Critical Reflection

Critical Reflection

Personally I try to be involved with as many projects as possible, and have found that connections between projects often link in surprising ways. I've soaked in a lot of advice over time, and believe speaking to people and sharing knowledge is one of the best ways to learn. I'm very lucky to have the opportunity of working a venue that has a large variety of events that deal with a range of set-ups and industry personelle. I've found that people are more than happy to talk about how their equipment works, their experiences and opinions, with the added benefit that in this way I'm also making myself known as being keen to learn, which I've found people pick up on - leading to more opportunities.

While in the past I've been more open to say "yes" to project proposals, I've found that more recently I've had to organise my time management, and learnt to agree to projects that I believe will be ultimately beneficial to my development. This is a quality that I aim to retain, as I've found by agreeing to something I perhaps don't quite feel I'm ready for, necessity will force me to do research and practise so that I am ready when the time comes. In this way I'm constantly developing as a professional, with each new experience a step towards success.

I choose my tools and formats through research and advice, observing how and why other people work the way they do. I enjoy being resourceful and working to a brief with limitations, so as to find solutions where convenience and end result quality meet. I find that as my confidence is increasing, I spend more time evaluating new proposals so as not to rush things and end up spending too much time and money investing in something that isn't what I ultimately want to do, or isn't going to pay the bills.

During the time I've been writing this blog the majority of my personal projects I've been working on have been focused on my employment at The Forum Hertfordshire, or research and reflection on future aims. As an A/V technician, I've found there's been less space for creative conduct than I have been used to in the past, and work has been more along the lines of "how can I come to this end result with this equipment, with this amount of time and these limitations.". I enjoy being involved on the job and learning as I go, and find that my research in my own time on equipment, methodology and industry standards have a very positive impact on my work.

Maintaining this blog has been very eye opening in observing the way I work, and some of the actions I subconsciously make in my practises. In evaluating my strengths and weaknesses, I have a stronger understanding of how I work, which will benefit my development and choices as a future professional in the field of Music Technology.

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A/V - The Interactions Between Live Sound and Visuals - Part 2, Projection Mapping

A/V - The Interactions Between Live Sound and Visuals

Part 2 - Projection Mapping

Again delving more into the visual procedures, I have been aware of the process of projection mapping, but as I read through the manual of Resolume Arena 5 I learnt much more about the reality of delivery a good image projection. I decided the best way to learn about it was to get download Resolume Arena 5 and try it out for myself. I found guided tutorials on YouTube such as Aktion's tutorial series to be the most helpful.

I loaned a projector out from the Universities' loan store and set to mapping a still image to the shape of my bass guitar. After some trial and error, I followed Aktion's guide and ended up with footage I took while travelling in Vietnam onto the shape of my bass guitar, which I was very pleased with.

I begun to think about other possibilities of projects to work on, as well as ways to incorporate audio. Searching online I found a great blog which posts large scale audio/video projection map projects where syncronised animations are projected onto large surfaces, often buildings, in impressive displays for various artistic and corporate contexts.

An example of this was applied at the Forum's NYE party. A raised projector mapped a circus door entrance. Commercial applications. I'm learning that the reality of making a career out of A/V work has a strong backbone in corporate jobs, thought it appears that a large market for projectioning is down to visual content creators, which I very little experience in.

My next aim is to bring this process to a night I DJ at - a Funk night called "What The Funk". I have some white vinyl records in my possession and I think it would be interesting to map some funk related imagery onto these upon our DJ riser.

Bibliography

Video Mapping (2015) [Online] Available at: http://videomapping.tumblr.com/ [Accessed on 2/01/2016]

Aktion (2014) Resolume Area 4 Ep1 - Part 1 - Getting Started With Projection Mapping [Online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHz6IoLsDtA Accessed on [2/01/2016]

PA Systems and Setups

PA Systems and Setups

When it comes to live music performance, the sound systems have always been something I've noted - but not particularly considered in terms of set-up, positioning and behind-the-scenes operation. At The Forum, we have a stereo pair of suspended Funktion 1 line arrays, with 6 D&B J-Subs. Smaller 'fill' speakers are between the subs to provide sound projection where the suspended line array sound trajectories cannot adequately reach (see diagram below). Further back in the room there are delay speakers in the bars which project the sound at a delayed time, to merge with the sound from the main PA after the time it takes to travel across the room.

I spent some time around the venue and in the amp room, looking at the amps and determining the signal path from the DJ/band to the mix console to the speakers.

The signal route of The Forum's Main Auditorium is as follows:

1. Signals generated through DJ equipment/band onstage -->
2. XLR's fed into an onstage 48 channel patch bay -->
3. 48 channel snake runs under dance floor to Front of House (FOH) patch bay -->
4. Channels fed in via looms into mixing console and mixed -->
5. Mixed audio sent via main L+R output into FOH patch bay -->
6. Audio goes to amp room where it is distributed to various D&B D12 amplifiers -->
7. Amplifier speakon outputs return to stage and connect to corresponding multicores and speakers.

Personally, I'd like to know more about the industry standards in PA set-ups and standards, so that I am aware of and have attained knowledge of their application potentials should I encounter them in my career. Entertainment companies such as Vortex Events offer sound and lighting for events, often offering packages which may consist of visual, sound, stage sound. At a recent event at The Forum, I assisted Vortex Events in setting up a DJ PA in the main foyer. This consisted of a stereo pair of L'Acoustic Subs and stacked line arrays, which were positioned in two corners of the room due to convenience, ie. out of the way of customers and displays.

For higher end applications and permanent fixtures, careful positioning may be required to deliver the best sound based on the complex physical principles of multiple sound sources and frequency distributions. Upon research, I've discovered that projection visualisation softwares such as MAPP help plan PA positioning on these grounds. Some compromises have to be made in the name of practicality and budget.

In the image above, we can see the comparison of two speaker stacks (3 on the top, 20 on the bottom), and their predicted loudness trajectory in dB SPL denoted by colour, with red as loudest and dark blue as quietest. The X and Y axes provide room dimensions in meters. These visualisations are made at a frequency of 1KHz. Information such as this can be used to predict to a level the interactions between multiple speaker sources to give an idea of how effective placements will be on the listening quality from the audience's perspective. 

Bibliography

Sound On Sound (2006) Line Arrays Explained: The Science and the Magic [Online] Available at 

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/mar06/articles/live_linearrays.htm [Accessed on 2/12/2015]

A/V - The Interactions Between Live Sound and Visuals - Part 1, VJing

A/V - The Interactions Between Live Sound and Visuals

Part 1 - VJing

A key component of live music performance is not only what we hear, but also what we see. While my studies mainly focus on sound, I find the interactions between the sonic and visual elements of live music events to be interesting and enjoyable. During my time at The Forum Hertfordshire I have had heavy involvement with the visual elements involved in live performance and events - mainly through lighting and LED screens. It certainly took some time to develop a proficiency with both these elements to the point where I could quickly respond to sonic or visual cues so that all systems work together in an organic fashion.

VJing is the process of mixing still images and moving videos together with sound in a live context, utilising effects and techniques to synchronise the video and in interesting ways. I'd been taught at The Forum how to use VJ software Resolume Arena 5, which works well as a VJ tool for me. One of the main things I like about Resolume is the ability to map and use MIDI control surfaces, which I have incorporated through an Akai APC 20 and my own personal control map and button functions.

As a general rule, I consider it important to have awareness of other industry standards and their uses and benefits. I asked my managers of alternative softwares, who pointed me in the direction of VJ softwares MadMapper and VDMX. These work in similar fashion, although they are less common and operate under different interfaces.

After a while, I found my VJ elements to be a little static and bland, and begun looking into ways of making it more involved. While I was taught the basic operation of Resolume, I have developed a habit of reading through manuals to learn about new possibilities, as well as to solve problems that I come across. I decided to downloaded the trial version of Resolume to try out things on my own under my own time and control of not being in front of an audience.

I was aware that The University of Hertfordshire Audio Technician, Richard Newby, has a strong background in live visuals and Resolume Arena. I asked him if he'd had any tips, and he told me about the Audio FFT function to control parameters. I took an auxiliary copy send of the DJ mix from the Yamaha M7CL desk and plugged it into the mic input of the computer. I then set the logo image opacity parameter control to Audio FFT. From here, I filtered the input values to correspond to the bass frequencies of the kick drum, so the logo pulsed in brightness in beat with the music. I used this technique during the live performances of Katy B, DJ EZ and DJ Lord (Public Enemy), which was met with positive response.

Learning how to understand and utilise Resolume's features was really a series of trial and error, which was guided by using manuals, speaking to other VJ's and observing other VJ work at concerts and online videos.

The Recordings of the Beatles

The Recordings of The Beatles

I, amongst many others, have found huge inspiration through listening to the Beatles. I first remember hearing Revolver in my dads car when he would take my brother to football practise. Years later I decided to listen through the Beatles discography and it all came flooding back and I still remembered the way the songs after all those years, which was part of the influence for my 'nostalgia' source analysis task.

The rich production George Martin brought to The Beatles completed the equation, forming the sonic quality that remains hugely popular to this day - as the recent release of The Beatles discography onto streaming services shows. I believe listeners respect and appreciate the art that music producers, (both modern and older) create, and want to know about the influences and production methods that went into the process. This is part of the reason I wish to incorporate, or at least convincingly emulate, some of the production techniques that were employed by Martin and the team at Abbey Road studios over the 60's. I've found Mark Lewisohn's 'The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions' to be a great resource in detailing the specific equipment, ideas and methodology involved with the Beatles recording sessions. One of Martins quotes' which resonates with me is "creativity exists through limitation". I find I work well to a given brief, where I have to be resourceful to overcome the limitations given to me.

Bibliogaphy

Lewisohn, M. (2013) 'The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions' London: Octopus Publishing.

The Guardian (2015) Here, There and Everywhere: Beatles Songs to be Streamed for First Time [Online] Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/dec/23/beatles-back-catalogue-music-streaming-spotify-apple-music [Accessed on 23/12/2015]

Live Sound - UH Staff Party Part 2 - The Delivery

Live Sound Part 2 - The Delivery

On the day of the UH Staff Party at the Forum, I arrived a few hours early to prepare the stage and desk to ensure a smooth soundcheck for artists. I set the channels according to the list I'd been given and made some notes on how I'd set certain parameters to make things easier for me.

During the first soundcheck (melodeon, violin and vox), I was told by the melodeon player that a common mix technique is to cut some of the frequencies around 400 Hz to remove the 'plastic-y' rattle sound the buttons make as he plays. As I removed this effect, I immediately noticed a difference in quality and clarity of the instrument, which changed my thought process and approach on mixing in favour of the idea of:

Cut problem frequencies to correct issues -> Boost frequencies which bring out good qualities

The rest of soundchecks ran smoothly bar the acoustic guitar in one of the acts. I was receiving very low signal from one of the guitars, so changed an XLR and DI box over to determine if they were the problem. I asked the guitarist wether the volume was all the way up his end, which he told me it was. We left it at that and I cranked up the gain quite high my end, which was a bad move as later in their performance the guitarist went to mute the guitar and a loud, unpleasant feedback screech occurred. It turned out he hadn't turned the volume up his end, but turned it all the way up at the end of their performance. The lesson I learned there was to trust my gut instinct when something goes wrong.

There was also a couple of times where a light feedback rung out from where I'd sent the monitor mix too loud. I see these mistakes as steps towards success, with the knowledge that I've learnt from what went wrong and how to correct it in the future.

Overall, I believe the night was a success and a personal achievement for me - a time where experience met preparation. I look forward to doing similar work in the future.

Live Sound - UH Staff Party Part 1 - Preperation

Live Sound
UH Staff Party Part 1 - Preperation

My responsibilities have increased over my time as venue technician at The Forum. In terms of live sound, our club nights and guest PA's usually consist of the same technical specification - a stereo DJ mix and up to 4 wireless microphones. This changed a little this year however, as we made a contract with a church based in St Albans to host their Sunday mass at our venue with full worship band. This has proved to be more involved on the sound desk, which is an Allen and Heath QU-32. For the worship band, I now provide the musicians with separate monitor mixes and, although we run from a pre-mixed band mix preset, I make slight changes to the mix depending on songs, instrumentation etc. While this has been a great opportunity to learn and develop my live sound proficiency, I felt I lacked experience in mixing a band from scratch.

I was delighted to be given the responsibility of being the sound engineer for The University of Hertfordshire staff party, during which I was presented with the opportunity to setup, sound check and mix 3 acoustic jazz ensembles in a professional context. I felt some pressure in this environment to ensure this a smooth and professional a process as possible for everyone involved, so took it upon myself to research and plan exactly how I was going to complete this.

I was sent over the above technical specification sheet (above), which details the expected instrumentation, channel listing and suggested microphones. Besides vocals and guitars, I've not had experience mic'ing any of the other instruments before. I was told in advance that the melodeon and violin players would be bringing their own clip-on microphones, so I decided to spend my time researching how I was going to mic up the flute and double bass.

I found an article on live acoustic microphone approaches to be very helpful in providing microphone positioning advice with solid reasoning. I also found some very helpful video tutorials detailing microphone choices and explanations. Between these two sources, I decided that I would use an SM58 just above the flute blowhole and an SM58 pointed at the front left of the double bass body.

Bibliography

Pro Sound Web (2015) A Beautiful Sonic Treat - Microphone Approaches for Acoustic Performances [Online] Available 

at: http://www.prosoundweb.com/article/a_beautiful_sonic_treat_microphone_approaches_for_acoustic_performances/studyhall/P1/ [Accessed on 12/12/2015]

Lynda (2012) Audio recording tutorial: Miking an acoustic bass technique 1 [Online] Available at:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSqbIqk6E_g [Accessed on 12/12/2015]

Klee D. (2013) How to Mic a Flute for Live Performance [Online] Available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RpOTO2WMwg [Accessed on 12/12/2015]