Acoustics exam 3

Free Field

Sound comes directly from source, tend to have flat freq. response

Diffuse field

When room reflections play a large part in capturing the sound

1. Find phase switch on a mic preamp, DAW Interface, or console

2. After mics are set and checked, pick one mic that can be easily moved and one that will be the “standard”

3. Place both mics together where capsules touch and speak into them about a foot away

4. Bring faders up on both mics so the audio level is equal on both

5. Flip the phase switch on the mic in question

The 5 steps to doing a polarity check.

Spaced pair, XY, MS, Decca Tree, Multi-Array, and Ambisonic Pickup

The 6 fundamental mic techniques:

Spaced pair

One of the Miking Techniques:

• 2 mics

• Uses time + Amplitude to create stereo image

• Drawback potential for phase issues

XY Miking

One of the Miking Techniques:

• Placed grills together as close as possible without touching

• Mics at a 90 degree angle

• Generally cardioid pattern mics

• Creates excellent stereo imaging

MS Stereo Miking

One of the Miking Techniques:

• Uses 1 cardioid and 1 figure-8 mic

• Cardioid facing source, figure-8 facing out to sides

• Duplicate the track recorded by figure-8 mic

  • Flip the phase on duped track

  • Hard pan both figure-8 tracks

Decca Tree

One of the Miking Techniques:

• 3 mics with a 3-pronged mic stand

• Generally large-diaphragmed condenser mics

• Left and right mics 3 feet apart, center mic 1.5 feet in front

• Placed on a tall boom/mic stand

• Great for recording orchestras/ensembles

Multi-Array

One of the Miking Techniques:

• Generally used in motion pictures for surround sound

  • 5.1 - 5 speakers

  • 7.1 - 7 speakers

• Both utilize a subwoofer

Ambisonic pickup

One of the Miking Techniques:

• Uses an ambisonic mic

• Uses phase/time-related info to code and decode acoustic info with advanced mathematics

• Special panning accessibility is incorporated into most DAWS

Triggering

When a mic picks up transients and turns those transients into a sampled sound, used by essentially every professional on drums, especially the kick.

Put the mic about 6 feet in front of the kit, with the mic aimed above the bass drum and between the toms

How to mic a drumset with 1 mic

One mic on kick drum, one on overhead. You can also stereo 2 mics directly in front of the kit and pan them.

How to mic a drumset with 2 mics

1 mic on kick drum and 2 overhead (panned), or 1 kick, 1 snare, 1 overhead.

How to mic a drumset with 3 mics (not including Glyn Johns)

• 1 mic on kick drum, 1 overhead over the snare, 1 on the side of the floor tom.

• Overhead and side mic must be equidistant to avoid phase issues

• Do not wide pan snare and tom mics

How to mic a drumset using the Glyn Johns technique

1 kick, 1 snare, 2 overheads (panned)

How to mic a drumset using 4 mics

Wrap a small-diaphragm condenser mic in foam and wedge it between the A and D strings, aimed between the feet of the bridge.

How to mic an acoustic bass with the Paul Langosch method

Use an RCA 77-DX placed near the floor, angled up toward the bridge at about a 45-degree angle.

How to mic an acoustic bass using the Rudy Van Gelder method

• Paul Langosch, small diaphragm condenser mic wrapped in foam and wedged between A and D strings

• Rudy Van Gelder method, RCA 77-DX near the floor, angled up at a 45 degree angle towards the bridge

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Name 3 methods to mic an acoustic bass