Shure Incorporated Fantastic Scholastic 10 Competition

Team Members Nicholas Goodman Jacob Hills Sam Walker-Kierluk Shae Brossard Jamison Humeny Faculty Supervisor Thilo Schaller

The University of Lethbridge Shure Recording Team: (Left to right) Sam Walker-Kierluk,

Shae Brossard, Jacob Hills, Jamison Humeny, Nicholas Goodman.

Nick Zambon is a talented singer/songwriter who is currently studying for his Bachelor

of Music Degree with a major in Digital Audio Arts at the University of Lethbridge. Song: “Don’t Let Me Go” by Nicholas Zambon Musicians: Nicholas Zambon (vocals, acoustic guitar, bass) Jacob Hills (electric guitar) Joe Porter (drum kit, pandeiro, concert bass drum, cymbals) Nicholas Goodman (bass) Michael Ayotte (piano, organ) Riane McCallum (backup vocals) Copyright information: Song “Don’t Let Me Go” © 2013 Nicholas Zambon Recording © 2014 Nicholas Goodman, Jacob Hills, Sam Walker-Kierluk, Shae Brossard, Jamison Humeny.

The first task of the competition was to find a suitable song to record. We decided the best course of action was to hold a songwriting contest. A mass email was sent to all students in the University of Lethbridge Music Department, calling for songwriters/composers to submit their songs for a chance to be recorded as part of Shure Incorporated’s Fantastic Scholastic 10 competition. The overall response was great, and after sifting through many songs, we came across Nick Zambon’s submission, “Don’t Let Me Go.”

“Don’t Let Me Go” is an inspiring composition that features various instrument layers and interesting vocal harmonies. The song originally was a rough demo, and much of the composition was shaped during the production process. This method of “producing on the fly” was a great challenge and experience. Furthermore, it allowed us the opportunity to experiment with the wide selection of Shure microphones on a variety of instruments. Nick Zambon worked closely with fellow U of L musicians to communicate ideas and make use of alternate perspectives. The final product is an impressive show of musicianship and composition that captivates the listener with contrasting layers and an evolving structure. Objective:

During the first team meetings, we discussed various objectives and ideal project outcomes we wished to achieve. We decided that a large aspect of our project would be to showcase the quality and versatility of Shure microphones. We attempted to use all the microphones provided and ensure that the dynamic product range was well demonstrated in our project.

In addition, we agreed to use only natural reverberation and minimal processing, as it would present unique opportunities for experimentation with creative microphone placements. In the end, we produced an excellent recording incorporating a great sounding natural reverberation.

The entire was recorded and mixed strictly using the facilities available on-campus. Tracking took place in our primary studio, Studio One, as well as some other locations around campus. * For a comprehensive list of all microphones, preamps, and measurements, please refer to the table at the end of report. Drums and Percussion:

The drum kit, pandeiro, cymbal rolls, and concert bass drum were recorded in a large rehearsal room used mainly by the Theatre and Dramatic Arts Department at the university. The size of the room produced a desirable natural reverberation, giving us the opportunity to experiment with unique microphone placements. In two opposing corners, 6 metres from the ceiling, two KSM313 microphones were positioned with the nulls facing the percussion instruments to minimize direct sound and act as room microphones. For additional room mics, we used a pair of Beta 181s at the front of the room, about 7.5 metres from the percussion instruments. For a main microphone system, KSM141s were utilized about 5 metres from the percussion.

Aside from room microphones, we also close-miked the drum kit. We used the Beta 52A for the front of the kick drum, a Beta 57A for the kick drum beater, an SM57 for the snare, two Beta 98As for the toms, an SM57 for the hi-hat and two KSM 44s for the drum overheads.

In addition to the room and main microphones, we also close-miked the remaining percussion instruments. The pandeiro was captured with an SM57 from the side, positioned level with the instrument. A Beta 57A was also placed 10 cm beneath the centre of the pandeiro. On the concert bass drum, we used two KSM 44s on both sides of the drum placed approximately ⅓ of the diameter in from the rim, a Beta 57A and Beta 52A on the outer side of the drum near the bottom, and an SM57 in the middle of the beater side, although the SM57 was not used in the final mix. For the cymbal rolls, we used one KSM44 placed 1 metre above and angled toward the centre of the cymbal, and another KSM44 also angled towards the centre but 15 cm below. In addition, a Beta 57 was also placed 15 cm below angled towards the centre of the cymbal.

Drum capture room displaying room and main microphones: (left) KSM 141s and Beta 181s (right) KSM313 in the rafters

(left) KSM 44s used as overheads during drum tracking. (right) Pandeiro miked with an SM57 and Beta 57A

Bass Guitar: The bass tracks were recorded inside Studio One’s treated capture room in order to record a dry signal. Nick Goodman and Nick Zambon worked together to create a supportive and interesting low end for the song. We recorded Nick Goodman’s Spector Legend 5-string bass guitar through a Mesa Boogie Big Block 750 head and Mesa Boogie Powerhouse 4x10 speaker cabinet. In order to capture a full-sounding bass track, we used the Shure Beta 52A kick drum microphone positioned directly in front of the amp grille; this microphone performed very well and gave us a rich bass sound. In addition, we used a Beta 181 approximately 60 cm from the amp, positioned between the horn and amp cone to capture the room response and high end. We also used a KSM44 and a Beta 57A both centred on the grill for alternative timbre choices. Ultimately, we mixed the Beta 52A, KSM44, and Beta 181 into a bus to create a smooth bass sound.

Bass tracking with KSM44, Beta 52A, and Beta 57A on the Bass cab

Bass microphone setup: Beta 52A, Beta 57A, KSM44, Beta 91A

Electric Guitar:

The electric guitar used was home-built and played by Jake Hills through a Blackstar HT-5H with the accompanying cabinet. There were no digital effects used. However, an EBow was utilised for a portion of the lead guitar parts. Four microphones were used to record the instrument in a large cement stairwell at the University of Lethbridge: two KSM44s were positioned to capture the reverberation of the stairwell, one placed a floor below the guitar and amp, and the other a half floor above. Both KSM44s had omnidirectional polar patterns. The guitar amplifier had an SM57 approximately 5 cm in front of the cabinet at the edge of the speaker cone and a Beta 57A was positioned the same distance at the centre of the cone.

Tracking Guitar in Stairwell A University Hall:

Note the KSM44 placed up the next flight of stairs

Guitar tracking: (left) Close microphones 30° off axis.

(right) KSM44 down one level (11 metres) from tracking space Recording the Piano:

The piano used in the song was a Yamaha C3 and recorded in our Studio One. At the hands of pianist Michael Ayotte, the piano helped fill out the song in a significant way. A total of seven microphones were use on the piano: a Blumlein pair of KSM313s placed 10 cm above the hammers and centred around the middle ‘F,’ a pair of Beta 181s set to cardioid as spot microphones 10 cm over the high and low strings, and a pair of KSM141s configured as an ORTF on a stereo bar 1.5 m high and 2 m away from the piano. We also experimented with the Beta 91A boundary microphone by placing it underneath the centre of the piano.

During the mixing process we decided to use the pair of Beta 181s and KSM141s for the main piano tracks, as we found the combination and placement of these mics to be warmer and more full sounding than the Blumlein pair. Alternatively, we decided to go with the the pair of KSM 313s with the KSM 141s for the piano octaves in the track because they were brighter and offered contrasting colour to the piano section.

Piano recording microphone configurations: KSM141 ORTF main system, KSM313 Blumlein, Beta 181 spot microphones

Capturing the Organ:

We recorded the organ during the same session as the piano tracking. We had the organ play through a Peavey KB5 keyboard amplifier and captured the sound with a Beta 57A pointed at the edge of the speaker cone, placed 3 cm in front of the grill. We also placed a KSM44 about 25 cm in front of the amp to catch the sound of both speakers and the horn of the amp. Vocals: For vocals, our main focus was to capture a clear sound while experimenting the various tonal characteristics that Shure microphones produce. We recorded Nick and Riane through the SM7B, KSM313, and KSM42. We found each microphone had very unique qualities and worked well at specific points in the song. The SM7B gave warmth to the male harmonies that blended nicely with the clean lead vocals. The KSM42 impressed us with its clean and crisp tone, and we chose to use it for both lead vocals and female harmonies. Lastly, we used the KSM313 angled off axis and paired with the SM7B for some added warmth to harmonies.

Experimenting with mics for Nick’s vocals: KSM42 and KSM313

Riane tracking vocals with multiple mics:

(background) SM7b paired with KSM313[off axis] and (foreground) KSM42 Recording Acoustic Guitar: The song incorporates several guitar parts, two of which were recorded using a Hagstrom acoustic guitar, and one of which used a Fender resonator guitar. We used several microphones to record these parts to give us a variety of options during the production process. Each take was captured using a KSM44, pairs of KSM141s and Beta 181s, as well as a VP88 microphone set up in a Mid-Side configuration. We spaced the microphones approximately 30 cm from the instrument at various points along the body and neck. We aimed to keep the distances from the sound source the same, in order to avoid phase issues during production. Ultimately, we used a stereo pair of KSM 141s paired with the front capsule of the VP88 for the main acoustic track. In addition, a stereo pair of Beta 181s and the VP88 were used for the resonator. The pictures

below illustrate the array of microphones we used on both instruments to try to determine the microphone configuration that complimented each instrument the best.

Acoustic Guitar recording in front of an array of microphones: (left to right)

Beta 181, Beta 57A, VP88, KSM141, Beta 181

Resonator recording in front of an array of microphones: (left to right)

Beta 181, KSM44[high], KSM42[low], Beta 57A, VP88, KSM141x2, Beta 181

Adding Natural Reverberation: The capture room in our studio is not large enough to generate a desirable natural

reverberation, so it became necessary to find another space to add depth to the song. Each track was played through a Peavey KB5 amp in a long reverberant tunnel between two buildings of the university. Two KSM141s were positioned 17 metres from the amp for the vocal tracks, and 10 metres from the amp for the guitar and piano tracks. We found that the tunnel provided the tracks with a smooth and full sounding reverberation. The drum kit and percussion were not included in the process, because they were captured in a room that already provided suitable reverberation for their role in the recording.

KSM141 stereo pair at the end of hall 17 metres from Peavey KB5 Amp

Portable Audio Capture Equipment List: Audio interface: RME Fireface 800 Preamplifiers: RME Fireface and OctoPre preamplifiers Studio Equipment List: Sound console: Solid State Logic Duality Preamplifier: Integrated Solid State Logic Duality channel preamplifiers Compressor: Solid State Logic analogue bus compressor Audio interface: Solid State Logic X-Logic Alpha-Link connected to Pro Tools HD TDM cards Production Software: Pro Tools HD 9 Monitoring: Dynaudio BM12A active monitors, Shure SRH1440 open-back headphones Post-Production and Mixing: The song was captured and mixed in Pro Tools 9 at a 44.1 KHz sample rate and a 24-bit depth. The placement of microphones, combined with the capture of natural reverberation, gave the project a full sound that required little processing. Processing that was used included some

compression on vocals and instrument buses, equalisers to tame offending frequencies and shape the sound of some drum tracks, and some Melodyne vocal processing used to correct mild pitch issues. A gated reverberation track was linked to the snare drum. After processing and mixing occurred within the Pro Tools environment, the completed track was sent through the master bus compressor on our studio’s SSL Duality mixing console, and the finished track was captured back into the system. Conclusion Over the course of this project, we have dedicated many hours and late nights to the production of this piece of music. We have had the opportunity to work with many different high-quality microphones and experiment with mic placements. We feel that we have achieved a great production without any external assistance, and have been able to share and learn different recording techniques from each other. This competition has been a great opportunity, and we are all quite proud of our accomplishments, and glad that we had the chance to participate. We had a really great time creating this recording and we hope that anyone who listens can understand how much fun this was for us.

Having a ball mixing in Studio One

Microphone Table: - * indicates microphones used in the final edit of the project - (x2) indicates that two of the same microphones were used but did not act as a stereo pair - No filters or pads were utilised during the production - All units presented in Metric

Instrument Microphone Distance Height Angle Preamp Polar Pattern

Notes

Drums: Snare

SM57* 6 cm 10 cm Angled at Rim

Fireface 800 OctaMic

Cardioid

Drums: Kick Front

Beta 52A* 10 cm 12 cm Centre on Kick

Fireface 800 OctaMic

Cardioid

Drums: Kick Pedal

Beta 57A* 5 cm 15 cm Off axis 45 Deg.

Fireface 800 OctaMic

Cardioid

Drums: Overheads

KSM44* 1.3 m apart

1.3 m Angled down

Fireface 800 OctaMic

Omni

Drums: Hi Hat

SM57* Above Hat

5 cm 110° Fireface 800 OctaMic

Cardioid

Drums: Toms x 2

Beta 98A Mounted 4 cm Angled at contact

Fireface 800 OctaMic

Cardioid

Drums: Main System

KSM141* 5 m from kit

3 m Parallel Fireface 800 OctaMic

Omni 1 m A/B

Drums: Room 1

Beta 181* 7.5 m from kit

3.5 m 120° Fireface 800 OctaMic

Omni 8 m apart

Drums: Room 2

KSM313* 12 m 4 m Corners of Room

Millennium Preamp

Bi-Dir. 20 m Apart

Percussion: Pandeiro Top

SM57* 8 cm Level with pandeiro

Angled at side

Fireface 800 OctaMic

Cardioid

Percussion: Pandeiro Btm

Beta 57A* Centre 10 cm Below

Slightly off axis

Fireface 800 OctaMic

Cardioid

Percussion: Concert Bass

Beta 52A* Near Rim Low Skin On axis Fireface 800 OctaMic

Cardioid

Percussion: Concert Bass

Beta 57A Near Rim Low Skin On axis Fireface 800 OctaMic

Cardioid

Percussion: Concert Bass

KSM44 (x2)* ⅓ of diameter

Near centre On axis Fireface 800 OctaMic

Omni

Percussion: Concert Bass

SM57 Centre Centre On axis Fireface 800 OctaMic

Cardioid

Percussion: Cymbal Roll

KSM44 (x2)* Above centre

1 m Angled at Cymbal

Fireface 800 OctaMic

Cardioid

Percussion: Cymbal Roll

Beta 57 * Below centre

15 cm Angled at Cymbal

Fireface 800 OctaMic

Cardioid

Bass guitar Beta 52A* Cone Centre On Axis SSL Preamp Cardioid

Bass guitar Beta 57A Cone ⅓ Cone Diametre

On Axis SSL Preamp Cardioid

Bass guitar Beta 181* Cone 60 cm Angled centre

SSL Preamp Cardioid

Bass guitar KSM44* 50 cm Centre On Axis SSL Preamp Cardioid

Bass guitar Beta 91A Half under

Below Below SSL Preamp Half Cardioid

Piano: Ribbon KSM313 (x2)* Centre 10 cm Blumlein SSL Preamp Bi-Dir.

Piano: Spot Beta 181 (x2)* High/ Low

10 cm Angled at strings

SSL Preamp Cardioid

Piano: Main KSM141 (x2)* 2 m 1.2 m 20° Angle SSL Preamp Cardioid ORTF

Piano: Boundary

Beta 91A Below Piano

Floor Angled up SSL Preamp Half Cardioid

Electric Guitar: Amp

SM57* Centre cone

centre Angled 30° Fireface 800 OctaMic

Cardioid

Electric Guitar: Amp

Beta 57A* ⅓ Cone Centre Angled 30° Fireface 800 OctaMic

Cardioid

Electric Guitar: Room 1

KSM44* 4 m 3 m up On axis Fireface 800 OctaMic

Omni

Electric Guitar: Room 2

KSM44* 11 m 4.5 m On axis Fireface 800 OctaMic

Cardioid

Acoustics: Stereo

KSM141 (x2)* 10 cm Centre Angled towards

SSL Preamp Cardioid A/B Stereo

Acoustics: Spot Beta 181 (x2)* 10 cm 5 cm from centre

Angled inwards

SSL Preamp Omni

Acoustics: Spot KSM44 10 cm Sound Hole

Centre SSL Preamp Cardioid

Acoustics: Room

VP88* 25 cm 50 cm On Axis SSL Preamp MS

Vocal: Male KSM42* Centre Centre On Axis SSL Preamp Cardioid

Vocal: Male KSM313 Centre Centre 90° SSL Preamp Bi-Dir.

Vocal: Male SM7B* Centre Centre Centre SSL Preamp Cardioid

Vocal: Female SM7B Centre Centre 30° SSL Preamp Cardioid

Vocal: Female KSM313* Centre Centre On Axis SSL Preamp Bi-Dir.

Vocal: Female KSM42* Centre Centre On Axis SSL Preamp Cardioid

Natural reverb KSM141(x2)* 15 m 1.2 m On axis Fireface 800 OctaMic

Omni A/B 30 cm