Horns Recording Research

Next week Mike and I will continue tracking  for local Animality next week with Steele Syndicate. This band is huge- 8 members- 4 vocal harmonies- and three guitar parts and a bass.

This will no doubt be the most challenging tracking yet. We are on a very tight recording schedule as well we have no time to spare really at all. Due to the band's commitments we have had to span this recording over three nights rather than through the day. As there are also so many members we have to put social distancing measures to make this recording safe and having the days split up into the different sections tracking was the best way to make this happen. 

We have 5 hours to set up and track drums, beds and pack down. Then we have 5 hours to track The guitars and horns (not too sure how that will go) and then 5 hours on friday to do vocals and percussion/ extras. This is pretty ambitious I think considering we have to pack down and set up within that 5 hour time period each day as well. 

I think that the best thing to do will be to get Dustin back on board for at least the wednesday night session in order to get the pack down quicker. He has been so helpful in these sessions it has made massive difference having another set of hands. He is super efficient also and we all work really well together. 

We have never recorded a brass section before so I thought it would be best to look into all the ways in which we can do this then decide based on time and what the band wants to do. There are 4 instruments in their section however there will only be 3 of them there for the recording and the other member is coming in on another day to track his part separately as he is unavailable on this night. 

We are still confirming exactly what instruments they will be using but I have included some diagrams of how to place microphones for individual and group recordings. We are thinking that if it's possible to get them to do over dubs of this section it could be cool to try a few different group miking techniques as well. 

The main issue when recording horns seems to be that people mic too closely. This distorts the signal and then becomes very abrasive sounding. Mike and I have consistently been recording all our instruments super clean. We have taken time with gain staging and microphone positioning so we really want this to be the same. We want to capture a really organic but controlled recording of this three piece section. 

Brass instruments have a lot of harmonic frequencies so mic placement is important. As they are so loud it can be hard to find sometimes where it sounds nice depending on the room as well. They are also all very different as their volume changes with pitch. 

For example, “measured at four metres, a trumpet can produce well in excess of 96dB SPL, and easily over 130dB within 0.5m of the bell!” (Robjohns, 1999). At low registers would be around 60db SPL at 4m and high around 86dB SPL. In comparison the trombone can reach up to 5dB louder and has a widener dynamic range. The size really affects the dynamic range and loudness of these instruments. 

The fundamental frequencies of a trumpet can be found around 1200hz but also from 8hz has prominent harmonic content. This depends on if it is being played loud or soft as well. That is why trumpets can sound either really mellow or really bright depending on how they are being played and what notes they are playing. 

The trombone has its fundamental frequency baked around 550hz however can produce frequencies above 10khz. Compared to the trumpet when played louder or softer the balance of harmonics does not change as much. There isn’t that dramatic difference in brightness/ mellowness. It maintains its rich qualities even when played at a low volume. 

These diagrams show how the frequencies are protected from the instruments. The sound will be affected depending on the distance around a radius from the sound source the microphone is placed. I read some Sound on Sound techniques on how to exactly record these instruments individually and what helps to get the most integral performance. 

Going from this diagram they recommend starting around 2 meter away from the bell, around 30 degrees off axis. With trumpets it is easier to mic from above and with trombones below. This is because trumpet players tend to face their bells down and trombones players are usually sitting down so the bell is facing up. Moving the mic closer from here will make the sound tighter and cleaner and further away more dramatic depending on the room. I don’t think that the NEVE live room really has many nice acoustic spots. However, this is something we need to consider when making this pre production plan. 

Another technique I was reading about made me pretty keen to try it as I am a fan of these mics. It involves getting the musician to face a window or wall and place the PZM mics on the wall in front of them. Finding the right placement and distance the musician is from the wall I'm sure will affect the sound a lot. I am super keen to give this a go. Sound on Sound says it has a really nice tight clean sound and makes fold backs easier as it provides acoustic feedback.

Moreover, micing too closely produces a sound that is ‘nasty’. What produces this is on axis microphones that are too close. Having at least a 30 degree off axis placement is crucial to avoid this!

The closer you get within proximity of the sound source the volume increases dramatically. The best type of microphones they recommend are large diaphragm condensers. They still must be placed around 1 meter from the sound source to capture a true sound without distorting. Just making sure that whatever microphone we pick doesn’t have a 2k boost on it at all as this really brings out some ugly frequencies in horns and brass instruments. 

If we decide that we want to track all the instruments together then we will need to really get our micing right. We will have to have them staging at the back of the NEVE as Sound On Sound suggests a 3 m minimum for mic placement distance. 

Not that I was thinking of doing this but they say that the biggest mistake people make when recording brass is trying to mic them without enough distance/ beffolds between them. They are so loud that in a small room they would all just spill into each other's microphones. I can’t even imagine what trying to deal with those phasing issues would be like in the NEVE either. Anyway, so we definitely won’t be attempting that. 

They recommend distant miking trying a stereo pair around 3 meters away from the band. They also suggest a mic around 1 meter above them. Once this is set up the next step is to get the balance right. This involves the louder members taking a small step back and the quieter instruments a step forward. This makes a huge difference to the balance. Apparently I am keen to hear it in action next week. 

As for microphones I have read that the U87 is perfect for this type of horns section and will be great to record them individually as well. It has a boost around 10khz which will really give them a little air but no harshness around 2-5khz. 

I read on another website that it can be cool to record trumpet and sax together then trombone after. This could be an idea if we are stretched for time. They also suggest that if you use the U87 on omni and have the musicians play around the one mic at a relative distance it works pretty well. 

There are lots of ways in which we can do this. We will be having a meeting with the band next week before the recording and now I will be able to pitch these ideas to them as well. It will depend on if they want to record together or separately. I think that we can work out a mic set up with either the U87’s as a pair or even just one and do some dubs. I just think that our session will flow better on a time restriction if we can track them all at the same time and that the vibe just might be a little more chill and exciting. 

Thanks for reading once again!

Bibliography:

Audient. n.d. 5 Tips To Record Horns Professionally In A Home Studio. [online] Available at: Robjohns, H., 1999.

Schulze, M., n.d. Recording Magazine Resources: Miking The Horn Section. [online] Recording Magazine. Available at: <https://recordingmag.com/resources/recording-info/mics-miking/miking-the-horn-section/> [Accessed 27 August 2020].

Robjohns, H., 1999.Recording Brass & Reeds. [online] Soundonsound.com. Available at: <https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/recording-brass-reeds> [Accessed 27 August 2020].