Understanding Technology

Question 1: What is equalization, and how has it changed the working process since the early days of studio recording and mixing?

Equalization, also known as EQ, is when you alter the frequencies, mostly used to change a sound (i.e. vocals, instruments, etc) if it doesn't sound right to the person who is mixing/mastering.
It's changed the working process by saving more time for the studio engineers because instead of the engineers having everything recorded only to find out there's something wrong so instead of recording it again with a different microphone, they can simply use EQ as a plug-in on a DAW to mix/master.


Question 2: What is the polar pattern called that the U47 used for recording vocals? What is the polar pattern of the other microphone that was used previously? Why do you think the directional ability of the U47 helped in the recording process in this particular case?

Cardioid (U47). Figure of 8 (ribbon mic). Because the U47, which has a better focus on the mid-range & high end compared to RCA 44, prioritized the vocals so it wouldn't be overtaken by the orchestra that accompanies the singer, and because of that it gained popularity within the industry.


Question 3: Identify some of the differences between a software mixer (like the one in ‘Logic’) and a hardware mixing console (like the Audient ‘Zen’ mixing desk in the studios). What are the pros and cons of each?

Hardware:

Pros:
*If you were to record automation live, all you have to do is move the fader up or down and you also have the freedom to stand up and look down on the mixer whilst grooving to the song.
*There's a control for adjusting the monitoring level.
*You can move more than one fader at a time as you're physically using your hands to adjust the fader's position.

Cons:
*Takes up space on deck which, for some people, may interfere with how they work.
*You need to make sure everything is plugged in correctly so you don't have more issues in the long run.
*If you want the mix back to how it sounded before you altered it, you have to do it manually instead of relying on a button to do it for you.

Software:

Pros:
*You can have more channels than a hardware mixer meaning you can get more work done in shorter time.
*Compared to hardware mixers, offer higher quality audio.
*You can recall to what your mix was before you adjusted it, saving you from wasting any time.

Cons:
*If you wanted to record live, you'd generally have to use a mouse and you can't move much otherwise it'll mess up the way you want to automate the track.
*You can't move more than one fader at a time in different directions.
*High prices.


Question 4: If you were investing in a system to use in a home/bedroom studio, which type of mixer would you personally choose, software or hardware? Why?

Personally, I'd prefer to use both but I would pick software because I know that if I had a software mixer at home/bedroom, I'd have to sit down and I'd prefer it that way because I work much better if I'm sitting down in a silent (or a suffice) environment, I would focus solely on what I'm doing and not be distracted by movement.


Question 5: What other benefits do using DI boxes give an engineer in the studio?

When recording, you can send the balanced output straight to the audio interface meaning that you can record both wet and dry versions of the track, giving you more options later in terms of mixing/mastering. DI boxes can also let signals from instruments, power amps and/or pre-amps be used as a recording source.

It also saves the studio engineer so much time, money and effort because instead of going through the effort of investing in a studio and buying all the equipment you need, you can simply plug in the DI box to the console, adjust it to the settings you need and simply record. It's also very essential for bass players to have as it gets rid of any unnecessary noise and makes the tone of the bass easy to control when it's plugged to a mixer.


Question 6: What would you suggest?

If you cannot invest in a studio with more space, then I'd heavily suggest to record every instrument one at a time so you don't need to worry about someone else, their instruments or any of the gear they'd need (i.e. PA, mics to record, etc). I suggest recording the drums first because then the other instrumentalist(s) and singer(s) can easily tell the tempo and rhythm of the track and stay in time.

You should also be concerned with panning and EQing once you have everything recorded because instead of recording something then pausing the process to EQ/pan when you can easily do everything at the end. Also, I'd suggest mixing it on a computer instead of a laptop because a laptop can only hold so much and easily overheat in comparison to a PC.