Sunday, July 1, 2012
Oishii!Project: Jenny's Blog
Oishii!Project: Jenny's Blog: Jenny's Blog ☆Date: 2012/7/1 ☆ い c 。こん一羽みんあ！ Haha, I’m really trying my best to practice my Japanese XD; but… even my greetin...
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Recording Equipment: Finding the right Microphone
Believe it or not, a lot of thought should go into the type of equipment you use for recording or dubbing. In the case of an Utaite, the type of mic is most important in order to achieve the kind of top quality that more popular Utaite's are able to produce in their vocals. (That's not say mixing has nothing to do with making a cover sound professional)
So when you're looking at a Chorus audition and its rules, you come across the rule "MUST HAVE CLEAR MIC" what does that mean to you?
The first thing to know is that there are numerous different mic types and even more varieties of brands and models that determine how your microphone picks up your vocals, how much of your vocals is being picked up, the expense, and the quality. These are things that should be considered in the search for the right equipment for you.
- Dynamic Mic - a microphone typically using a metal coil around a metal cylinder that produces signal when the coil moves back and forth between the 2 Magnets in its diaphragm (The head of the microphone)
Pros:
- Very Durable
- The most inexpensive
- Can handle loud volumes the best
- Can be used for almost any kind of recording
Cons:
- Not as sensitive to higher frequencies (or pitches)
- Condenser Mic - utilizes a plate system in which one plate in the diaphragm is stable while the plate in front vibrates when sung into, creating a digital signal that travels to your computer, recorder, or mixer. (In a nutshell. But, because it doesn't use magnets, it needs and external power source such as batteries or something called "Phantom Power"to allow a constant electric current to run between the plates)
Pros:
- Very sensitive to higher pitches (meaning not just good at picking up higher notes, but you get a clearer recording of consonants as well. Considering this, condensers are also best used to record drum cymbals as well)
- Because it's so sensitive, it's able to pick up the sound much faster
Cons:
- Expensive
- Again, it needs an external power source such as phantom power or batteries ( I think there are some miss that have built in phantom power, but that increases the price of the mic as well)
- It's pretty fragile. For example, if you drop a dynamic mic in most cases it'll still work fine, but dropping a condenser could be pretty damaging and may damage the quality of your recording. (You have to be extra careful in handling these types of microphones)
- Doesn't handle louder volumes as well as dynamics. Meaning it is more prone to clipping (So for those screamo vocalists, this mic is probably not for you).
- Ribbon Mic - This microphone is similar to that of a dynamic mic in the sense that they both use the science of creating a signal within a magnetic field inside the head of the microphone. However, instead of a coil, as the name may suggest, a ribbon or strip of metal is what hangs in-between the two magnets.
Pros:
- Doesn't require an external power source
- Extremely sensitive to high pitches (Consonants, high notes etc.)
- Very Clear Quality (The most clear out of the 3 and usually used for recording broadcasts and vocals in the professional world)
Cons:
- The Most expensive microphone
- Very delicate, I read on one website that even wind pressure could mess up the inner workings of a ribbon mic. (Here)
- Because of its sensitivity, while the quality is clear this also means that it probably can't handle loud volumes without clipping.
All in all, it depends on how much you are willing to spend and what you will use your microphone for to determine which of these types is best. As I said earlier, Condensers and Ribbons probably wouldn't handle screamo as well as the dynamic Mics. I'd like to use the Utaite Passion as an example, whom i've had some discussions with about microphone types. Last we talked, she was telling me how she used her dynamic for her screams, but switched to her condenser for her normal vocals. What I'm getting at is that, it is all about personal preference.
A second big consideration for finding the right microphone is what is called its "Polar Pattern". A polar pattern means the direction in which the microphone is picking up sound. We look at microphones and think that it's pretty straight forward; put your mouth by the netted part and do your thing right? To the Utaites that mix as well as sing, have you ever noticed that some of your raw vocals you recieve have extra noises like phone rings, dog barking, or someone's mom nagging in the background of those vocals? Then you have to go through the motions of having to either adjust your mix to make these extra sounds minimal or make the vocalist record their lines over again. It's a pain, but a pain that the right mic with the right polar pattern could probably help in avoiding.
Polar pattern measures where sound is being picked up in degrees, and those degrees have names. For the sake of not getting to in-depth, I'll go over each name/type of polar pattern without getting into the technicalities of their exact degrees:
Omnidirectional - This is a microphone that is picking up sound from all around (front, back, both sides) which is good for picking up a number of vocals and sounds, but probably not the type of pattern a single vocalist may want for recording.
Diagram:
The black outline illustrates all the directions that the microphone is picking up sound
Bidirectional - Picks up sound from the front of the microphone and from the back. Usually used for one-on-one interviewing.
Diagram:
Uni-direction/CARDIOID - I highly recommend this polar pattern for singers because it picks up sound from mostly one direction. There are more types of cardioids that focus more and more on picking up sounds from the front of the mic. Cardioid, relating to cardio or the heart, pattern is shaped like a heart that entails noise can be picked up from the sides. However, Ultra- and Super-Cardioid patterns cut down more and more on recording noises from the sides and focuses on what noise is being produced at the front of the microphone. Thus, making this pattern and its sub patterns most ideal for vocalists/Utaites.
Cardioid Diagram:
Ultra/Super-Cardioid Diagram:
Hypercardioid Diagram:
Tip: the more "ports" on a microphone indicates the more directional it is (Less side noise. A good physical indication that the mic is a cardioid microphone.)
Something to note in the Cardioid patterns is that it does tend to pick up a LITTLE bit of sound from the back depending on hyper, super, or ultra types which is also something that you may want to consider.
As far as I know, I don't believe that polar patterns influence the cost of a microphone, but it is a feature that one should look out for as your shopping and researching through brands.
Other features to look out for include:
Frequency Response - Basically how much low sound and high sound the microphone is able to pick up. The range of human hearing is between 20Hz - 20,000Hz so the closer the range is to these 2 numbers, probably means the better the clarity/response/sensitivity. (Measuring what pitches your microphone is able to capture)
Self-noise - How much noise the microphone itself is producing. You don't want your recording to be muffled out due to the microphone picking up noise that it, itself is creating (Kind of like how your computer emits some kind of noise that tells you it's on and operating). For microphones, you want the number to be as close to 20 dB as possible
Signal to Noise Ratio - How much of the noise the microphone is picking up and then sending to your computer, mixer, or recorder through a signal. Usually, you will see this represented in dB (Decibels) and the best number you'd want would be around 74 dB. The larger the number the better.
In my experience, I prefer USB microphones as they are usually of better quality in comparison to most computer TRS microphones. I haven't looked much into it, but through personal experience TRS connectors that come with microphones are usually found on computer headphones with a mic attached. In my opinion, i don't think they provide as clear of quality that I like nor gives you the option to be able to back away from the microphone when you needed, based on how loud you are singing without having to adjust your headphones, which can easily be picked up on your recording. Just as well, the wiring that comes with TRS connectors are fairly flimsier then USB's and thus easily damaged. Bottom line, it just never seemed worth it to me. But if anyone knows of a good brand w/ good quality that uses TRS connector, leave a comment with a link because I would love to be able to eat my words
So when you're looking at a Chorus audition and its rules, you come across the rule "MUST HAVE CLEAR MIC" what does that mean to you?
The first thing to know is that there are numerous different mic types and even more varieties of brands and models that determine how your microphone picks up your vocals, how much of your vocals is being picked up, the expense, and the quality. These are things that should be considered in the search for the right equipment for you.
Different types
 | |
|
Pros:
- Very Durable
- The most inexpensive
- Can handle loud volumes the best
- Can be used for almost any kind of recording
Cons:
- Not as sensitive to higher frequencies (or pitches)
- Condenser Mic - utilizes a plate system in which one plate in the diaphragm is stable while the plate in front vibrates when sung into, creating a digital signal that travels to your computer, recorder, or mixer. (In a nutshell. But, because it doesn't use magnets, it needs and external power source such as batteries or something called "Phantom Power"to allow a constant electric current to run between the plates)
 |
| (mediacollege.com) |
Pros:
- Very sensitive to higher pitches (meaning not just good at picking up higher notes, but you get a clearer recording of consonants as well. Considering this, condensers are also best used to record drum cymbals as well)
- Because it's so sensitive, it's able to pick up the sound much faster
Cons:
- Expensive
- Again, it needs an external power source such as phantom power or batteries ( I think there are some miss that have built in phantom power, but that increases the price of the mic as well)
- It's pretty fragile. For example, if you drop a dynamic mic in most cases it'll still work fine, but dropping a condenser could be pretty damaging and may damage the quality of your recording. (You have to be extra careful in handling these types of microphones)
- Doesn't handle louder volumes as well as dynamics. Meaning it is more prone to clipping (So for those screamo vocalists, this mic is probably not for you).
- Ribbon Mic - This microphone is similar to that of a dynamic mic in the sense that they both use the science of creating a signal within a magnetic field inside the head of the microphone. However, instead of a coil, as the name may suggest, a ribbon or strip of metal is what hangs in-between the two magnets.
 |
| (someaudioguy.blogspot.com) |
Pros:
- Doesn't require an external power source
- Extremely sensitive to high pitches (Consonants, high notes etc.)
- Very Clear Quality (The most clear out of the 3 and usually used for recording broadcasts and vocals in the professional world)
Cons:
- The Most expensive microphone
- Very delicate, I read on one website that even wind pressure could mess up the inner workings of a ribbon mic. (Here)
- Because of its sensitivity, while the quality is clear this also means that it probably can't handle loud volumes without clipping.
All in all, it depends on how much you are willing to spend and what you will use your microphone for to determine which of these types is best. As I said earlier, Condensers and Ribbons probably wouldn't handle screamo as well as the dynamic Mics. I'd like to use the Utaite Passion as an example, whom i've had some discussions with about microphone types. Last we talked, she was telling me how she used her dynamic for her screams, but switched to her condenser for her normal vocals. What I'm getting at is that, it is all about personal preference.
A second big consideration for finding the right microphone is what is called its "Polar Pattern". A polar pattern means the direction in which the microphone is picking up sound. We look at microphones and think that it's pretty straight forward; put your mouth by the netted part and do your thing right? To the Utaites that mix as well as sing, have you ever noticed that some of your raw vocals you recieve have extra noises like phone rings, dog barking, or someone's mom nagging in the background of those vocals? Then you have to go through the motions of having to either adjust your mix to make these extra sounds minimal or make the vocalist record their lines over again. It's a pain, but a pain that the right mic with the right polar pattern could probably help in avoiding.
Polar pattern measures where sound is being picked up in degrees, and those degrees have names. For the sake of not getting to in-depth, I'll go over each name/type of polar pattern without getting into the technicalities of their exact degrees:
Omnidirectional - This is a microphone that is picking up sound from all around (front, back, both sides) which is good for picking up a number of vocals and sounds, but probably not the type of pattern a single vocalist may want for recording.
Diagram:
 |
| (onlinefilmschool.blogspot.com) |
The black outline illustrates all the directions that the microphone is picking up sound
Bidirectional - Picks up sound from the front of the microphone and from the back. Usually used for one-on-one interviewing.
Diagram:
 |
| (squarecirclez.com) |
Uni-direction/CARDIOID - I highly recommend this polar pattern for singers because it picks up sound from mostly one direction. There are more types of cardioids that focus more and more on picking up sounds from the front of the mic. Cardioid, relating to cardio or the heart, pattern is shaped like a heart that entails noise can be picked up from the sides. However, Ultra- and Super-Cardioid patterns cut down more and more on recording noises from the sides and focuses on what noise is being produced at the front of the microphone. Thus, making this pattern and its sub patterns most ideal for vocalists/Utaites.
Cardioid Diagram:
 |
| (onlinefilmschool.blogspot.com) |
Ultra/Super-Cardioid Diagram:
 |
| (dvforums.com) |
Hypercardioid Diagram:
 |
| (recording-microphone.com) |
Tip: the more "ports" on a microphone indicates the more directional it is (Less side noise. A good physical indication that the mic is a cardioid microphone.)
 |
| The slits are the ports. (musiciansfriend.com) |
Something to note in the Cardioid patterns is that it does tend to pick up a LITTLE bit of sound from the back depending on hyper, super, or ultra types which is also something that you may want to consider.
As far as I know, I don't believe that polar patterns influence the cost of a microphone, but it is a feature that one should look out for as your shopping and researching through brands.
Other features to look out for include:
Frequency Response - Basically how much low sound and high sound the microphone is able to pick up. The range of human hearing is between 20Hz - 20,000Hz so the closer the range is to these 2 numbers, probably means the better the clarity/response/sensitivity. (Measuring what pitches your microphone is able to capture)
Self-noise - How much noise the microphone itself is producing. You don't want your recording to be muffled out due to the microphone picking up noise that it, itself is creating (Kind of like how your computer emits some kind of noise that tells you it's on and operating). For microphones, you want the number to be as close to 20 dB as possible
Signal to Noise Ratio - How much of the noise the microphone is picking up and then sending to your computer, mixer, or recorder through a signal. Usually, you will see this represented in dB (Decibels) and the best number you'd want would be around 74 dB. The larger the number the better.
USB VS. XLR VS. TRS
Depending on what you are recording through, these different connectors may vary. USB and certain TRS connectors allow direct connection to the computer and to your recording software. XLR cables can't connect to computers and are usually connected to an amp, preamp, mixer, or recorder with an XLR port. Usually XLR cables are something that are bought separate from your microphone so in the case of most Utaites who are usually concerned with vocal recordings, it is probably easiest and ideal to go with a microphone that provides either a USB or some TRS wiring for direct connection to the computer.
 |
| TRS - the small connector on the right w/ 1 prong. This particular cable is probably bought separate from the mic. (Guitarcenter.com) |
 |
| XLR cable. Connector on Left is consider Male, connector on right is Female. (audiovideonyc.com) |
In my experience, I prefer USB microphones as they are usually of better quality in comparison to most computer TRS microphones. I haven't looked much into it, but through personal experience TRS connectors that come with microphones are usually found on computer headphones with a mic attached. In my opinion, i don't think they provide as clear of quality that I like nor gives you the option to be able to back away from the microphone when you needed, based on how loud you are singing without having to adjust your headphones, which can easily be picked up on your recording. Just as well, the wiring that comes with TRS connectors are fairly flimsier then USB's and thus easily damaged. Bottom line, it just never seemed worth it to me. But if anyone knows of a good brand w/ good quality that uses TRS connector, leave a comment with a link because I would love to be able to eat my words
 |
| USB (Right) (lindy.co.uk) |
.
What do I use?
When I started as a youtube Japanese cover artist, I actually used my built in microphone on myApple desktop or laptop. I got a lot of grief about the quality from my chorus members and leader, but i could never detect what was wrong on my own. Finally I caved, and asked around for advice on cost friendly and good quality microphones. My friend Kori suggested the microphone he had recently got: The Blue Snowball, which was normally sold for something in the $100 range, but was selling in the $60's range on amazon.com (See what the prices are now!)
The Blue Snowball Review
 |
| (Amazon.com) |
The Blue Snowball, as its name indicates, is very much shaped like a ball and comes with its own stand making this a hands-free product. It also comes with a USB cable that you can connect directly to your computer, which was the feature that really got me the most enthusiastic. It is a Dynamic Cardioid microphone, which I find befitting to me considering that I do have a fairly powerful vocal dynamic. The microphone includes 3 Polar pattern settings on the back that give you the option between 2 different cardioid settings as well as an omnidirectional pattern setting.
 |
| (zzounds.com) |
This feature is something of a hot topic at times in the NRP (Not a Robot Project) Skype chats among a few of us that also have this microphone. We're always debating and advising on which setting is the best for recording. In retrospect and through a little more looking into, I believe that each setting really has its own purpose depending on the song and genre. I usually go with setting 2 which is the 2nd cardioid setting plus another -10 dB of noise removal, so that I am able to record cleaner vocals with less extra background noise getting caught up in my recording.
However, because this setting is taking away from how much volume it is picking up, I have to raise the volume in my recording program. Which is why my friend and NRP member Aqua usually likes to use (I THINK! NOT POSITIVE) setting 3 which is the normal Cardioid setting. It makes sense, since her voice tends to have softer dynamics then my own, for her to use setting 2, it is much difficult for her to hear herself then it is for me.
CONCLUSION
Even with the same microphone between, for example, Aqua and myself there are preferences in settings based on our use and voice type. This goes back to the idea of: What is a clear microphone? Although there are many good and "clear" microphones out there, the brand and features really depend on a Vocalist's personal taste, vocal type, and use. Hence, the importance of knowing the types and patterns of microphones so as to get a better understanding of what one should look for.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
The Start of Something: Green
With my introduction out of the way, I'd like to start my 2nd post introducing the first steps of my Herb Gardening process! I've planted 5 different types of Herbs to grow over the summer:
- Sweet Basil
- Oregano
- Parsley
- Lavender
- Cilantro
It's the first time I've ever done something like this, so I wanted to track my progress as my garden expands.
Planting the Parsley was definitely the easiest since my Mom bought be a planting kit that came in a tin can to use as a planting pot. So for beginners who have never gardened before, I definitely recommend this kit:
(Try it!)My mom found it at a supermarket, so you can also check your local super market for this too :)
As for the rest of my garden, the seeds came in packets with directions for outside planting but not inside or pot planting. I tried looking up directions up online for some kind of guidance but in the end I went to my mother for advice who told me to dump the seeds all together and allow the plants to "germinate"and then take it from there. So I guess I'll see what happens.
At the moment, I'm on my spring break and visiting a friend at UMich so I won't be able to see my progress till I get back on Friday. My mom has offered to water my garden daily and send any pictures if something happens. So.. To be Continued... :)
The Start of Something
Well, I've wanted to start a blog but never knew what it should be about.
I've settled that it would be about a lot of things:
- My vocal knowledge
- My tech knowledge
- Gardening
- Fashion
- and any other projects i decide to peruse
So i guess in 2 words it's about "My Experiences" :) I'd like to hope i'll have a good follow up for this, but who really knows? I'd also like to hope that what I have to share might help others, particularly all my Utaite friends who come to me for singing and recording material advice.
What is an Utaite?
First of all, I'd like to start off by saying that i feel really weird calling myself one. An Utaite is Japanese word that literally translates to "I sing" and is used to refer to the singers in Japan that covered "Vocaloid" material on a website called "Nico Nico Douga". The term has now made it's way to refer to singers that cover vocalic material, in general, on both Nico Nico Douga and YouTube.
I guess I feel weird adopting this term to describe my semi-YT career because, although I'm covering Japanese material, I am not Japanese and it isn't the only material i cover on my channel. So I suppose I feel like some sort of... poser i guess? That's not to say that if other YT dubber consider themselves Utaite, that I find them posers, it's really something I find a bit difficult to view myself as simply because I don't really take myself so seriously in this hobby. (My channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/ta2crew90)
Even so, singing has been a passion that I was born into and in that respect, I will always consider myself a 'singer'.
With that said, I guess I will end this introduction entry in the hopes that people will be able to read and find something that they can take for themselves in this blog.
I've settled that it would be about a lot of things:
- My vocal knowledge
- My tech knowledge
- Gardening
- Fashion
- and any other projects i decide to peruse
So i guess in 2 words it's about "My Experiences" :) I'd like to hope i'll have a good follow up for this, but who really knows? I'd also like to hope that what I have to share might help others, particularly all my Utaite friends who come to me for singing and recording material advice.
What is an Utaite?
First of all, I'd like to start off by saying that i feel really weird calling myself one. An Utaite is Japanese word that literally translates to "I sing" and is used to refer to the singers in Japan that covered "Vocaloid" material on a website called "Nico Nico Douga". The term has now made it's way to refer to singers that cover vocalic material, in general, on both Nico Nico Douga and YouTube.
I guess I feel weird adopting this term to describe my semi-YT career because, although I'm covering Japanese material, I am not Japanese and it isn't the only material i cover on my channel. So I suppose I feel like some sort of... poser i guess? That's not to say that if other YT dubber consider themselves Utaite, that I find them posers, it's really something I find a bit difficult to view myself as simply because I don't really take myself so seriously in this hobby. (My channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/ta2crew90)
Even so, singing has been a passion that I was born into and in that respect, I will always consider myself a 'singer'.
With that said, I guess I will end this introduction entry in the hopes that people will be able to read and find something that they can take for themselves in this blog.
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