Somewhere only we know recording

Planning
The Shure SM58 will be a great microphone for recording vocals. For the bass I'll use direct input, for the tambourine and piano I'll use the AKG C1000S mic. The AKG C1000S mic has a small diaphragm, which makes it great for picking up high frequency detail.


Process
I'll start by setting up a project in Cubase. First I would set the bpm of the project to the bpm of the original song, Somewhere Only We Know by Keane which is 86. I'll create an audio instrument in Cubase for Lauren's vocals, and use the SM58 Shure microphone to record her. In order to keep in time I'll use the metronome. Next I'll record the piano as another audio track. I'll use the AKG C1000S for this. After doing that I'll overdub the tambourine onto the track. The bass will be recorded using a direct input - plugging in directly into the mixer itself, rather than through an amplifier and recording through the amp. Direct input will be important because it eliminates background noise. To ensure the instruments are played in time to the song, we'll play the rest of the song through the headphones of the performer. We will use the monitor function to hear what the song will sound like through the mixer.



Evaluating
I found that the tambourine had to be adjusted slightly from the mixer or it would pick up too much sound and be distorted. I turned the gain down to fix this. I didn't like how the tambourine sounded and given the chance to do it again I would try a different instrument for percussion. The direct input sound from the bass was useful and sounded great because there was no unwanted background noise. In the original album Hopes and Fears the band refused to use guitars for the entire album. To make the album work better without guitars, they treated the piano like a guitar - using amps built for guitars. They used a 1x12 amp to record the piano. This is a big difference from ours because while the original sounds much more powerful, since ours is recorded from the piano.
https://soundcloud.com/user-822226810/brit-hay-sowk

Separate Instruments
Vocals https://soundcloud.com/user-822226810/brit-hay-sowk-0002-audio-vocals
Piano https://soundcloud.com/user-822226810/brit-hay-sowk-0001-audio-piano-r
Bass https://soundcloud.com/user-822226810/brit-hay-sowk-0003-audio-audio-03
Tambourine https://soundcloud.com/user-822226810/brit-hay-sowk-0004-audio-audio-04

Research Log of Here My Dear

 

 Research Log (Bibliography)

I skimmed and scanned three secondary sources to find out more about the artist of my chosen album, Here my Dear. Here my Dear has very little publicly known information and resources about the albums recorded information since it was not such a popular album, however Marvin Gaye’s final album, Midnight Love and What’s going on, one of his most successful albums do have plenty of information available.

I annotated these articles and found out that Marvin’s album was likely recorded in a similar way to What’s going on. The Sound on Sound article writes that the rhythm tracks and overdubs for What’s going on were done at a separate studio to which everything else was recorded. This was because it had a Neumann solid-state console and a Scully eight-track machine, according to Ken Sands.

The purpose of this research is to find out more about how my chosen album was recorded, why it was recorded, what with, and what I can learn from it and put into practice with my BTEC sound course.

Secondary Source	Relevance to my album
Sound on Sound Magazine Website - http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jul11/articles/classic-tracks-0711.htm	Sound on Sound details the album from the point of view of the people involved. It is not biased other than in the quotes of the people involved. It tells me about exactly what was used to record, which is much more helpful than the other sources, as I get a first hand view of what happened.
The Ambient Century Book	This book had very little information but gave an insight to Marvin Gaye’s influence on the music of the time – for example it convinced Stevie Wonder to work with synthesizers in 1971.
The Atlantis “The Man Was a Genius” Article http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2012/10/the-man-was-a-genius-tales-from-making-marvin-gayes-final-album/263028/	Gordon Banks was with Marvin Gaye when he recorded his last album Midnight Love outside of Motown Records for the first time. This article is and interview from his point of view. It gives me an insight on the atmosphere during the albums creation, but very little information.
All music Here My Dear review http://www.allmusic.com/album/here-my-dear-mw0000112616	This article has written about the background of the album and the importance it had on Marvin Gaye’s album.
Pop Matters Article http://www.popmatters.com/feature/69381-whats-going-on-marvin-gayes-liberation-from-the-motown-sound/	The instruments Marvin Gaye used in this album, the people brought in, and how they contributed to his success as an artist and as an album.
Pitchfork review http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/15679-whats-going-on-40th-anniversary-edition/	This source gives information on the instruments used.
Discogs album info http://www.discogs.com/Marvin-Gaye-Whats-Going-On/release/6667997	A list of all the instruments used, and by who.

recording

Plan for Final Recordings

Lewis will play guitar through a microphone. I will record using cubase. Marvin Gaye's album What's Going on was recorded using a Neumann U67. This is similar to our use of the Shure SM58 as they are both fairly clean microphones.  

Lewis will require skill in being a musician - he needs to play cleanly to achieve a better recording. I will record using cubase, which will require basic knowledge of the program and the setup Lewis will use.

We will be using a Shure SM58 to record the guitar. This is a dynamic mic. We used this because it can record high sound pressure levels. On an amp this is useful.

We may face the problem of equipment failure. We will have to be resourceful and think logically to solve this. We will investigate each possible cause of problems - Cubase, the Microphones, and the amp.

Evaluation of Studio Recordings
We used a dynamic mic to record our electric guitar. We did this because dynamic microphones can record at higher sound pressure levels than a condenser microphone. We pointed the dynamic mic at the amplifier to record. We faced another microphone away from the amp to create ambient sound.

We recorded with a variety of instruments with different microphone setups, for example we recorded a guitar using a microphone on the sound hole and one microphone on the fretboard.


We had issues with Cubase at first but after a lengthy troubleshooting session, we fixed our problem - several settings were not quite right, as somebody had been in before us. Our recording has lots of ambient sound because of our setup, and while the microphone is quite clean, our sound wasn't because of the setting we used on the amp.

For the acoustic guitar recording, we recorded from the fretboard of the guitar and from the sound hole of the guitar. It turned out well, it was very clear.
Acoustic Left and Right ear
For the electric guitar recording we pointed one microphone at the amp, less than a foot away, and about 1.5 metres away we placed a microphone facing opposite the amp for added ambient sound. Ambient sound is the pressure level of the background noise.
Electric Guitar Recording

Acoustic Guitar Classroom Recording
Our previous recording of an acoustic guitar (our first recording in the studio) was recorded on a Shure SM58, similar to our new recording of the electric guitar. The major difference between the two recordings was that one was placed over the sound hole to get a good sound in a classroom, while the other recording had two mics, one of which was placed over the amplifier (the first guitar recording was acoustic) and the other mic was facing opposite to create ambient sound in the studio. Our old recording was a very simple one, with no ambient sound like the other recording.
Acoustic Guitar Classroom Recording

Glockenspiel Open Air Recordings
We recorded the glockenspiel using the microphone, with an omnidirectional polar pattern. We could hear the wind loudly, because the microphone was taking in sound from all directions.We used a H2 Handy Recorder microphone by Zoom to record our clip. We recorded outside of the sixth form in a fairly open area.

The quality of the glockenspiel was good quality, though there was a little bit of background noise, probably from the wind, and there was some fumbling around with something, which was probably the microphone at the start and end. Other peoples recordings were very high quality like ours. On a day with more wind you would be able to tell the difference much more between our omnidirectional recording and somebody else's isolated recording, like a figure of 8 or super-cardioid.
Open Air Glockenspiel

BTEC Sound

Key Terms

• Transducer

A device that converts variations in a physical quantity such as pressure or brightness, into an electrical signal, or vice versa - e.g a microphone.

• Diaphragm

A thin disk in a microphone or telephone receiver that vibrates to produce electric signals

• Electromagnetic Induction

The Production of an electromotive force across a conductor when it is exposed to a time varying magnetic field

• Capacitor Plate

An electronic component that stores an electric charge and releases it when required

• Pre-amp

An electronic device that amplifies a weak signal

• Sound pressure levels

A measurement of Sound Pressure, measured in dB

• Dynamic
• Condenser

Dynamic Microphones
The diaphragm, a thin disk that vibrates to produce electrical signals, is attached the a coil. As the diaphragm picks up sound, the coil moves backwards and forwards past the magnet, which creates signals that travel through a microphone wire.

Condenser Microphones
A condenser microphone has two plates surrounding a voltage. One of these plates is made of a light material that acts as a diaphragm. When this moves to sound waves, it pushes closer to the other plates, creating a sound current. The voltage is created using a battery or other power.

Polar Pattern Variations

• Cardioid

Great for general use, or recording from multiple close together sources like a drum kit.

• Omni-Directional

Omni Directional is a useful polar pattern for recording a wide source of sound, like an orchestra or choir, or ambient noise.

• Figure of 8

Rarely used, this polar pattern is ideal for an interview between two people.

• Super-Cardioid

Super cardioid is good for the isolation of a noise.

Recording Conclusion
We recorded the glockenspiel using the microphone, with an omnidirectional polar pattern. We could hear the wind loudly, because the microphone was taking in sound from all directions.We used a H2 Handy Recorder microphone by Zoom to record our clip. We recorded outside of the sixth form in a fairly open area.

The quality of the glockenspiel was good quality, though there was a little bit of background noise, probably from the wind, and there was some fumbling around with something, which was probably the microphone at the start and end. Other peoples recordings were very high quality like ours. On a day with more wind you would be able to tell the difference much more between our omnidirectional recording and somebody else's isolated recording, like a figure of 8 or super-cardioid.
Open Air Glockenspiel

Marvin Gaye - Here, My Dear

Marvin Gaye - Here, My Dear

Here My Dear was an album written by Marvin Gaye as part of a divorce settlement when he was 39. He was forced into the studio to make an album after not having the money to give to his wife, Anna. Anna was to be given half of the albums profit. Marvin used this as an opportunity to get back at his wife, by making bitter songs, using tools like sarcasm to show his underlying hate.

The album didn't do well, even though Marvin was trying to make it as good as possible - he felt he owed it to the general public.

 The inside cover of the album shows his wife on the right playing monopoly with him on the left. Anna has lots of money, and is clearly winning, Marvin has only his musical instruments. Marvin is passing over the record to Anna, hence the title Here My Dear.

The album was recorded with "double vocals", which means thickening up the sound of the vocals by having the singer sing twice. The microphone was a Neumann U67. This microphone has a very clean sound, and is  a condenser microphone. Condenser microphones work well in studios because condensers are

Most notably the microphone used on the bass drum was a ribbon microphone. This is a little strange, but it created the sound of Motown, and that's the way they liked it. A ribbon microphone has a small sheet of metal placed between two permanent magnets that move up and down to a current when the air pressure changes. This is then sent down a wire and amplified. Condensers are good for studio use because they have louder output and are more sensitive to loud sounds.

1. Here My Dear
Here my dear is a song of Marvins that sarcastically talks directly to Anna, at one point saying "You don't have the right to use the son of mine, To keep me in line".
2. I Met a Little Girl
This song is about how Marvin meets Anna when she was younger, how she was different, and how he thought she was the one for her, and as the song goes along, he creates a timeline of how he thought she once loved him, then eventually he cries about his relationship with her.
He then sings about how he's now free.
3. When Did You Stop Loving Me, When Did I Stop Loving You
This song is about how unrealistic marriage is, and how he would change the vows in order to not lie to God.
4. Anger
Anger was one of the better songs of the album. He sings about how anger can make you sick, or ruin your soul. He sings the line, "Hope I will learn I really never never profit, From things I do in rage"
This is a bit ironic - you could say a fair amount of this album was done in anger.
5. Is That Enough
This song is about how a woman (Anna) met a "little fool" (Marvin) and took everything from him. He ends the song on the very subtle "Why do I have to pay attorney fees?".
6.  Everybody needs love
This is a fairly generic song about how everybody needs love.
Song 7 and 8 are also very generic.
9. Anna's Song
This a song about how loving Anna is, and how she's like an angel. You could interpret this as the the first song about Anna that has a positive view on her, or the most sarcastic.
10. When Did You Stop Loving Me, When Did I Stop Loving You (Instrumental)
11. A Funky Space Reincarnation
This song is about Marvin meeting a woman in space that reminds him of Anna. They fall in love and get married.
12. You Can Leave, But It's Going to Cost You
This song is as the title suggest - Marvin can leave Anna, but it's going to cost him in the divorce settlement.
13. Falling in Love Again
In this song Marvin talks about finding a new woman. He starts off lonely and in pain, then finds somebody new.
14. When Did You Stop Loving Me, When Did I Stop Loving You (Reprise)