A Guide For

Studio 1

Jack Grimwood

This is a Guide for Studio 1 and on how it was used to record a Multitrack.
Studio 1 is a Studio Mixing Room and works also with a Vocal Recording Booth and a Live Room.
Inside The Mixing Room is a Mac Computer with both Logic 9 and Logic 10 installed on it. There is also a
Pair of KRK Rokit 5 studio monitor speakers and two near field ADAM 477X monitors to provide strong
sound when listening back to your mix.
There are also;
Two Focusrite Pro40 Audio Interfaces, a samson headphones amp, Focusrite ISA one preamp, monitor
and talkback controller SPL Model 2381,Emagic Mixer controller (control surface), Impulse 49 Novation
MIDI Keyboard and the AMT81.
With this equipment you can carry out multiple different tasks and having Mic Input Panels in the Vocal
Booth and Live room leading back into the mixing room with each panel input assigned to an input
number on one of the two Focusrite Audio Interfaces. Also on the Panel is a headphone input that is
wired to the Samson Headphone mixer.

Studio 1 Equipment

Lets begin to look at the Equipment that is used inside Studio 1.

The Mac G5 Tower is used with a two Monitor screens so
that you can have multiple displays. Logic 9 and 10 are
installed for a chance to choose between both. Mac
Keyboard and mouse is used and multiple usb ports are
available to use. This will allow the user to open work via
USB Memory Stick. There is also a wireless network that
can be used. All equipment is connected to the Mac and
will respond with Logic when it is opened.
The Pair of KRK Rokit 5s are 5 inch studio monitors, with
Bass Ports on the front, at the bottom and dome tweeter at
the top. Having the bass ports at the front is more
responsible when using these speakers for listening back to
your mix. This is because when bass is sent forward it gives
the bass a more natural response, where as when bass is
sent backwards it can get trapped in corners of the room
or bounce off the wall and gives you an inaccurate
sounding mix. However most speakers will exaggerate the
bottom end to make your music listening experience seem
better (if youre a lover for bass) so beware !
On the back of the speaker you have a volume nob to
control the speaker level so you have a good output level
on the audio interface master. There is also a High
frequency adjuster nob which can help cut or boost the
frequencies.
Note - Different Room means different frequency levels so
a mix can sound strong through one pair of speakers but
then when played in a car or another studio can then
sound weak
XLR Connection is used in Studio 1
The Adam 477X Studio Monitors are a horizontal speaker
pair (A and B) with a ribbon tweeter and two 7inch woofers
one is used for low frequencies and the other for high
frequencies. In studio 1 these speakers are used as near
field and to hear the full quality of the speaker you should
sit between them.
XLR Connection is used in Studio 1

The Focusrite Saffire Pro 40 is a 8 Channel Audio Interface.

It is designed to give you have chance to record more,
including full 8 Mic drum kit recordings, the Audio
Interface converts the analog to digital so it can be used in
logic as audio files.
On the front there are inputs 1-2 which can be XLR or a
Line Input ( Jack-Jack) and on the back are 3-8. There are
two buttons that activate 48v, one is assigned to input 1-4,
and another for 5-8. A pad switch is available too to help
with hot signals. There are gain knobs for each input, and
LED light metering signals for each input. Along with a
Master Volume Knob and underneath is a Dim and a Mute
switches. The Dim switch reduces the output levels on the
monitors and Mute completely cuts the Audio. Finally on
the front are two headphone ports with Volume Knobs.
On to the back you also have 10 output but pair of them
can be used for Monitors. The connection to the mac
computer is through a firewire and the power to the audio
interface is through a kettle lead to mains.
The Samson S-phone is a Four Channel Headphone
amplifier. There are Two Master Stereo Inputs and a Stereo
Link Output. There are also 8-Segment LED Metering for
every individual channel and the Master. There are also
Two Equalizer knobs on the channels, one is a Treble used
controlling High Frequencies and Bass used for Low
Frequencies. There are also Three Headphone Outputs on
each channel one is found on the front, and the other two
on the back with the outputs. You can also use Mute that
cuts off the audio completely and a Stereo/2 Channel
Mode Switches which allows a two channels to work as one
and can be balanced. The Aux (Auxiliary) Input has balance
control and four channels.
The Power is on the back and is supplied through a kettle
lead.
The SPL MTC 2381 is a Stereo Monitor Controller and Talk
Back. The connections are found on the back which include
Two balanced quarter inch jacks for stereo direct input for
the Musician. There is also a foot switch to enable the built
in microphone for talk back. The are 3 Pairs of Inputs 2
pairs are balanced the other is unbalanced. There are XLR
outputs for 3 pairs of speakers. You can also have a line out
with the Slave Output, and a source. There are also a
loudspeaker selection, Mono switch, Dim switch, Mute
Switch and headphone output that can be changed.
The Talk Back uses the integrated microphone and controls
for Musician Level, Mix Level and a Volume Control.
The Focusrite ISA One is Pre Amp that can be used to DI
Instruments into Logic it can be connected to the Focusrite
Pro 40 through XLR. The Pre Amp has a headphone output
with volume control, The is also a moving coil VU meter
with two six LED Signal Metering to ensure your Input
signals aren't clipping.
On the back you can choose between 1-2 XLR Mic inputs
and an insert point two add more equipment such as a
Compressor or EQ. There is also a Cue Mix TRS Jack Left
and Right.

The Live Room

The Live Room is a soundproof room, with acoustic treated

walls used for recording Drum Kits, Guitars, Choirs and Full
Group Performances if needed. In the Live Room there are
Two Input Panels one is on the wall closest to the Vocal
Booth and Mixing Room and the other is positioned up the
room on the far wall from the door. Each Input panel has 12
inputs and 4 stereo headphone jack ports and each panel is
assigned to one of the two Focusrite Pro 40 Audio Interface
in the mixing room. The Panel closest to the Mixing Room is
assigned to the Top the Focusrite Pro 40 Audio Interface and
works as Inputs 1-8 how ever in the vocal booth it works as
9-10 inputs. It also has two stereo headphone jack ports.
The panel on the far wall is routed with the bottom Audio
interface inputs 11-18 however the headphone ports are not
active on this panel.

Also as a part of the Studio 1 equipment are set of Microphones including both Dynamic and Condensers.
Dynamic Microphones are a more robust microphone and are better for High SPL, The Condenser Microphone
requires phantom power ( 48v ) and have a much strong frequency response and generally have a louder
output, but are very sensitive to loud sounds.
XLR Wires of all different lengths two connect them to the panels. The mic positioning is flexible in the live room
as there are many stands all with adapters to suit all Microphones.
The Microphones in Studio 1 Live Room consist of 4 Dynamic and 2 Pencil Condensers and a Vocal/Room
Condenser in the Vocal Booth.

Dynamic Microphones
The SM57 is a durable dynamic microphone by
Shure. It is robus, this makes the Mic great for
recording snare drums and guitar recordings
from amp as it wont break the diaphragm
because it can withstand High SPL. Its
Frequency Response is 40 to 15,000 Hz and is
has Cardioid polar pattern, it connects through
a three-pin male XLR.
The SM58 is another durable dynamic
microphone by Shure and can be used in a
similar way, but can be used as a hand held live
vocal mic. This Cardioid mic targets a focused
sound source, which then isolates the
background noise being picked up. It has a
Frequency Response of 50 to 15,000 Hz. It is
also great for recording bottom snare because
of its built-in spherical pop filter.
The connection is through a three-pin male
XLR.
Audix F2 is dynamic instrument microphone
great for live with a hypercardioid polar pattern
for isolation. It has a frequency response
52 Hz - 15kHz and can record High SPL without
distorting. This makes it great from Rack Toms,
Floor Toms and Guitar/ Bass cabinets and
Brass and wind instruments. The connection is
also through a three-pin male XLR.
Audix F6 is a Dynamic Kick Drum Microphone.
It is built with a frequency response of 40 Hz 16 kHz so that it can handle high pressure
levels around 140 dB. This makes it great for
Bass Drum recordings and more loud
instruments. This Mic is connected with a
three-pin male XLR.

Condenser Microphones

The two Audix F9 are pencil condensers that

work well for recording Cymbals, Hi-Hats,
Audience Mic and work well as Overheads to
capture whole drum kit. This Mic is also
Cardioid. The Frequency response ranges
between 40 Hz 20 kHz. It also has a 16 mm
pre-polarized capsule with Gold Vapor
Diaphragm. The connection is a three-pin male
XLR however as it is a condenser so when
routed to the input on the Focusrite Audio
Interface the 48v switch must be active in order
for the Microphone to work.
Rode NT 1000 is a Cardioid Microphone, ideal
for Studio Vocals, grand piano recordings and
also as a room mic. The frequency range is
from 20 Hz - 20 kHz. and has a gold-plated
diaphragm.The connection is a three-pin male
XLR and 48V is also needed to power this
microphone.

Recording Drums.

For the Bass Drum : Use the Audix F6 as it can capture a quality
sound with distorting. The Mic placement for the Bass Drum is
really based on opinion, Using the correct mic stand and in the
front skin is a hole which allows the kick to be recorded with a
strong sound. Having this hole also gives you a chance to
change the distance from beating skin, this supplies the attack
in the bass drums sound. So placing the Mic Closest to the
beating skin looses a lot of the Kicks Release, this means that
bringing the Mic back out from the hole gives the Bass Drum all
of its sound. Two Mics are often used to capture both Skins.
For the Rack and Floor Tom use Audix F2 as it captures High
SPL and gives a clear undistorted recording. Also the Toms
provide a lot resonance especially the Floor Tom which makes
this choice of Microphone perfect. You should position the Mic
around 2 Inches from the skin but focused on the hit of the
Toms. Mic stands can be used but clips are also helpful to
connect to the Tom itself.

When recording a
Drum Kit in Studio
1it is crucial that you
take note on what
you want drums to
Mic and how you
want the Kit to
sound.

For the Snare Drum : Use the SM57 and SM58, These
Microphones are great for recording the snare as they can
withstand High SPL with a good quality sound. When
positioning the SM57 it is ideal for the top of The Snare as
it can be faced towards the centre of the Snare Drum skin,
and around 2 Inches from the skin this will keep the Mic
away from possible collisions whilst the drummer is playing.
The SM58 is then positioned under the Snares to record
the rattle of the snare drum.
For Capturing Cymbals and the overall Kit, the Audix F9
Pencil Condensers should be used, the frequency response
is also strong making it Great for Overheads to capture Left
and Right side of the Kit ( creating a stereo drum kit once
panned ) and to help judge how tight the Kit sounds. A
Spaced Pair Overhead Recording is positioned so that the
Left and Right Overheads are from an audience point of
view. They should be above the Kit just above the
Cymbals, they should both focus on the centre of snare
you can measure this with a Tape Measure or another XLR.

To treat resonance Studio Rings can be used however Studio 1 does not provide this. For the
Multitrack a 14 Studio Ring was used for the Snare, a 10 for the Rack Tom and a 16 for the
Floor Tom . This makes the drums sound sharp and deaden the sound.

Guitar Amp Recording.

Recording a Guitar Amp in Studio 1 can be done using the SM57, it captures High SPL
Recordings in a good quality sound. The way to record the Amp is to :
First, find the speaker cone this can be done with a Torch or with your hand on Amps with a
material. After wards position the Mic directly to the side of the speaker cone this captures the
whole sound.

Thankyou for reading this Guide to Studio 1 for

more information about the Multitrack Visit my
write up via Tumblr.

All photos of Studio 1 taken on a Canon 1000D Camera.

All work by Jack Grimwood.