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Old 12-27-2010, 08:33 PM
Yoder Yoder is offline
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Default Need Some Help With Some Recording Lessons!

This next semester I will be teaching the second semester of a two semester Digital Recording class. My lab consists of 32-iMac's, and we are using Logic Pro. Last semester I began by teaching them Garageband, and then we jumped into Logic and the students created 3 projects using Logic.

During the first semester they learned how to set-up an aggregate device, use the automation tool to set the pan and volume of each track, connect and use a mic, use an external keyboard with the various libraries available, and use some voice filters. My intent was to teach them the basics of audio recording, critical listening, and recording an instrument and/or voice. I will continue working out of the Logic Pro book, but would like some ideas on what those of you who do a lot of recording feel would be important to learn about the actual recording process.

I have introduced them to the concept of a "work track." but did little beyond that. This next semester they will be expected to create a work track, but I am a little bogged down with creating projects beyond that. I would like to have 4-6 projects in place before the semester begins. So...I would really appreciate any ideas that any of you may have. Ideas that will give students an inside peek at professional recording.

Any and all ideas are welcome, and thanks in advance.
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Old 12-28-2010, 12:47 AM
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Give them all half a dozen or so tracks of audio which comprise a song and tell them to make their best mix. Compare all the different mixes later, or a select few which highlight certain issues.

It should help them to appreciate subtle (or not so subtle) technical differences, and how these relate to the artistic aims of the track. A love song - depending on the song - maybe should be made to sound close and intimate with all the focus on the voice but a raucous rock 'n roll song should blast out a stadium filling sound. Did they tone the percussion down on the quiet love song? Did they turn it up on the rock song? Are they riding the faders to make subtle changes in focus and pacing?

You could put some deliberate mistakes in and see how they cope: vocals which need some compression, a guitar that needs some eq. Dry sounds with no reverb might test their ability to add just the right amount of space (or none at all if that sounds best).

The craft of music is midi channels, software, mic techniques and so on but these are just the tools you use. I'd want to keep bringing that back to the art of music, pushing them to apply their technical knowledge to create a magical noise.

Oh and one other thing, the most important thing of all: do your own "race to be loudest" mix with insane compression which sucks all the life out and make everyone swear never, ever to do anything like that on pain of death should they ever be fortunate enough to have a career in the recording industry.
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Old 12-28-2010, 08:04 AM
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Bob Womack Bob Womack is offline
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Hi, Yoder! Here are some tools that I teach and think are valuable:

Ear Training - Two kinds of ear training are useful: Playing tones in each frequency band gives an absolute reference. However, taking a wide-band subject such as a recording of a piano or full orchestra and using a sweepable EQ to boost and cut at various frequencies is also very useful to show what those frequency areas sound like in context. I received this training but many younger guys I work with haven't. It shows in my work because the young guys say I have an ability to find and work with a particular frequency very quickly. That's probably due to the ear training.

EQ Instruction - Teach the tools: finding an offensive frequency by boosting a sweepable EQ and sweeping it until the offending frequency jumps out. Teach that additive EQ eats up headroom where removing offensive resonant peaks will often achieve the same result and SAVE headroom. Demonstrate the differences between the sounds of Peak/Dip EQ, shelving EQ, and butterworth (roll-off) filters.

Ear Training in Compression - Demonstrate the application of compression and limiting, showing the affects of attack, decay, ratio. Discuss the need for differing attacks for instruments with different attack times.

Mix Development - Teach them how to start with the drum kit, move on to the full rhythm section, and then add the vocals or lead instruments. Teach control of midrange build-up. Teach creation of an ambient "space" for the song and appropriate ambience types for the various instruments to create the sounds you want. As others have said, give them some tracks and have them develop their own mixes.

Perception - Try to get in some instruction in the engineer's perception of sound and how it affects the mix, ie. how the response of monitors directly affects the engineer's decisions and product (ie. bright monitors - dull mix, need to compare mixes on multiple monitors, etc.).

Obviously, I'm a big believer in teaching the basics. Have fun developing the curriculum.

Bob
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Old 01-05-2011, 08:44 PM
Yoder Yoder is offline
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Thanks for the feedback.

I agree with teaching the basics. In fact, the first thing I teach them is how to listen critically with this lesson. (It is a little sloppy and needs cleaning.) Every Friday we I put on some music that they have not heard--Ben Webster, Mississippi John Hurt, Miles Davis, Bach, Brian Eno, etc., and then have them dissect song using the lesson.

The idea of using tracks is a good one, and gave me an idea. One thing I have discovered is that a lot of kids have no beat. So I am thinking of having each of them build a rhythm track and then start passing it around (once it makes it pass my critique) and have others add to it. The requirement being that it must be on beat and in key. I would grade them after each track is created.

I like the ideas that both of you suggested regarding compression, and will definitely use the Mix Development a shot. Using the critical listening project we do above, makes me think that maybe it would be worth trying to have them try to create a song of basically the same style only having them construct it as Bob suggests.

A big problem is getting them to use a mic. I have actually had kids refuse to do a project and get a 0 on it, rather than speak into a mic. I have offered use of my room during lunch or after school, but some just cannot make the leap. I give them this lesson and teach them how to use filters and some just can't take the leap.
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Old 01-05-2011, 10:03 PM
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Was thinking my Logic install package came bundled with demo projects on a separate disc.

I think mine had a traditionally recorded Brandi Carlile session with about 8 dedicated drum tracks and maybe 30 tracks total. As I recall, the rest of the demos were techno-midi-junk that I didn't care for, but would probably be these kids bread-n-butter material/technique going into the future.

Maybe the artist/demos you get change depending on when you purchased (or not offered at all).

But anyway, you could take one of these demos and scramble all the settings and re-save it. Give it to them and see what they can do with it by tweaking all the knobs and making corrections through critical listening. Then at the end have a show and tell where they reveal their mixes and finally you reveal the professionally done original version.

One interesting thing worth pointing out is - on a traditional type recording it is easier to arrive at a general consensus on when you are converging on a better sound (you have a preconception of what these real instruments sound like). There is no such constraint on the more abstract MIDI generated stuff. In fact, if you didn't goof up the timing you could easily come up with something that sounds totally different and maybe better than the original.

Last edited by endpin; 01-05-2011 at 11:09 PM.
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