Pick-Up Characteristics Flashcards
There are four fundamental styles of microphone placement are directly related to the working distance of a microphone from its sound source. What are they?
Close Miking
Distant Miking
Accent Miking
Ambient Miking
Is off-axis pick-up always going to be a negative thing to your recordings?
Not always.
One of the top engineers in the world (Al Schmitt) makes extensive use of leakage to create a live, present, “you-are-there” feel to his recordings, often choosing to use omnidirectional mics (which actually have far less off-axis coloration, due to the fact that no directional phase cancellation occurs).
At these close distances, moving a mic by only a few inches can easily change the pickup tonal balance.
If this occurs, try using one or more of the following remedies:
Move the microphone along the surface of the sound source until the desired balance is achieved.
Place the mic farther back from the sound source to allow for a wider angle (thereby picking up more of the instrument’s overall sound).
Change the mic.
Equalize the signal until the desired balance is achieved.
How would you describe microphone leakage?
Whenever an instrument’s mic is placed at enough of a distance to also pick up the sound of a nearby instrument, a condition known as leakage will occur.
Whenever a signal is picked up by both its intended mic and a nearby mic (or mics), it’s easy to see how the signals could be combined together within the mixdown process.
Whenever this occurs, level and phase cancellations can sometimes make it more difficult to have control over the volume and tonal character of the involved instruments within a mix.
What are possible solutions for mic leakage?
Place the mics closer to their respective instruments.
Use directional mics.
Place an acoustic barrier (known as a flat, gobo, or divider) between the instruments. Alternatively, mic/instruments can be surrounded on several sides by sound baffles and (if needed) a top can be draped over them.
Spread the instruments farther apart.
What is the 3:1 distance rule?
To reduce leakage and maintain phase integrity, this rule states that for every unit of distance between a mic and its source, a nearby mic (or mics) should be separated by at least three times that distance.
What is the benefit to recording direct?
This option often produces a cleaner, more present sound by bypassing the distorted components of a head/amp combination.
Distant Miking really serves 2 functions:
To combine an actual acoustic environment with close or modern studio mic techniques to give a sense of acoustic “life” to a studio recording.
To capture the recording environment as a whole. That’s to say that the instrument or ensemble will be captured along with its natural acoustic environment to create a combined representation of what the listener would hear in that room.
Where would you typically find distant miking?
Often used in classical and other traditional styles of recording to pick up large instrumental ensembles (such as a symphony orchestra or choral ensemble).
