Chapter 20 Main Points
►Music recording is foremost about the music; technologyis not the end; it is the means to the end.
►The closer a mic is to a sound source, the drier, moredetailed, and, more intimate, and, if proximity effect is afactor, bassier the sound. The farther a mic is from a soundsource, the more diffused, open, less intimate, and ambientthe sound.
►Regardless of a directional microphone’s pickup pattern:the higher the frequency, the more directional the soundwave and therefore the mic pickup; the lower the frequency,the more omnidirectional the sound wave andthe mic pickup.
►Although close miking may employ a number of microphones,more is not always better. Each additional micadds a little more noise to the system, even in digitalrecording, and means another input to keep track of andcontrol, to say nothing of possible phasing problems.
►With most moving-coil mics, the farther from the soundsource they are placed, the more reduced the highfrequencyresponse.
►Generally, large-diaphragm microphones are moresuitable in reproducing low-frequency instruments;small-diaphragm mics are more suitable in reproducinghigh-frequency instruments.
►Do not confuse perspective with loudness. Loudness aside,in considering mic-to-source distance it is hearing more orless of the ambience that helps create perspective.
►Close miking places a mic relatively close to each soundsource or group of sound sources in an ensemble.
►Because close miking involves miking most of the instrumentsin an ensemble, it means that the three-to-one rule,or an appropriate variation of it, should be observed toavoid phasing problems.
►Distant miking places a microphone from about three feetto several feet from the sound source. It picks up a fullerrange and balance of an instrument (or a group of instruments)and captures more of the studio acoustics for amore open and blended sound.
►Generally, the three distant stereo arrays are coincident,near-coincident, and spaced.
►Coincident miking, also called X-Y miking, employs twomatched directional microphones mounted on a verticalaxis—with one mic diaphragm directly over the other—and angled apart to aim approximately toward the leftand right sides of the sound source.
►Near-coincident miking angles two directional microphones,spaced horizontally a few inches apart.
►Spaced miking employs two matched microphones—unidirectionalor omnidirectional—several feet apart, perpendicularto the sound source and symmetrical to each otheralong a centerline.
►There are a number of stereo microphone arrays, includingthe Blumlein technique, the ORTF method, the optimalstereo signal (OSS) or Jecklin disk, and the Decca Tree.
►Accent miking, also known as off-miking, is used to pickup instruments in an ensemble when they solo.
►Ambience miking, used along with distant miking, attemptsto reproduce the aural experience that audiencesreceive in a live venue by recording in an acousticallysuitable studio or concert hall.
►In recording drums, tuning the drum set is critical if theindividual elements are to sound good together.
►Although the drum set consists of several different-soundinginstruments, it must be miked so that they sound goodindividually and blend as a unit.
►Because most of an acoustic guitar’s sound radiates fromthe front of the instrument, centering a microphone offthe middle of the sound hole should, theoretically, providea balanced sound. But if a mic is too close to the hole,sound is bassy or boomy. If it is moved closer to the bridge,detail is lost. If it is moved closer to the neck, presence isreduced. If it is moved farther away, intimacy is affected.
►Because the dynamic range of bowed string instruments isnot wide, sound must be reinforced by using several instruments,multiple miking, or both, depending on the size ofthe sound required.
►The piano offers almost unlimited possibilities for soundshaping. More than with many other instruments, thecharacter of the piano sound depends on the quality ofthe piano itself.
►Because most woodwinds are not powerful instruments,the tendency is to close-mike them. Due to their soundradiation, however, this results in an uneven pickup. Woodwindsshould be miked far enough away so that the pickupsounds blended and natural.
►The loudness and the dynamic range of brass instrumentsrequire care in microphone placement and careful attentionin adjusting levels at the console.
►Some electric instruments, such as the bass and the guitar,can be recorded by miking their amplifier loudspeaker; bydirect insertion (DI), or plugging the instrument into theconsole; or by a combination of both.
►An alternative to using amplifiers for an electric guitar orbass is modeling technology that simulates the sounds ofvarious makes and models of speaker cabinets.
►A variety of software programs make it possible to manipulateand record the sound of traditional acoustic and electricinstruments in the virtual domain.
►Recording a vocalist is a test for any microphone becausethe mic must be able to handle the nuances of the singer’stimbre and dynamics as well as any popping, sibilance, andbreathing sounds. Mic selection and placement depend onvoice quality, style of music, and microphone presence.
►Generally, there are two approaches to handling a musicrecording for surround sound: direct/ambient surroundsoundmiking, using conventional techniques during recordingand applying the surround-sound imaging duringthe mix; and the direct surround-sound approach, mikingfor surround sound during recording and feeding the signalsdirectly to the surround-sound channels.
►Among the arrangements used for direct/ambient surround-sound miking are the Decca Tree surround, DelosVR (virtual reality), DMP (Digital Music Products), NHK(Japanese Broadcasting Corporation), five-channel surroundusing a binaural head, double middle-side (M-S),multichannel microphone array, and Woszcyk surroundmicrophone techniques.