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08-31-2023, 12:21 PM
Hi Guys
With a pair of microphones, we can make an approximation of the binaural head-mic by placing the individual mikes in a V-shape. The bottom of the V can be open or literal. Having the microphones angled out allows a slight overlap but very strong left and right separation. Ideally this V would be placed on the center-line of the stage and reasonably distant so no single instrument dominates the mix.
If the V is made smaller so that the microphone bodies actually cross, then there is an emphasis of room ambience, but still a reasonable left-right sonic capture.
Presumably, the stage mix set by the individual performers is balanced in a way that the musicians feel represents the band properly. How common this is in practice is anyone's guess. Factors including inherent loudness of the instrument, the player's skill, the suppression of individual ego for the betterment of the band, and the positioning of speakers for individual instruments all contribute to whether the band mix is good or bad.
As discussed in the TUT-series, most inexperienced players think that being on stage gives them free reign to play as loud as they like. They go from bedroom-level practicing, to jamming with others, to jamming with drums included, to a stage. At each step, loudness increases, particularly when drums are present. Drums are generally used as the reason and excuse for playing louder and drummers are generally the scapegoat.
It is true that inexperienced drummers lack dynamic control, but a wider problem is actually the trend in available drum heads. Traditional drum heads have a "snap" when hit hard, but they can also be played quite dynamically down to very quiet levels. Hydraulic heads are fluid-filled and have more of a "thump" with very little attack. They are designed to withstand very hard hits and behave very much as if there is a threshold below which there is little or no sound at all. The drummer's statement that he has to play this loud is not entirely false.
On stage, it is hoped that every musician can hear every other instrument clearly, and that each participant allows space for the high-lighted voice. In classical formats, a conductors guides the musicians as to how to express their part, and makes space for soloists throughout the performance. Early pop and rock bands did the same although usually be mutual agreement, allowing focus on the vocal, or on a solo instrument. As the music became denser in the midrange frequencies, either with more players in the band, or with more complex or distorted instrument textures, the need for "making room" became more important yet generally became less frequently employed.
Most modern players tend to play as hard on their instrument as possible, with no change of loudness other than stops and starts. This reflects a lack of musicianship and a lack of a band mentality. Certain music types are more prone to this behaviour than others, but it is safe to say that all music styles suffer this egotistic indifference. With amplified instruments particularly, there is absolutely no excuse for such playing as the dynamic range of the instrument is greatly enhanced. An example of this is Ritchie Blackmore's performance of "Catch the Rainbow" on the Rainbow On Stage album. He begins playing so softly that the audience must be very quiet, with a build up to a full-band crescendo that taxes the recording and playback media capabilities.
Most pop music became compressed to maximise effective loudness for radio play. With loudness at maximum, the resulting radio signal was also maximised which gave better range of dispersion. Of course, that only mattered for AM, not FM. With the highly compressed mixes, as vocals come and go the texture of a song changed but its loudness did not. Individual instruments were mixed in as loudly as possible. You hear this particularly when a single instrument begins the song: it is loud and clear until the next instrument or the band joins in, at which point the first instrument is squashed in the mix. Vocals are simply mixed over the band instead of the band making space for them. Unfortunately, most live mixes are handled in exactly the same manner.
There are a lot of factors working against live sound being as good as it can be. The major factor is sheer loudness.
Human hearing evolved to deal with the sounds of nature. Human conversation is about 40dB above the threshold of hearing, and 80dB is quite deafening. Everything above 80dB is strictly abusive and harmful to our hearing health. We call the 80dB limit the top of the Human Scale of loudness. The presence of ANY and ALL sound invokes our aural compression, which is our physiologic protection system. As sounds get louder, we hear them less accurately and instead have an illusory impression of the sound. The reality is that if we want to accurately hear our instrument tone, we have to play it quietly. The same applies to hearing the band, or when we play back recorded music.
In the end, we hope that the performance we are trying to record is worth recording
With a pair of microphones, we can make an approximation of the binaural head-mic by placing the individual mikes in a V-shape. The bottom of the V can be open or literal. Having the microphones angled out allows a slight overlap but very strong left and right separation. Ideally this V would be placed on the center-line of the stage and reasonably distant so no single instrument dominates the mix.
If the V is made smaller so that the microphone bodies actually cross, then there is an emphasis of room ambience, but still a reasonable left-right sonic capture.
Presumably, the stage mix set by the individual performers is balanced in a way that the musicians feel represents the band properly. How common this is in practice is anyone's guess. Factors including inherent loudness of the instrument, the player's skill, the suppression of individual ego for the betterment of the band, and the positioning of speakers for individual instruments all contribute to whether the band mix is good or bad.
As discussed in the TUT-series, most inexperienced players think that being on stage gives them free reign to play as loud as they like. They go from bedroom-level practicing, to jamming with others, to jamming with drums included, to a stage. At each step, loudness increases, particularly when drums are present. Drums are generally used as the reason and excuse for playing louder and drummers are generally the scapegoat.
It is true that inexperienced drummers lack dynamic control, but a wider problem is actually the trend in available drum heads. Traditional drum heads have a "snap" when hit hard, but they can also be played quite dynamically down to very quiet levels. Hydraulic heads are fluid-filled and have more of a "thump" with very little attack. They are designed to withstand very hard hits and behave very much as if there is a threshold below which there is little or no sound at all. The drummer's statement that he has to play this loud is not entirely false.
On stage, it is hoped that every musician can hear every other instrument clearly, and that each participant allows space for the high-lighted voice. In classical formats, a conductors guides the musicians as to how to express their part, and makes space for soloists throughout the performance. Early pop and rock bands did the same although usually be mutual agreement, allowing focus on the vocal, or on a solo instrument. As the music became denser in the midrange frequencies, either with more players in the band, or with more complex or distorted instrument textures, the need for "making room" became more important yet generally became less frequently employed.
Most modern players tend to play as hard on their instrument as possible, with no change of loudness other than stops and starts. This reflects a lack of musicianship and a lack of a band mentality. Certain music types are more prone to this behaviour than others, but it is safe to say that all music styles suffer this egotistic indifference. With amplified instruments particularly, there is absolutely no excuse for such playing as the dynamic range of the instrument is greatly enhanced. An example of this is Ritchie Blackmore's performance of "Catch the Rainbow" on the Rainbow On Stage album. He begins playing so softly that the audience must be very quiet, with a build up to a full-band crescendo that taxes the recording and playback media capabilities.
Most pop music became compressed to maximise effective loudness for radio play. With loudness at maximum, the resulting radio signal was also maximised which gave better range of dispersion. Of course, that only mattered for AM, not FM. With the highly compressed mixes, as vocals come and go the texture of a song changed but its loudness did not. Individual instruments were mixed in as loudly as possible. You hear this particularly when a single instrument begins the song: it is loud and clear until the next instrument or the band joins in, at which point the first instrument is squashed in the mix. Vocals are simply mixed over the band instead of the band making space for them. Unfortunately, most live mixes are handled in exactly the same manner.
There are a lot of factors working against live sound being as good as it can be. The major factor is sheer loudness.
Human hearing evolved to deal with the sounds of nature. Human conversation is about 40dB above the threshold of hearing, and 80dB is quite deafening. Everything above 80dB is strictly abusive and harmful to our hearing health. We call the 80dB limit the top of the Human Scale of loudness. The presence of ANY and ALL sound invokes our aural compression, which is our physiologic protection system. As sounds get louder, we hear them less accurately and instead have an illusory impression of the sound. The reality is that if we want to accurately hear our instrument tone, we have to play it quietly. The same applies to hearing the band, or when we play back recorded music.
In the end, we hope that the performance we are trying to record is worth recording
