Laptop Recording Studio Logbook
26-03-22
Recording: Transparent or Character… Microphones and artistic choices
I believe the most important consideration of recording is technique. Transparent mics are fantastic, however, if the placement and technique are not ideal the resultant recording will be not ideal. The same applies to mics with character. For my work, what the recording is being used for also holds high importance. If I am recording voice only for an immersive soundscape, I may hire a vocal studio and use a very transparent microphone. If the vocal is for a particular type of musical genre it would be beneficial to use a microphone that adds colouration to the vocalist, depending on the style. Learning to get the best out of the equipment you have is also very important.
In my little home studio I have a small collection of mics. For this week's exercises, I experimented with four different mics.
1. Macbook Pro (M1 2021) internal mic
2. Rode NT1-A: large diaphragm condenser
3. DPA 4060: small omnidirectional condenser
4. Telefunken: dynamic broadcast mic
I have a MOTU ultralite audio interface with 2 mic inputs, recording into Logic Pro X
1. Macbook Pro (M1 2021) internal mic is remarkably decent sounding. However within RX a definite abount of noise can be seen (and heard) at around 50 Hz. This could be resonance from the laptop sitting on my desk.
2. Rode NT1-A: large diaphragm condenser, this is a great mic for vocal and instrument recording. It can have quite a warm open sound due to the slight frequency bumps at 150-160Hz, 3k, 5k and 10kHz.
3. DPA 4060: small omnidirectional condenser. I have a pair of these mics and love them for all kinds of field recordings. They are also great for vox pops and interviews. Also stereo piano, harp, anything you can stick them on really. This one seems to have some self-noise (or a buzz) around 20Hz.
4. Telefunken: dynamic broadcast mic. I bought this mic for an installation. I looks vintage and broadcaster. It sounds that way too. There is not a lot of low or high end frequency content with this mic. It definitely has that (older) radio broadcast sound.
On the MOTU, for the condenser mic I engaged 48V phantom power and experimented with the 3 way pad (0dB, 18dB, 36dB) with 24dB of gain available. Levels on the MOTU were set at 0dB of gain with 0dB pad. I did not use a pop filter for this recording (I couldn’t find the one I had made previously from old stockings!). I spoke into the microphone from about 15 – 20cm away from the capsule.
For the dynamic mic I engaged 19dB of trim gain. For all recordings I could have had a few more dB of level going in. However it is a balance between increasing room and self noise within the sensitive condenser mics. I definitley should invest in a new pop filter.