The Musician; The Instruments; Acoustics; The Performance - Yamaha AW2816 Manual

The Musician

The Instruments

All good recordings start at the source so it is very important that the musical instruments used in
the recording are in tune and that you have the best possible quality of sound. If necessary, put
new strings on the guitars, new heads on the drums, etc. before recording a performance.

Acoustics

The acoustical environment will also play a very large role in getting a quality recording. Record
a performance in a room that does not have serious acoustical problems such as standing waves,
or multiple reflections. If the room sounds bad it is going to be very difficult to get a good
recording. A little bit of acoustic foam or sound insulation in the recording room will do
wonders for the sound. There are many informative books available at local music stores that
cover the acoustical treatment of the studio in much greater detail.

The Performance

It is also important to record a quality performance. No amount of equalizing, or processing, can
appreciably improve a bad performance. If it is not a good performance or it is not recorded
properly it will be very difficult to fix later on. Musicians should be well rehearsed and prepared
to perform at their best.

Microphones

A microphone is a type of transducer – a device that converts one form of energy into another.
There are many types of transducers that are used to convert acoustic energy to electrical energy
(microphones) and then back into acoustic energy (speakers). A microphone is used to record
any instrument that does not have an internal pickup or does not output an electrical signal.
Electric guitars and basses have pickups, also a type of transducer, that convert acoustical signals
into to electrical signals. This makes it possible to plug the electric guitar or bass directly into a
mixing console without a microphone. For acoustic reasons, though, it may be more desirable to
plug the electric guitar or bass into an amplifier and then use a microphone to pickup the
acoustical signal from the amplifier. Keyboards, sound modules, and drum machines output an
electrical signal and so they are usually connected directly to the mixing console.
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