Mic & recording basics
Key answers from:
What should be considered when choosing a microphone for recording vocals?
Vasili / Choosing the right microphone depends on various parameters, such as the the idiosyncrasies of the voice, the singing and musical style, the desired production and aesthetics, etc. Most importantly, the mic must fit the voice, capture and bring out its character. In most cases, a large-diaphragm microphone with a pleasing treble is used, but sometimes a cheap dynamic microphone can be just the thing.
Does a dedicated preamp or channel strip make sense for vocal recordings, or is an audio interface with high-quality mic preamps enough?
Vasili / The same applies here as for microphones. The Tascam interfaces, for example, sound neutral, musical and absolutely suitable for the studio. For appropriate purposes, however, a luxurious or particularly characterful preamp will be more suitable. Special vocal channel strips such as our TA-1VP also offer useful functions such as adjustable de-essers, input compression, real-time pitch correction or autotune effects.
Do you recommend using compressors, de-essers and EQs during the recording process or should you do this later in the DAW?
Vasili / If the desired sound aesthetic is already clear in advance, you can save a lot of time with such measures and already give the later mix a certain direction, especially if analog devices are used. Less risky is the subsequent processing.
In your opinion, is there a microphone that is ideal for every situation?
Vasili / No. But there are very versatile workhorses that have become classics for a reason. Experimenting with different microphone types and positions is fun, trains the ear and can lead to unexpected and great results.
What factors play a role in the positioning of the microphone when recording instruments?
Vasili / That of course depends on which instrument is to be captured and where it is later to be spatially located in the mix. Unless you have a huge amount of experience with miking, it‘s never a bad idea to place the microphone where it sounds best or „right“to your own ear. This can be a certain spot in the room or the one particular speaker in the guitar cabinet that is much better suited for the close mic than the others. (Please always think of the eardrum.) The fine tuning can be done afterwards via headphones. The dynamic TM-82 is excellent directly in front of the amp and also as a snare or drum mono sum mic in the so-called „sausage“position. There, a dynamic mic is positioned centrally in front of the drummer so that its capsule is as close as possible to the centers of all heads (snare, bass drum, toms).
How should one proceed when recording acoustic instruments?
Vasili / Here, attention should be paid to a quiet environment and undesirable room reflections, since it is difficult to correct for disturbing noises and room components afterwards. More sensitive condenser microphones are often used for such purposes, which are able to reproduce the harmonic multiples characteristic of the respective instrument. Large-diaphragm microphones such as our TM-80 are usually the first choice. Often two or more mics are used to capture, for example, the full frequency spectrum of a grand piano or the nuances and higher harmonics of a guitar neck. It may be necessary to consider the phasing of the microphones used, especially if they are positioned at different distances from the sound source or even face each other, e.g. with simultaneous recording of the snare head from above and the snare carpet from below.