Radio Production and Broadcasting, Lecture notes of Radio Communication Systems

Download Radio Production and Broadcasting and more Lecture notes Radio Communication Systems in PDF only on Docsity! What is Microphone? A microphone is a device that translates sound vibrations in the air into electronic signals or scribes them to a recording medium. Microphones enable many types of audio recording devices for purposes including communications of many kinds, as well as music and speech recording. Microphone converts acoustic energy into electrical energy, resulting in an audio signal. Different types of microphones  Dynamic The Dynamic Microphone is a good all-rounder microphone which can be used for vocals, recording drums as well as guitar. Most commonly used for live sound and known for its durability. It’s also the best choice for the high volume levels of bass guitar, bass drums and amplifiers. For optimal performance, this mic should not be placed any more than one foot away from the sound source. Otherwise, the result could be a thin sound with less color and clarity. Some popular dynamic microphone choices are: Shure SM57 and SM58; and the SM58 Handheld Wireless Mic System.  Condenser Most commonly used for recording lead vocal tracks, acoustic guitars, pianos, and live strings, the condenser is known for its ability to capture the smaller nuances of sound. It has a very quick, accurate response as well as a clarity that cannot be achieved by other types of microphones. While not as rugged as a dynamic, this mic is capable of capturing a broader range of frequencies from a greater distance than any other type.  Ribbon Known as the most fragile of the different microphone types, some sound engineers are hesitant to utilize this mic in any live setting for fear of damaging it. Despite its lack of ruggedness, the effects and quality of sound from a ribbon microphone are very similar to those of a dynamic in that they tend to enhance the higher frequencies of the sound and perform best when placed within close proximity of the sound source. Microphone Placement Microphone selection and placement is an art. These placement tips can help us get started but there are multiple ways to make any instrument, and the mics you select will affect the optimal placement for a given application. Some of these microphone-placement suggestions can be used in live applications, as well as for studio recording. There are three general categories of miking: Close miking, spot miking, distant miking and finally ambient miking. Close/Spot Miking Close miking is when we use microphone, we guessed it, close to the instrument. Generally speaking, microphones are positioned 1 to 3 inches (3 to 10 cm) from the sound source. With microphone really close to the instrument, we get a thick, tight sound that sounds, once again we guessed it, close. By close miking we also carefully try to eliminate the reflections and characteristics of the room in which the microphone is in. Many home recordists use close microphone placement only because their rooms sound bad, and they want to be able to get the purest source so they can add whatever reverb sound they want later on. Distant Miking Using distant miking, we pull yourself a little bit farther from the source sound. Generally considered, microphones are placed at a distance of 3 feet or more (1m or more) from the instrument. By placing the microphone farther away you capture the full tonal spectrum of the instrument. In contrast to close miking, distant miking picks up the whole instrument instead of just a small part of it. But, as I said before, many rooms tend to sound bad and only interfere with the sound of the instrument, putting an unwanted room sound on an otherwise great sounding instrument. So try experimenting with distance, walking around the room finding a good spot where we can hear the instrument well. Ambient Miking Ambient miking is the technique of putting microphones at a distance that it almost only picks up the natural reverb of the room we are recording in. Sometimes it's even at such a distance that it's not even in the same room. Room mics can be put in the corners of the room, where they pick up the overall sound. Microphones to Use in Situations Spot Miking We can use all kinds of microphones for spot miking. It just depends on the instrument we are recording and the sensitivity of the microphone in question. Using condensers and ribbons for full-bodied acoustic instruments such as cellos, acoustic guitar and the sort will give us better results than using dynamic microphones that cannot capture the full acoustic quality of these instruments. Dynamic microphones serve really well when it comes to very loud instruments like drums and distorted amplifiers due to the amount of noise they can pick up without distorting. Distance & Ambient Miking When we move a microphone farther away from an instrument, we will need to increase the gain on our pre-amp in order for it to pick up enough volume. The sensitivity of condensers and ribbon microphones means that they need less gain to accurately capture an instrument at