Studying Music Online

Michael Moyes is a Senior Student Advisor at Berkleemusic.com. He finished his studies at Baylor University, where he studied Piano Performance and Business. Michael has performed Piano as a soloist, in combos, and accompanied by full Orchestra. He holds Master Certificate in Arranging and Orchestration from Berkleemusic. You can hear some of Michael’s music on the Berklee Music Network and on Soundcloud.

I am all over this topic. Not because I know microphones, on the contrary, I’m what the french call, les incompetents. The reason mic’s are on my mind is because I am a MIDI orchestrator, pianist, and banjo instructor (you read that correctly) who is finally diving into the world of live recording. I hope you can learn from my journey…

There are 3 types of microphones I looked at.

1. Dynamic
2. Condenser
3. Ribbon

Dynamic microphones are commonly used for live performances, speeches, and any other run of the mill uses due to their ruggedness and versatility. The SM57 and SM58 models are some of the most popular mics in the world. You can crank up the gain and throw them on the ground (not advised) without worrying about them breaking or distorting. Another benefit is that dynamic mics do not necessarily require a pre-amp or phantom power. They are great for voice and instrument miking but you may be sacrificing some clarity.

Dynamic Mic (MP3)

Condenser microphones are the ones you would often use in studio settings. These mics will capture every minute detail with painstaking accuracy. I borrowed a KSM27 and tried to record some banjo licks last night but every time I stopped playing I could hear my cat eating in the kitchen, my next door neighbor watching The Bachelor, and a phone conversation from a couple zip codes over. It was far too sensitive for my acoustically untreated bedroom in an urban Boston neighborhood. The level of detail that you would get in a good recording environment is excellent with these mics, which is why they are perfect for studio recording. You do need external power though and you want to be careful not to crank them too loud as they are sensitive and the diaphragm can be damaged.

Condenser Mic (MP3)

Ribbon mics probably shouldn’t even be mentioned here since they are out of my price range and too fragile for someone with my patience. They do sound fantastic when used on acoustic pianos though. I was fortunate enough to have an engineer record a piano concerto using some Royer R – 101’s and the result was amazing!

I am going to go with a dynamic mic for starters since my recording studio is a noisy, family inhabited bedroom. I need the sonic forgiveness a dynamic mic offers for now. Down the road, I will invest in a good condenser to record violin, cello, etc. Adding a couple live instruments to a MIDI orchestration can make an enormous difference!

Of course, I am probably going to take the new Mic Techniques course as well. You can have the freshest ingredients in the kitchen but you are going hungry if you don’t know how to cook. (write that down)

-Michael

Find out more at berkleemusic.com or contact a Student Advisor:

1-866-BERKLEE (USA) | +1 617 747 2146 (Intl) | advisors@berkleemusic.com

I had a conversation with instructor Dave Franz last week and we spent some time talking about his new online course, Pro Tools: Virtual Instruments and Effects. Those of you who know me are familiar with the fact that I am a production novice (n00b), but I felt compelled to write a quick blog due to the unique layout of his course.

Pro Tools 8 has six powerful virtual instruments: Boom, Vacuum, DB-33, XPand! 2, Structure Free, and Mini Grand. It isn’t surprising that the overall goal of the course is to teach students how to use these powerful instruments while showing how to use several effects plug-ins but the creative assignments in the course are what really caught my attention.

Students will be working on small weekly assignments using each of the 6 irtual instruments but at the same time, they will be working on engineering a lager project in which each channel strip will be a different virtual instrument! Dave is expecting to see lots of different styles of music such as Rock, Pop, Blues, Classical, Reggae, Electronica, etc. in these assignments which gives students a lot of creative freedom to explore their new found tools.

The open musical nature of this course will make it a great place for diverse musicians and producers to learn and work together. It is recommended that students have a good grasp on midi sequencing in Pro Tools 8 before taking this course. Pro Tools 101 and Producing with Pro Tools are good prerequisite courses if you need a refresher.

Find out more at berkleemusic.com or contact a Student Advisor:
1-866-BERKLEE (USA) | +1 617 747 2146 (Intl) | advisors@berkleemusic.com

Hey, it’s Amy Heidemann!  Like my fellow advisor Liam mentioned, we get to chat with students everyday, so we wanted to feature a “Weekly Favorite” Certificate Program to give you guys the inside scoop.  I’m actually in the midst of the Master Certificate in Music Business and Technology myself, so you’re getting the DIRECT inside scoop here…

My ultimate career goal is to be a self-sufficient artist.  I want to write, perform, record, produce, and market my music!  The reason I chose the Music Business and Technology Master Certificate is because I already have a pretty solid background in performance and songwriting.  I wanted a program to teach me the business lingo and important topics on royalties, publishing laws, and marketing techniques for getting my music out there.  I also needed to know how to record my own, professional sounding demos at home.  There are so many great Certificates to chose from, so why this particular one?

First, I like that it splits Business and Technology right down the middle.  You get half business courses (all essentials for any artist or producer) and half technology or production-based courses.  Hiring a lawyer to consult me about that certain paragraph on a contract or agreement about money issues just doesn’t sit right.  I want to know the basics on how to read contracts and get what I want in terms of revenue and copyright ownership. On the other hand, when I write a song or want to put something down, I can just flip on my system and go!  I am also excited to learn how to edit my performances, tweak the vocal sound, and get a real effective demo put online as an mp3.  Paying $50 -$100 per hour at a studio got very frustrating, especially when it didn’t come out sounding the way I wanted.

Finally, after you’ve gotten into Publishing, Marketing, Recording, Producing, and other valuable areas of study, you have three elective courses.  I chose Critical Listening 1 because I had some issues with feedback and noise interference in my audio tracks.  Finding the solution for this can take a good amount of trouble-shooting, so I figured, why not eliminate it entirely?

Since I chose the Critical Listening course from the provided list of “Recommended Electives,” I am now able to choose the other two electives from ANYWHERE in the catalog.  So, naturally I took a guitar course (so much fun)! Rhythm and Groove Guitar with Bruce Bartlett taught me the real meaning of “pocket.”  Now my rhythm playing/accompaniment to my singing is a lot more natural sounding and diversified.  Prior to this course, I caught myself playing only one rhythmic figure—problem solved.  I’ll be saving my final elective for later because I’ve heard Berkleemusic is launching some awesome new courses this Fall.  In fact, Berkleemusic launches new courses almost every term—so why get tied down?

In conclusion, the Master Certificate in Music Business and Technology is a fantastic program that fits me perfectly.  I’ve recommended it for many other students who have similar interests and they always seem very relieved that there’s a Certificate Program that fits their goals so perfectly.  Get in touch with a Student Advisor if you’d like to find out if this is a good fit for you. If not, there are many other Certificates we’ll be featuring in later weeks.

If so, I’ll see you in class!