microphones 2- RIM 3011 DW1

What are the 3 polar pickup pattens?

omnidirectional, unidirectional, figure-8

Which of the 3 polar pickup patterns has a 360 degree spherical shape? In other
words which polar pickup pattern picks up sound no matter where the sound source
is in relation to the front (address side) of the microphone?

omnidirectional

Which of the 3 polar pickup patterns has a “heart-shaped” polar pickup pattern?

cardioid/unidriectional

Why might unidirectional/cardioid polar pickup pattern microphones be a better
choice in high volume live sound situations?

unidirectional

Why might unidirectional/cardioid polar pickup pattern microphones be a good choice
when mic’ing a drum set in a recording studio situation

allows you to focus in on the sound source without capturing too much of the room sound

The unidirectional/cardioid polar pickup pattern has a number of variations. What are
they? Under what recording situations might the wide cardioid and hyper-cardioid
patterns be useful/applicable?

isolating a sound source in loud environments like live performances or when extreme directional focus is needed

Where are “shotgun” microphones used. What cardioid pattern variations do shotgun
mice use? Wide-cardioid? Hyper-cardioid? Super-cardioid? Ultra-cardioid?

live sound, hyper-cardioid

Where are microphones with the omnidirectional polar pickup pattern used? Under
what live sound, or recording situations are they most popular?

studio recordings,

In what scenarios would omnidirectional mics not be the best choice?

when you need to isolate a specific sound source, like a single voice in a noisy environment, or when you want to minimize background noise

Where are bi-directional/Figure-8 pattern microphones used most often? Live
sound? Specialized recording situations?

recording two voices in a studio

Could you identify any of the 3 polar pickup patterns If shown images similar to the
ones in the weekly reading?

yes

What is meant by “on axis” and “off axis?”

On-axis means sound approaches the mic directly from the front. Off-axis means sound approaches the mic from the side or from the rear.

What is a lavaliere microphone? Where are they used most often? What polar
pickup pattern does this type of microphone generally have?

attached to clothing, typically around the collarbone or upper chest area, theater, television, public speaking, film, video, and live productions, omnidirectional

What is proximity effect? How is it caused? Is it desirable to have proximity effect
recorded as part of the vocal track? Is it at all possible to remove, or fix the proximity
effect in later stages of the project.

the phenomenon where a directional microphone picks up a boosted low-frequency response (increased bass) when positioned very close to a sound source

About how many inches back from the front of the microphone diaphragm should
the vocalist be positioned?

6-8

What are plosives? How can plosives be minimized?

use a pop filter positioned close to the microphone, slightly angle the microphone away from the speaker's mouth, and adjust your microphone positioning to be slightly above the mouth leve

What are some advantages of a mic reflection screen?

cleaner recording with less room reverberation, improved vocal clarity, and better isolation from unwanted background noise

Why might it be desirable to control the room acoustics of the recording space?
What might we want to minimize?

reverb and echos

What are some easy tests to check the reverberant and echo tendencies of the
recording space.

snaps, vocals tests

What are some quick, easy, and inexpensive ways to control room acoustics

bed sheets, wall padding

Summing it all up, what 3 things would pretty much cover all the bases as far as
getting the best vocal recording possible

pop filter, mic reflection, blankets/absorptive fabric hung on walls

Does proximity effect come into play when considering recording an acoustic guitar?

yes

Will mic placement affect the recorded sound of an acoustic guitar? In other words,
will aiming the mic at the sound hole be the same as aiming it toward the nut, or
headstock?

yes

Is there an absolute right way to position a mic when recording acoustic guitar?
How about mic choice? Dynamic moving coil? Ribbon? Condenser? Are there any
absolutes there?

no