itself feels more alive and certainly has much more character than that of a bog standard piano recording.  

Other recordings I've been listening to also feature certain tacts within the audio that  further the character and dynamics of the music. When recording for the piano on my piece of music, I to wish to experiment with microphone placements for a means of creating an even more emotive and immersive listening experience. Added reverb on the final recording also seems to create a grandeur like feel to the music. When done well, these effects are certainly effective for the listener.

[dan-whitesnake]

I've been reading a text recently by the famous composer and challenger of music, 'John Cage.' It describes the future of music from Cage's perspective during the earlier part of the 20th century.

Cage describes how sound is classed as a form of music, and goes on to state that the development of new instruments opens a wide range of new possibilities - the example stated being the theremin. He also expresses his concern for new electronic instruments, stating that they offer different opportunities for a player, and that typical classical music is unsuitable to be played on them. To me, Cage seems to be saying that  a performer should embrace the new potential at hand, and not re-work pieces designed for and constructed on different instruments. 

I can agree with Cages point on the application of these new mediums for music. It seems that people are far too keen to play the works of a famous classical composer than to make their own new music with the unique instrument they have at hand. Therefore it could be said that certain potential and opportunity is being squandered, however this isn't always the case, as I'm sure you'll agree.

Cage also speaks of the difference between noise and sound, and how at some point the division of the two will become much narrower.

I can agree with Cage's points, particularly when looking at some forms of present electronic instrumentation, (that is those designed via a computer and used within modern pop music today) although I love the quirky and often catchy sounds, I can't help but feel that some are heavily reliant on the tones and sounds used in the past. Perhaps in the distant future a division will expand the current musical spectrum today. The more I think about this devision, the more I'm drawn to dub step, house and trance genres - some artists really are pushing the limits of sound in modern recordings, and possibly even the distinction between what is considered noise, and what is considered music. 

I intend to look into Cage's works and further learn of his points in regard to noise and music. I'm interested to look into pieces and genres that are particularly known for pushing the boundaries of what can be called 'music.' The word seems to be a loose term.