Using+Recording+Technology+in+Band+Class

By Kelsey Nicholson and Eric Calrow

The idea of using recording technology in the classroom can understandably be scary to some teachers. The vast amount of of options, as well as the costs, can be pretty daunting. Hopefully this page will alleviate some of the fears teachers may have of using recording gear in their music classes, as well as offer some ideas on how to incorporate it into their teaching.

Microphones
 There are four basic types of microphones, one of which is the omnidirectional microphone. This microphone picks up sound from every direction. Omnidirectional microphones are very common, and are often used for people speaking at various events. Conversely, we halso have the unidirectional microphone. Unlike the omnidirectional, this microphone picks up sound from only one direction. This microphone is useful for recording a band concert as it picks up more of the band rather than the room noise. The dynamic microphone is one other type of microphone that can be used. This microphone can be either hand-held or put on a stand, and is used with a soloist in a jazz band or choir setting.

 The last type of microphone is the condenser mic. Condenser microphones get a much more detailed sound picture and produce really good quality recordings. You can also find condenser microphones made for specific instruments such as piano mics, drum mics, etc., so you have many options that can fulfill your specific needs. Unlike other microphones, the condenser mic needs a phantom power, meaning you need to have a power source which is often provided by the mixer board. (Criswell, 2009)

Portable Recording Devices
 One of the problems with using microphones is that you need to have a mixer board, cables, stands, and other equipment that can get quite costly and cumbersome. Fortunately, there is another option for those who are not ready to commit to so much equipment. In the last few years, portable recording devices such as the Zoom recorders have made their way into the market to fill this need. These devices are very easy and convenient to use. There is no mixing required - all you have to do is press record. The Zoom recorder will record audio in the form of WAV or mp3 files, which can then easily be transferred onto any computer. When picking a portable recording device, it is best to choose one that has at least two mics configured at a 90 degree X/Y pattern, which ensures both mics are the same distance away from the sound source and there is no time lag for either microphone. All of the Zoom recorders use this configuration for their hand held devices.

If you are interested in using a Zoom recorder, there are three different devices to choose from depending on your needs.

The H1 is a simple but effective device that uses 2 unidirectional mics in the X/Y configuration mentioned above. It is inexpensive, easy to use, but still produces good recording quality, so it is a great device to get any teacher started.

The H2 little more complex, as it has 4 unidirectional mics, configured in 2 X/Y pairs. With microphones facing each direction, it gives you full control over the front, rear, left, right balance.

The H4n uses 2 condenser mics in an X/Y configuration, and has the best recording quality of the three. Its unique design allows you to rotate each mic capsule from 90 to 120 degrees, offering versatility for many different recording situations.

There are also models of Zoom recorders that have video capabilities as well. For more information visit [].

Recording Practice Sessions
====Having the students record their practice sessions can be good be extremely beneficial for both the student and the teacher. Students can use recording as a tool to further themselves as musicians. One of the many skills a musician needs to have is the ability to listen to themselves, which can easily get overlooked in a band room full of 40 kids. By recording themselves, students can objectively listen to how they sound without any distractions. Joseph Pisano, founder of Mustech.net suggests that "the problem with many musicians is that they don't take the time to critically listen to a recording and adjust accordingly" (Criswell, 2009). Sometimes it can be difficult to hear everything when you are concentrating on several different things as you play, especially if you are playing in a group with others. Listening to a recording allows students to listen to their own playing critically, which they otherwise might not be able to do. Often development happens over time, and most musicians do not hear how they progressed. Listening to recordings of themselves can help students to monitor their progress, as well as pick out things they still need to work on. ====

This practice can also be helpful for teachers, as they generally do not get to witness how students practice. If a student is not progressing as well as the teacher had hoped, it could be because of the practice methods the student uses. Teachers can listen to recordings of students practicing on their own time, and evaluate whether or not they are practicing effectively. If they are not, the teacher can give the student helpful feedback to aid them in finding practice habits that will help them to make more progress.

Recording Performances
Recording a concert is a real benefit because both the students and the teacher can listen to the recording and give feedback on their performance. Hearing the band from recording and listening to the band from your seat are two different experiences that we encounter as musicians, so it is great to have the opportunity to listen again after the fact. Of course, recordings also make a great keepsake for the students to remember their time in the band class.

For most band teachers, implementing playing tests is inevitable. However, they can be somewhat problematic when it comes to time management, as well as classroom management. Obviously the teacher needs to hear each student play in order to assess them, but if each student has to play an individual playing test for the teacher during class time, that will take up a substantial amount of time. Depending on how many students there are, it may even take more than one class to get through all the students. Additionally, the other students are going to get bored pretty quickly while they wait for everyone else to have their turn, and it can potentially turn into a classroom management nightmare.

One way to avoid this problem and still be able to hear each of your students individually is to have each student record themselves. While student teaching I witnessed a very successful example of this practice. During class, there were two portable microphones set up in two separate rooms, away from the noise of the rest of the band. Two at a time, students would leave the classroom and each go into one of these rooms and perform their playing test, which was recorded on the portable recording device. The devices were left running through the whole period, so all students had to do was enter the room, state their name, and perform their test piece. When they were done, they simply left and the next student would come in. The students did not need to operate the microphones themselves, so there was no risk for mechanical difficulties.

This method is an excellent way to save time, as you do not really lose any class time with your band. Each student will have to leave class for maybe 5 minutes, but they spend the rest of the period in class learning and rehearsing. There is no need to worry about what to do with the students while they wait for their turn either, as they will simply continue to participate in class as usual. When all students finish recording themselves, the microphones can be shut off, and the audio can be transferred onto a computer, where the teacher can listen and grade it later. Having a recording of the test is also helpful if students have questions about their grade. If a student is unsure of why they have received a certain mark, you can listen to the recording together and show them exactly what it was in their performance that warranted the mark they received.

Recording Software:
====While recording software is not always necessary now with the development of portable recording devices, some teachers may still want to use it. One great program for educators is Audacity, which is a free audio editor and recorder program that can be downloaded at [| __http://audacity.sourceforge.net/__] . This program is great for schools as it has all the basic tools necessary for good quality recording and editing audio files, it’s free, and it’s easy to download and use on any operating system. ====

How to Use Audacity
Recording with audacity is a simple process. Simply plug in a microphone or recording device into the mic input on your computer. You may also use a built in microphone if your computer has one. To begin recording, press record. Press the stop button when you wish to stop the recording.



To play back, simply click the play button. It will automatically play back from the beginning of the track, but if you wish to start from a certain point, you can find and click on this point in the audio file, then press play.



If your recording is too loud or too quiet don’t worry, you can easily amplify it using the Effects menu. Simply highlight the portion of the recording you would like to modify (or the entire thing if you wish), select the Effects drop down menu, and click amplify. You can adjust the amount of amplification so you reach your desired volume. If your track is still not the desired volume after amplification, you can always repeat the process. For convenience, there is also a “repeat amplification” option.







There are many other effects you can apply to your audio track, as you can see in the Effects menu. To use any of these effects, follow the same procedure as you did for amplification.

It is also possible to delete, cut, copy, or paste portions of your recordings. These are all very simple to do with audacity. If you would like to delete a portion of your track, simply highlight the desired portion, and find the delete option under the Edit menu.



If the portions you would like to delete are at the beginning and/or end of your recording, it may be more convenient to use the trim option. To do this, highlight the selection of track you wish to keep. When you click trim under the Edit menu, it will keep the highlighted portion and trim the unselected portions on either side.





To cut a portion of your recording from one spot and paste it in at another point in the recording, simply highlight the portion you with to move, and select “cut” under the Edit menu. Click on the point in your track at which you would like to paste this portion. Wherever you click is where the beginning of your portion will be. Click “paste” to insert the portion of the audio clip. The process for copying and pasting is similar, but with “copy” selected instead of “cut” under the Edit menu.





You can also add and layer multiple tracks on audacity. To start a new track, simply hit record again and a new track will automatically appear below the first one.



If you wish to isolate a certain track in playback by silencing one or more of your other tracks, you can simply press the mute button.



When your recording and editing is complete, you can export your creation as a WAV or mp3 file so anyone can listen to it with other programs.



Other Recording Software:
====While Audacity offers all the basic tools one would need for recording and editing, some teachers may want to purchase a software that goes beyond the basic capabilities. These programs may not be an option for all schools due to their costs, but if you want to go more in depth in recording and editing they may be a better option. Here are a few examples of popular programs used today:====

 **Pro tools** - a digital audio workstation platform for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X operating systems, developed by Avid Technology. Pro Tools is the most widely used recording and editing software among professionals in the audio industry. Pro Tools 9 is the most current version.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**Cubase** - a music software product developed by Steinberg for music recording, arranging, and editing. The most current version is Cubase 6.0 which introduces new features such as Note Expression, which enables articulation information for individual notes, even in polyphonic arrangements or within chords. Cubase is compatible with both Microsoft Windows (Windows 7) and Mac OS X operating systems.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**Garage Band** - a versatile apple product designed for Mac OS X operating systems. Garage band has multi-track recording capabilities and can also be used to mix and master your recordings. However, it also has many other uses such as notating and programming your own compositions, creating back tracks to play along to, or learning to play an instrument from the lessons provided by the software. Garage Band ‘11 is the most current version.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">__Sources:__
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Criswell, Chad <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline;">[|__Music Technology: The Ins and Outs of Teaching Recording__] <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> //Teaching Music// 17:3 (November 2009) p. 26-27