INITIAL MIC SETUP: ONE OVERHEAD MIC
MIC初步调节:一支OVERHEAD MIC
Once the drums are set up, start by using one mic only — preferably a large capsule, wide-range condenser mic. Otherwise, use your best-sounding dynamic or ribbon mic.
当鼓装配好后,首先要做的就是最好用一只支大振膜宽频响的电容麦。或者,用你声音最好的动圈麦或铝带麦。
With the mic placed on a boom stand, position the mic about two feet above the drummer’s head, and point it straight down at the bass drum pedal’s inner edge. But positioning the mic is not enough: It has to be stable. Most mic stand bases can tip easily; if a mic hits the floor, it may be permanently damaged. The bigger the mic stand base, the better.
用吊杆把麦克固定到鼓手头部上方两英尺的高度,并让它向下指向底鼓踏板的内沿位置。但麦克光定位是远远不够的:还要绝对牢靠。很多麦架一碰就倒;如果一个麦克摔在地上,很可能永远都不能使用了。麦架基座越大,就越牢靠。
Anchor the mic stand with sand bags or any stable, heavy object that will not slip or rattle (three sand bags in a triangular position works for me). The best weights have a handle in the middle for carrying.
可以用沙袋或者其他固定方法来固定麦架,重量可以让它不滑动或者发出嗒嗒声(我会把三个沙袋成三角形位置安置)。最好的重物是有中间有提手方便搬运的那种。
Now that the stand is solid, while positioning the mic, wrap the mic cable around the boom stand arm a few times and leave a little slack at the back of the mic so the cord doesn’t pull at the mic and change its position. To keep the cord from moving, tie the cord to the stand using removable cable ties (available at most electronic supply stores). Put a few cable ties on the boom and a few on the main mic stand, all the way down to the base.
现在,在定位麦克的同时我们把麦架也固定了,当然不要忘了把话筒线缠在麦架上。虽然费点事,也可以休息一下,这样以后就不会因为线的拉拽而改变麦架的位置了。为了防止线材松动,用线缆扎带(电子元器件商店可以找到)把线绑在麦克架上。一些绑在吊杆上,一些绑在主麦克立架上,一直绑到基座为止。
Avoid permanent cable ties, or you will have to cut the cable tie and throw it away when putting away the mic and stand. Velcro cable wraps, available from most pro and consumer recording supply companies, are costly but are also the best choice as they are easy to set up and remove. In a pinch, you can use something like Scotch tape.
不要给线打死结,否则你会在收拾麦克和麦架的时候不得不剪断那些结并且扔掉。Velcro尼龙电缆扎带可以在专业录音用品供给公司买到。虽然非常贵,但是确实是最好的选择,因为使用非常方便。必要时,也可以使用像透明胶带(Scotch tape)类的代替。
Even though we’ve secured the mic stand and cable, someone could still trip over the mic cable and knock over the mic. But there is a solution.
即使我们固定了麦克、麦架和线缆,但是还有人会被线缆绊住并且碰到麦克。不过还有个办法。
With wood floors, use duct tape to tape down the mic cable on the floor, from the mic stand base to the mic panel or recording console. There should be a very little mic cable slack at the mic stand base.
在木地板上,用duct tape(一种多功能, 防水耐热,用来密闭供暖或空调管道的银色宽胶布, 一般有三层)把从麦架基座到接线板或调音台的麦克线固定到地板上。这将只有麦架基座上的一小部分线的是松弛的。
If you are low on duct tape, cross the cable in one foot strips about every two or three feet. Artist tape or any thin tape will not do the job. Keep the tape down tight, with no slack between the tape strips. In areas where there will be foot traffic, cover the cable totally with duct tape.
如果你没多少duct tape,那就每隔两到三英尺用一英尺宽的duct tape横着把线粘住。太薄的不结实的薄胶带是不适合做这个的。要把胶带贴牢靠,不要有松弛的部分。在会有人走动的区域里要把线全部包在胶带里。
With carpeted floors, avoid duct tape (which leaves glue residue) and put something like throw rugs over the cable. Bathroom rugs will work in a pinch. Get some carpet remnants, and cut them up to suit your needs. If you use carpet on a wood floor, make sure it won’t move (i.e., has a rubber underside) if someone walks across it.
如果地上铺着地毯的,就可以避免duct tape在地上留下的胶质残留,只须让地毯盖住线缆就可以了。浴室用的那种毯子会在使用过程中缩小。可以把一些边角料裁成需要的形状补上。如果你在木地板上铺地毯并且有人会在毯子上走动,那你要确定地毯不会滑动(也就是说,要有些橡胶在下面)。
Now that the mic stand and cable are secure, and the cable is taped down, plug the mic cable output into the appropriate mixer or audio interface channel. As there typically will be some cable slack at this end, “cable tie” after plugging in, then tape this down if someone could trip over the mic cable.
现在麦克架和线缆安全了,把麦克线的插头插到合适的调音台或音频接口上。这里就是线缆的另一端了,如果会有人在此被绊倒,那么再用胶带把这些线贴到地板上。
GENERAL TWEAKING WITH EQ
通常的EQ调节
When you’re satisfied with the mic position, experiment with the EQ. For more “bottom end” with the bass drum, toms, and snare, try boosting the low frequencies (e.g., +2dB at 100Hz). Experiment with other frequencies (from 50 to 150Hz or so) to discover the best area for your particular mic setup. Typically, 50Hz will not do much with distant miking, but 150Hz may be better than 100Hz in this situation.
如果你对麦克的摆位满意,就开始尝试着用EQ.底鼓拉高一些底端频率,筒鼓、军鼓尝试提升一下低频(也就是 +2dB 在 100Hz)。尝试在50到150Hz或者其他区域扫频,以找到对于麦克最合适的均衡设置。通常来说,调整50Hz在远距离拾音中没有多大的作用,调节150Hz比100Hz要更好。
Experiment with the midrange EQ. 2kHz through 4kHz will make the snare “bite,” and the toms will have more of an attack sound. However, the cymbals may start to sound painful with this added EQ. As mentioned, recording drums involves tradeoffs.
尝试对军鼓增益中心频段在2KHz到4KHz范围内的频段,会让军鼓更“Bite”(原意是叮咬的意思)。相同的EQ用在桶鼓上会得到更多的敲击起始时的声音。无论如何,给镲加EQ可能开始听起来很难听。需要说明,鼓的录制会包含很多折衷方案。
For the high frequencies, start with a very slight shelving boost at 10kHz. You’ll notice an added sheen; the cymbals will get louder, and all drums will sound brighter and more open. Careful, though — your ears can get used to the extra high frequencies, which means you’ll want to add more, but your ears get used to that, so you add more . . . a little high frequency boost goes a long way.
对于高频,先从对10KHz轻微的搁架式EQ增益开始着手,你会发现多了些光彩;镲大声些,会让所有的鼓都变得更明亮和更有张力。小心,你的耳朵会习惯较多的高频,虽然这不代表你会加更多的增益,但是你的耳朵已经习惯,所以你会加更多……一点点高频提升让你走了更多的路。
A typical setting (Figure 3) for one drum overhead mic would be adding at least a few dB in the low end (100 to 150Hz) and a few dB at 10 to 12kHz.
对于一个Overhead麦的标准的EQ设置(图三),可以对底端频率(100-150Hz)增益最少几个dB,10-12KHz稍微加几dB即可。