Solo Performance Evaluation 2

Solo Performance Evaluation 2

My overall 20 minute solo performance went very well, although there was a slight issue that occurred with my Macbook Pro concerning Logic Pro X running slow which caused one of the backing tracks to stop working, it was a very good performance overall.
About a fortnight prior to my performance, I started gathering some songs together which was quite challenging since keeping an audience interested with bass covers is very difficult if the the songs are are repetitive, but after a few days I came to a decision.

The songs I chose for my solo performance were Chasing after you - VaShawn Mitchell, Locked out of Heaven - Bruno Mars, I call you Jesus - Israel Houghton and Crooked Smile - J.Cole. I chose these songs because they each play a part in adding variety to the whole performance which keeps it interesting. Also, each song that I chose either had the bass guitar naturally being the dominant instrument in the song or it had a simple bass line which could easily be manipulated in a way that I could make the bass the dominant instrument that could stand out the most.

I moved the selected songs onto Logic pro X and I used the equaliser to take out as much bass and low end of the tracks that I could in order to play along to it. I practised for about 2 hours everyday so that I could play each song without any problems as well as recording the whole set to check how long the whole performance would be.
The 2 hours of practise each day mainly consisted of sitting down listening to one song out of the 20 minute set and breaking it down into sections (i.e. verses, chorus and the bridge) and then learning each part that way which made it a lot easier to play the song the whole way through in the performance. Also, going through songs in sections helped because it showed me where there were spaces in the song that could be filled with runs and riffs to make the song overall a bit more interesting.
My practice schedule consisted of the technical excersises such as practicing scales, arpeggios, modes to create new runs for the performance. Using technology, I picked the songs that I was going to perform for the performance and moved them into logic pro X and equalised the the bass out of the songs.
I tend to focus on the areas which could be filled with runs, riffs or if it has a complex bassline (i.e. Chasing after you), I would practise the runs that could fit nicely in that section of the song so that when I come to perform the song, it won't be difficult which, I was able to do during Chasing after you and Crooked Smile.

During the performance, each song went well and the change and introduction for the next song was smooth and flowed well apart from I call you Jesus - Israel Houghton. The backing track for I call you Jesus kept crashing so I was forced to skip it which did cause me to lose some time on the rest of the performance but I managed to handle the situation well without showing the audience that I was worried.
The method of breaking each song down into sections that I used to prepare for my solo performance ensured the actual performance to be a success and I'll definitely use it again to prepare for future performances either solo or as an ensemble.

Microphones

Microphones

1. Dynamic microphones are best suited for live sound work for many different reasons, some of those reasons being that their level of durability is high as it can withstand wear and tear in the heat of a live performance (e.g. dropping the mic). Another reason that dynamic microphones are best suited for live sound work is that they aren't as sensitive as condenser microphones.
In a live performance, if an artist is singing very loud or even shouting into a condenser microphone, the sound may come out distorted and even produce a level of feedback because of the fact that condenser microphones are more sensitive to loud sounds which is why most people would prefer to use a dynamic microphone.
My final reason for dynamic microphones being best suited for live sound work is that they are more cost effective than condenser microphones. For example, if there is a live concert in the rain and a lot of the equipment gets affected by the rain (especially the microphones), as much as it is a loss, it wouldn't such a huge financial loss in comparison to if all the microphones were condenser microphones which cost a lot more.

2. The three main polar patterns found in microphones are the Cardioid, Omni and the Figure of 8 polar patterns.

Cardioid Polar Pattern

A microphone with a cardioid polar pattern (e.g. Shure SM58) is most sensitive in the front and has more resistance to feedback than microphones with an omnidirectional polar pattern which make them best suited for live performances.

A microphone with an omnidirectional polar pattern (e.g. SE Electronics Titan) can pick up sound from all directions and doesn't need to aimed in a certain direction to pick up sound which makes it very versatile. A microphone with this polar pattern would be very effective when recording multiple sounds such as a group of singers or instrumentalists. One disadvantage would be that the mic can't be aimed away from PA speakers because of the multi-directional polar pattern.

Omnidirectional Polar Pattern

A microphone with a bidirectional or 'Figure of 8' polar pattern (e.g. SE Electronics X1R) can pick up sound from the front and the rear ends but not the sides (90 degree angle). These types of microphones are generally used for recording acoustic instruments, background singers and interviews in studios or radio stations.

Figure of 8 Polar Pattern

3. Aside from dynamic and condenser microphones, the most common types of microphones used in a studio, another type of microphones include the Ribbon microphone.

The ribbon microphone works a lot like a dynamic microphone except for a few differences like the fact that it uses a thin coil instead of the induction coil that's used in a dynamic microphone. 

Ribbon microphones are generally used for recording background singers and instrumentalists, interviews between 2 people because of its bidirectional polar pattern.

4. a. The Audix D6 is most commonly used to record a drum kit, more specifically the kick drum because its very easy to position in front of the kick drum as well as having a cardioid polar pattern to capture the sound directly. It also has a good low frequency response so it is able to capture all of the harsh and 'punchy' sound from the kick drum

b.  The SE Electronics Titan is commonly used for recording multiple voices and instrumentalists because of its omnidirectional polar pattern. This microphone also has a very good low frequency response so it can also pick up low sounds such as a bass singer or a bass guitar very well.

c.

5. For certain microphones, such as condenser microphones, you will need phantom power for it to work, also recording with a microphone with a pre-amp will make the recordings better quality.