Thursday, 13 October 2016

Unit 49 brief 1 -Setting up sound production equipment

Setting up equipment for a live performance

Risk assessments

Process/steps taken
Risk
Why
How it can be minimalized/avoided.
Lids from boxes
The box lid is easy to trip over
To minimalize this you could move the box to one side so then no-one is at risk from being tripped over.
The boxes moving


Encase one of the boxes is too heavy and it is hard to move and pickup. Another risk is that the box may not be locked when it is stood still
Making sure that there is two people caring a heavy box. Make sure that you keep the wheels on the box locked.
Tripping over wires
Tripping over wires can sometimes cause a serious injury. It also makes a mess for everyone else with the equipment out because it may damage insides of wires
Making sure that you are careful when walking around the equipment by watching your step. Then it saves the wires being damaged. Tripping over wires can also be prevented by taping down any loose wires that can be a hazard
Unwanted/bad noises
It would ruin the recording from the unwanted noise and it would distract the person that is recording.
Make sure that you have gone step by step
Exposure to live wire
It can cause a electric shock on someone, which is not very safe for a recording environment.
To prevent a exposed wire that is live you put some tape over it. This would prevent a electric shock to
Plug sockets
Plug sockets have a lot of voltage on them depending on the socket. In case something which is a conductor of electricity goes into the socket it can cause a serious accident.
To prevent this you can check that plug socket is off and whenever you need to use it you turn it back on
Water near electric
Water and electricity don’t go well. This can lead to electrocution. This also damages the equipment if you use it which would make it either no-longer work and it is unrepairable. Or you are able to get it to work and it no as efficient
Make sure whenever you want to take a drink of water you keep it away from any electrical equipment.
Health Risk
Make sure that whenever you are lifting something or you are plugging something you are safe making sure that there is no water or metal
Make sure that you know what you are doing when you are plugin the  required equipment
Noise levels
For the noise make sure that is it a respectable level so then it does hurt anyone’s or making that it isn’t too quiet.
Make sure that you have present the levels so then it is better to tell whether it is loud or quiet
Feedback
Feedback is not best and it is a horrible sound whenever it is loud. This can cause damage to speakers and ears.
Make sure that the you keep the microphone away from the speakers or anything else that can cause feedback. 















-Take boxes apart
-Keep mixing desk on power supply and move desk to position
-lock wheels for safety
-Move base bins to position (left and right)
-Add pillars
-Set up main speakers on top, about same height
-Ensure everything is secure tight
-Connect speakon cables to power supply
-Make sure everything is taped and out of way
-Connect desk to the amps with jack leads (balanced)
-Plug to mains
-Flat line desk otherwise bad noises
-Add xlr cable for mic
-Turn on desk fire, check desk
-Turn on speakers
-Level testing

Using microphones and effects

Microphone Types

Microphones, how they work and different types
Different types of microphones include:

Image result for condenser microphone diagram- Condenser/ capacitor microphone- The unique thing about a condenser or a capacitor microphone is that it has two plates which have a voltage in-between them, one of the plates is a light material and it acts as the diaphragm. The diaphragm vibrates when sound waves hit it. Condenser microphones mainly picks up a voice, mainly something more lighter

Image result for Dynamic microphone diagram- Dynamic microphones- These types of microphones mainly pick up instruments, this microphone is mainly for more baser sounds because it this microphones are not as delicate. On this microphone the diaphragm vibrates in response to incoming sound waves. This microphone has a coil which creates current which channels along the microphone cables. 


Microphone Effects

- Compression- This reduces the loud noises which are inputed into the microphone. By using this you can speak quietly and it will output loud
- Equalisation- This normally boosts or reduces the audio. This is good because it can make
- Re verb- Re-verb simulates types of rooms, re-verb can simulate a stage or a hall. This is useful because if you want to record someone speaking or a song you want like it is in a hall you can do this with re verb
- Noise gate-this cancels out any types of velocity when it is at the correct dbs, example: A loud noise is at 120dbs, you want to get rid of it. You would use a noise gate to get rid of the loud noise.
- Pitch Shift- This can higher the pitch of someone talking either making it a higher sounding noise or a lower sounding noise. This is good if you want to start off a music video in a lower sound to your noise.

Sets for setting up the recording studio

-Log onto the mac using login: teacher password: sicko
-Open cubase 7 not cubase 6
-Click cancel on any windows that pop up
-When loaded click file and new project
-Select 'empty' from the tab on the right (more);
-To check the desk is set up look up the folliwng:
Devices setup check the audio driver AISO is connect to the onyx fireware (desk)

Setting up equipment for live performance

-Take boxes apart
-Keep mixing desk on power supply and move desk to position
-lock wheels for safety
-Move base bins to position (left and right)
-Add pillars
-Set up main speakers on top, about same height
-Ensure everything is secure tight
-Connect speakon cables to power supply
-Make sure everything is taped and out of way
-Connect desk to the amps with jack leads (balanced)
-Plug to mains
-Flat line desk otherwise bad noises
-Add xlr cable for mic
-Turn on desk fire, check desk
-Turn on speakers
-Level testing

Equipment List

-Mixing desk Yamaha EMX 5016 CF
-Power Amp, ASX 18 dB Technology for mixing desk, the t,amp A1400 for main speak, the t.amp A2400 for the sub speakers
-Sub Speakers (dBs)
-Main Speakers (dBs)
-Support Pillars
-XLR cables
-Speakon cables
-Jack cables
-Masking Tapes
-Power leads
-Shure SM58 microphone

Video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Lx1o1AU8Nc&feature=youtu.be

Thursday, 6 October 2016

Unit 2 brief 1 -Extracting from written sources

Revolutionary Songs for the time 

Album: Back in Black
Produced: Robert John "Mutt" Lange
Artist: ACDC
Year/Date: 25th July 1980
Genre: Hard Rock
AC/DC is back in black for the time was a revolutionary song for the times. AC/DC produced alot of songs that were enjoyable nonsense and seriously rocked. After the ACDC Back in black album released it made a nation love rock music. This was revolutionary because this was a new type of rock. Some that even child could listen too because there is less swearing to them.. This album was produced by Robert John "Mutt" Lange. The album made the band ACDC come out of there native habituate from Australia. [1]


Album: Space Oddity
Producer: Tony Visconti Gus Dudgeon
Artist: David Bowie
Year/Date:11 July 1969
Genre: Space rock, Psychedelic Folk, Progressive Rock
David bowie space oddity was revolutionary because david bowie is a well known artist can by releasing this album space oddity this made a liking to the nation of david bowie. Made in the 1969's this was how david bowie built his stardom off of. This album made it t the top 10 in Britain at the time.   This album was for the moon landing being in 1969[2]


Album: Abbey Road
Producer: George Martin
Artist: The Beatles
Year/Date: 26th September 1969
Genre: Rock
The Beatles Abbey road was one of their last albums that the Beatles did perform. It was first issued on 25th September 1969. Then got realised on May 1970. The album featured all of the Beatles classics. This was to pay tribute to the last album of the Beatles. This was made a in a studio with top of the range recording equipment for the time. This was revolutionary for the Beatles because it was one of their last music videos and it struck a nation. This is shown by the amount of time that was in the charts 81 weeks.[3]

Album: In the Lonely Hour
Producer:



  • Jimmy Napes 
  • Steve Fitzmaurice 
  • Komi 
  • Naughty Boy
  • Two Inch Punch
  • Eg White
  • Fraser T Smith
  • Artist: Sam Smith
    Year/Date: 26 May 2014
    Genre: Pop and Soul
    When the album was released it was reseved a-lot of hate when it was released. Most of the people praised Sam Smith for singing the song, but the song itself reseved a-lot of hate. The album was a commercial success over alot of countries and reseved the second best selling album of 2014. The album reached the top 10 in 20 different countries.[4]

    Album:The Book of the Souls
    Producer: Kevin Shirley and Steven Harris
    Artist: Iron Maiden
    Year/Date: 4th September 2015
    Genre: Heavy Metal
    "The Book of Souls" was the first album from the band Iron maiden's first double album. At the launch of the album there was a tour that also followed it. This album is the longest album that Iron maiden have released last for prominently 92 minutes. The album was recorded in Paris from September to December 2014. The album received positive reviews from fans and critics.[5]

    Album: Paranoid
    Producer: Rodger Bain
    Artist: Black Sabbath
    Year/Date: 18th September 1970(UK release) 7th January (US release)
    Genre: Heavy Metal
    The album "Paranoid" was the only album for the band black sabbath that reached top of the charts in the UK until 2013. The albums contains well known Black Sabbath songs such as "Iron Man" and "War Pigs". The album was recorded in London. This turned out to be the only song that Black Sabbath had going in the top charts.[6]



    References

    [1]Dimery, RD, 2011. 1001 albums you must hear before you die. 5th ed. London: Tristan de Lancy.

    [2]Pitchfork. 2016. David Bowie: Space Oddity [40th Anniversary Edition] Album Review | Pitchfork. [ONLINE] Available at: http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/13610-space-oddity-40th-anniversary-edition/. [Accessed 04 October 2016].

    [3]The Beatles. 2016. Abbey Road | The Beatles. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.thebeatles.com/album/abbey-road. [Accessed 06 October 2016].

    [4]Wikipedia. 2016. In the Lonely Hour - Wikipedia. [ONLINE] Available at:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_the_Lonely_Hour. [Accessed 10 November 2016].


    [5]Wikipedia. 2016. The Book of Souls - Wikipedia. [ONLINE] Available at:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Book_of_Souls. [Accessed 10 November 2016].

    [6]Loudwire. 2016. 45 Years Ago: Black Sabbath Unleash 'Paranoid'. [ONLINE] Available at: http://loudwire.com/black-sabbath-paranoid-album-anniversary/. [Accessed 10 November 2016].