Getting Great Sounds
The Microphone Book
Zusammenfassung
Getting Great Sounds: The Microphone Book imparts microphone tips and tricks of the pros to make them available to any sound engineer or home studio enthusiast. It explains aspects of all kinds of microphones, how they work, and how to use them in session recording. A well-known recording engineer with decades of industry experience, Tom Lubin presents technical information in a friendly, straightforward, and easy-to-grasp way, based on real-life experiences.
This third edition includes a review of key practices at the end of chapters and a new section that provides an overview of microphone manufacturers you may not have heard of. There are now over one hundred and fifty companies making microphones for studio applications of one form or another, and most are small companies owned by people who are passionate about good sound. These companies feature high quality microphones, and many use classic designs with more affordable prices.
How to choose and use microphones was once a skill passed down from senior sound engineers to their assistants as they would listen and learn by observation. Today, few large studios have assistant engineers, and an overwhelming number of studios are operated by their owners who are often self-taught and lack the benefit of the big-studio tutelage. This book is your guide to understanding the ins and outs of microphones and music studio production.
Schlagworte
Keywords
- Kapitel Ausklappen | EinklappenSeiten
- i–xiv Preface i–xiv
- Dedication
- Acknowledgments
- About the Author
- Table of Content
- Introduction
- 1–14 Chapter 1 The Development of the Microphone 1–14
- Bell and the Telephone
- Microphones Grow Up
- The Quest for Better Sound
- Edison and the Vacuum Tube Amplifier
- Twentieth-Century Developments
- Microphones Today
- 15–42 Chapter 2 Microphone Types, Patterns, and Uses 15–42
- Three Types of Transducers
- Moving-Coil or Dynamic Microphones
- Ribbon Microphones
- Condenser Microphones
- Pickup Patterns
- Omni or Non-Directional
- Figure Eight or Bidirectional
- Cardioid or Unidirectional Microphones
- The Right Microphone for Every Job
- Physical Law #1: The Smaller, the Brighter
- Physical Law #2: The Bigger, the Slower
- Microphones and Transient Response
- Off-Axis Coloration
- Sensitivity and the Proximity Effect
- Spec Sheets
- Storing Microphones
- 43–64 Chapter 3 Understanding Sound and Hearing 43–64
- How Sound Works
- Sound Waves
- Speed of Sound and Wavelength
- Harmonics and Overtones
- Measuring Amplitude: The Decibel
- Envelopes
- Having Great Ears
- Anatomy of the Ear
- Hearing Ranges
- What Is Flat?
- Hearing Damage
- Hearing Delay and Directionality
- Masking
- Windows of Uncertainty
- 65–82 Chapter 4 Polarity, Phase Cancellation, and Reverb 65–82
- Polarity
- Verifying Correct Polarity
- Polarity Reversal Switches
- Acoustic Phase Cancellation (or Comb Filtering)
- A Multiple-Mic Problem
- Testing for Comb Filtering
- Echoes and Reverberations
- Pre-Delay
- 83–90 Chapter 5 Impedance and Balance 83–90
- High and Low Impedance
- Balanced and Unbalanced Connections
- Connecting Low-Z Mics to High-Z Preamps
- Phantom-Powered Mics and Balanced Systems
- 91–106 Chapter 6 Hum 101, DIs, and Related Transducers 91–106
- Hummmmm…and Fixing It
- Dangers of Lifting Ground
- Eliminating Other Noise (Electromagnetic and Computer Signals)
- Direct Boxes
- Wireless Microphones
- Guitar Pickups
- Types of Pickups
- Contact Pickups
- 107–122 Chapter 7 Accessories and Necessary Hardware 107–122
- Microphone Pads
- Where’s the Pad?
- Microphone Stands
- Windscreens
- Shock Mounts and Floor Vibration
- Gobos
- Piano Bags
- 123–138 Chapter 8 Stereo Microphone Techniques 123–138
- Why Stereo Miking?
- XY Coincident Placement
- ORTF
- Jecklin Disk Technique
- Blumlein Pair
- AB Technique
- Decca Tree
- The MS (Mid-Side) Technique
- A Dummy Head
- 139–158 Chapter 9 The Recording Session 139–158
- Studio Floor Plan
- Larger Studio
- Smaller Studio
- The Session
- Stands, Lighting, and Seating
- Positioning and Leakage
- Laying Cable
- Studio Sound Check
- Headphones (Cans)
- Click Tracks and Scratch Tracks
- 159–188 Chapter 10 Miking Drums 159–188
- Where to Put the Drums
- Setting Up the Mics
- Mono Recording
- Stereo Recording
- Glyn Johns and Recorderman
- Multitrack Recording
- Latin Percussion
- Getting Sounds
- Adjusting Drum Levels
- Gating Drums
- 189–206 Chapter 11 Miking the Guitar and a Bit on Bass 189–206
- Acoustic Guitar
- Electric Guitars
- Playing from the Control Room
- Big Sound from Small Packages
- A Bit on the Bass
- 207–216 Chapter 12 Miking Piano 207–216
- Recording Piano
- Piano in a Rhythm Session
- Grand Piano
- Upright Acoustic Piano
- 217–240 Chapter 13 Miking Solo Acoustic Instruments and Vocals 217–240
- Taking a Solo
- Background Vocals (BG Vocs)
- Lead Vocals
- The Singer's Position/The Stand's Placement
- Other Considerations
- 241–264 Chapter 14 Miking Classical Acoustic Sections 241–264
- Space and Setup
- Space
- Setup
- Mics and Mic Placement
- Strings
- Horns
- Orchestral Percussion
- Choirs
- How Many Microphones Does It Take to Record an Orchestra?
- It's a Wrap
- 265–272 Appendix A Compressors and Limiters: A Brief Overview 265–272
- External Threshold
- 273–282 Appendix B An EQ Primer 273–282
- Basic Rules
- Finding What You're Looking For
- Bumping Your Head at 10,000 Cycles
- Punch, Bottom, Mids, Presence, Tops, and Brilliance
- EQ Terms and Tools
- Types of Equalizers
- 283–300 Appendix C Microphones you may not have heard of 283–300
- Intro To Appendix C - Line Audio
- Josephson - Hammer Audio
- Lewitt - Ear Trumpet
- Core
- Beesneez - Pearlman
- Soundelux - Wunder
- Golden Age - Senal Sound
- ZP - Soundman
- Townsend Labs
- Flea - Sage - Gauge
- Warm
- Neat - AEA - Ehrlund
- Placid - Aston
- Aspen - Blackspade
- JZ - Marantz
- Samara - Stager
- Rosewell - Mesanovic
- 301–319 Index 301–319
