My first post has been received quite well, so thank you to everyone who has read and/or shared! I love talking about music and production and am excited to continue with this new blog.
Alright... my keyboard! I am asked often, by other musicians as well as fans, about the grand piano sound in my recordings. Fans sometimes think it's my baby grand, but most of the time it is not. This is not surprising to producers and musicians who are using or at least aware of the advances in keyboards and virtual instruments, but I have floored a few people who were convinced that they were hearing "Gretchen." (I am the proud owner of a 100+ year old baby grand we affectionately call Gretchen, but she doesn't get into most of my recordings.) I don't like recording my piano because it doesn't stay in tune for very long, has a lot of extra noise in the hammers and pedal, and often requires at least 2 (preferably more) microphones to properly capture the sound.
Since I utilize other instruments as well as electronic elements, recording an acoustic piano doesn't serve me very well for final production. My musical signature and aesthetic really rely on the fact that I use a full-sized, weighted, digital piano with a pedal to bring in all aspects of my playing via a MIDI cable. Yes I'm still playing just as I would a real piano, but with the MIDI captured, I can choose among multiple pianos, vintage keyboards, synths, drums, etc while not having to physically own all of these different instruments. I can go so far as to create my own custom sounds to apply to my piano playing.
I own two digital pianos: one for my studio (an aging Williams Allegro) and one for gigging (a Casio Privia PX-160). Either would work beautifully for the studio, but trust me that if you are a pianist, you don't want to risk losing or dropping your studio keyboard. This is why I own two. I will say here that my Allegro has seen better days, and I would gladly replace it with a newer Allegro or even a second Privia in the future. They both keep up with my fingers, which is difficult for a non-weighted keyboard. That actually was a key factor in what to buy. They have to feel as real as possible to me and react like a well-maintained grand piano.
During some recent window-shopping and price-comparisons, I've noted that many keyboards have been going to MIDI over USB lately. My Allegro still requires me to break out my big orange MIDI cables, so I have an interface that supports MIDI-in and MIDI-out. Since I also record with microphones, a few years back I chose the Focusrite Scarlett 8i6. It has 2 pre-amps, MIDI-in and MIDI-out, and 2 line inputs. It also has outputs to the computer (USB), monitors, and headphones. I know I'm missing a few features here, but those are the ones I use most often. The pre-amps are decent.
Despite how much I like the Scarlett, if I'm going to be be perfectly honest, I should have gotten one with more mic pre-amps. I like to mic up amps and accordions as well as my voice, and occasionally I do record Gretchen for special projects. Usually I can get away with two microphones, but I would really like the option of using four or more for certain applications. When I do upgrade, I'll be sure to post my thought processes as well as what I ultimately end up with and why. At the time I bought this one though, I really didn't need more than two XLR inputs. I bring this up because I think it's important to consider your needs five years down the road. Will you want to try different recording techniques that require multiple mics? Will you need to pull instrument cables in? I would also caution that if you are looking to upgrade your computer soon to consider what the input will be from the interface and if the computers you are looking at will support it (Thunderbolt, Firewire, USB 2, USB 3). You'll also need to make sure it is compatible with your operating system. The interface is how you are bringing your signals in to your computer. Always read the tech specs and ask questions if you're unsure.
This leads to my microphones... I use microphones on my vocals for sure. When it comes to vocals, I, like many others, enjoy a large diaphragm condenser microphone. My go-to for the past two years has been the M-Audio Solaris, which is a versatile multipattern mic (switch among figure 8, cardioid, and omni). I love this mic because I think it is more true to my voice than other mics I've tried. It really does well when I go into my spoken passages or quieter singing, adding a touch of warmth while maintaining clarity. I do have to back away if I'm going to belt, but I find that I really can't go wrong with this microphone on my voice. The only complaint is that it's not very bright, but considering the clarity, that's okay as it keeps it from sounding too thin. I just play with my EQ a bit in the mix and it's perfect. It also seems to not grab every sound in the house as much as other microphones I've tried. I do use a acoustic surround that attaches to my mic stand which also helps reduce reflected noise.
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| The Blue Bluebird |
I also use the Blue Bluebird (pictured) on some applications, which is a gorgeous microphone to say the least. It's great on mid-ranges, and it also has good clarity. It has a vintage vibe in the styling, so I love to do photo shoots with it. This was my first half-way decent microphone, so it got a lot of recording use on my first album and a few subsequent singles. I think it responds a bit better to highs than my Solaris, but admittedly I have not tried a side-by-side comparison to confirm that suspicion. Overall I like the Solaris better for my style of vocals as of today. Some gear-reviewers have said the Bluebird is amazing on male voices, but I'll have to confirm that in person. (Maybe down the road my music buddies and I will do a mic "shoot-out" for you with sound clips.)
I've only scratched the surface of my microphone collection. For example, when it comes to capturing an amp or an accordion, I grab two microphones: a multi-purpose mic as described above described above as well as a ribbon mic (Avantone CR-14). I will go into that set-up in more detail another time as this post is already running long.
What I will say to anyone buying a microphone, be sure you understand if you need phantom power. Because I have the Scarlett interface, I already have two inputs with phantom power (with the pre-amps), but many people just starting out on recording vocals don't understand if they need this or not. I've had several discussions with people asking for help on how to buy microphones and this comes up over and over. Please read up on any microphone you are looking to buy to understand where it shines, the power needs, etc. Some mics are really versatile, but they all have their strong suits. I didn't list all of the microphones I own, but the Solaris and Bluebird use phantom power (48V). The CR-14 does not.
If there are any questions or even suggestions anyone has relating to this topic or the previous one, please send them to me by way of the comments and I'll address those as well. Other later posts will discuss different plugins, effects, tips, tricks, etc for electronic and other music recordings. Please send me your suggestions for posts in the comments, via my website, or to my twitter account sarahschonert@sarahschonert.
Visit www.sarahschonertmusic.com to learn more about my music.
Obsolete and old generation equipment: The Scarlett family is on generation 2 now, and I don't believe an 8i6 is available any longer. There are plenty of similar set-ups however, Focusrite has several interface lines to check out. Also, the Solaris is no longer in production. However, the Nova and the Sputnik are on my watch-list for microphones to try next from M-Audio.
Definitions for the Layperson:
DAW: "Digital Audio Workstation." When I use this term, I'm generally talking about the software in which you record and/or mix your tracks.
Digital piano vs Keyboard: A digital piano is, essentially, a keyboard that sounds and plays more like an acoustic piano, but not all keyboards are digital pianos. While definition can vary depending on who you talk to, my rule is this: If it is truly weighted like a piano and has most-to-all octaves, it's a digital piano. If it has semi-weighted or unweighted keys and is limited in range, it's not a digital piano. If you're a pianist, you'll know the difference immediately upon playing. If you aren't, it might not really be a factor for you in choosing a keyboard at all.
XLR: Type of electrical connector. This is typically what most of your modern microphones will use.
Phantom Power: DC electric power that gets used by a lot of condenser microphones. This power is transmitted via the mic cable.
MIDI: Stands for "Musical Interface Digital Interface." This is a standard for the protocol and tools that allows for communication of musical notation, pitch, velocity, and more. The best way to learn about this is to go read about it: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MIDI
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