LO1

1. Understand characteristics of different acoustic environments in relation to recording sound. Indoor acoustics: the principles of sound and acoustics; studio-based acoustics; live room; dead room; insitu recording; surface types and properties; reverberation; sound proofing; making the most of available acoustic areas; screening
Outdoor acoustics: actuality; sound bites; background atmosphere; unwanted noise; unwanted ambience; wind noise Simulated acoustics: effects units; processors; compression and limiting; computer-based software; surround sound; mono; stereo; multi-channel; phase; pitch; time delay; indirect recording

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=tcmwVZ38vUE


Indoor acoustics:

the principles of sound and acoustics;
studio-based acoustics;
live room; dead room;
insitu.recording;
surface types and properties;
reverberation;
sound proofing;
making the most of available acoustic areas;
screening

Outdoor acoustics:

actuality;
sound bites;
background atmosphere;
unwanted noise;
unwanted ambience;
wind noiseSimulated acoustics:
effects units;
processors;
compression and limiting;
computer-based software;
surround sound;
mono; stereo; multi-channel;
phase; pitch; time delay;
indirect recording.

Microphone postions, and placement for:

 Unidirectional dynamic microphones should be used to record voice.

The microphone should be well away from any walls, and the area behind the person singing should be non-reflective. This could be an area of foam tiles. But one point to watch out for is that, in rooms where a lot of damping material has been applied, you'll often find that it only absorbs effectively down to around 250-300Hz.

When setting up the mic it should be a couple of feet from the centre of the room. You should firstly make a test recording using no processing at all to see if the basic tonality is OK. If it's not, it will most likely be the room or the mic placement. Try more hanging absorbers and move the mic around relative to the walls.

Acoustic

When recording acoustic instruments, a gutair for example, you should place one mic three to six inches away directly infront of the sound hole, then put another microphone of the same type four feet away. This will allow you to hear the instrument and an element of room ambience. Record both mics dry and flat each to its own track. These two tracks will sound vastly different. If you combine them it may provide a open sound with the addition of the distant mic.

Percussion

http://www.shure.com/idc/groups/public/documents/webcontent/us_pro_micsmusicstudio_ea.pdf

For this assessment we had to record being in a quiet environment and then a separate recording in a loud environment. We had to explain in our recording what we could hear or see that was making the noises our recorder was picking up. Then we were asked to analyse the recordings and explain in detail what was going on in each recording and what was making the noise and compare the difference between recording in a quiet environment and a loud environment.

 

Me and two other students in the class went in to the library and turned the microphone on, as we were in a library it was hard to pick up any sound at all as everyone had to be quiet. The only sounds we really picked up where the movement of chairs or typing on a keyboard. There were a few coughs as well but they sounded quite distant. If I was to record again I would do it in a slightly louder environment as more sounds would be picked up.

 

We went on to record on a busy road in Henley, you can tell cars are approaching because the pitch is deep but the noise is getting gradually louder and louder until it is right next to us and the car noise is at its highest volume possible then the volume of the car gradually starts decreasing more and more until it’s gone. The recording was disrupted by college students walking to lessons. The rest of the clip was without us saying anything into the mice what we could see or hear. The noises in the last 20 seconds of the audio clip were just cars deep pitches growing louder and louder in sound as they got closer and then gradually becoming quieter as they drove further away from us.

 

All the equipment worked well. One minor item that could have been useful is, if we had a wind shadow; they are small devices that can usually fit around the edges of mikes to protect them from picking up the annoying wind noise like ours did.

 We were told to record an interview between two people (interviewer and interviewee) plus the one extra person who would record the interview. The interview had to be recorded inside a room/ building and was not allowed to be recorded outside. The interview could not be made up and had to be a real interview either from the internet or a magazine.

The interview recording analysis

I recorded Hayley speaking about working a super drug I was interviewing her, and Carrie recorded it. We did it in our classroom. At the first 20- 30 seconds of our interview I deliberately held the mike behind the two people talking during the interview. After that I then held the mike close to each person face. After the first 10 seconds had gone by I then moved the my microphone over the shoulder of the two people doing the interview in turn so you can hear who’s speaking. Overall I think it went ok, however if I was to do it again I would do it in a studio so the sound is of better quality.

 

Article