Microphone placement techniques pdf

The microphone is positioned such that it is approximately 10 inches horizontal from the back of the chair. The ortf stereo technique uses two first order cardioid microphones with a spacing of 17 cm between the microphone diaphragms, and with an 110 angle. Microphone placement pdf in this guide, shure application engineers describe particular microphone techniques and placement. Microphone techniques the selection and placement of microphones have a. Audio engineer scott hirsch provides tips and strategies to hide lavalier mics, avoid unwanted noise from actor movement and radio interference, and capture the best audio possible with the wireless microphone systems during audio recording on a video production shoot. In this guide, shure application engineers describe particular microphone techniques and placement. Because mic placement is an art form, there is no right or wrong. Sound source less than 6 inches away from micfull sound, pronounced bass, increased isolation from background noise. Quick tips for best microphone technique conference.

Placement is usually dictated by musical genre but most engineers place microphones to capture a good overall balance of the instrument. Panning directing the signals left and right adds width and directionality when listening on stereo systems or headphones. Microphone, microphone placement, flexed boom arm, fixed boom arm. Mic placement is one of the biggest factors of good live sound nothing you do at the board can fix poor mic placement. These placement tips can help you get started but there are multiple ways to mike any instrument, and the mics you select will affect the optimal placement for a given application. It is intended to prevent destructive combfiltering from occurring. Distant microphone placement with distant microphone placement figure 4.

Akg ms stereo recording techniques library of congress. The middle side technique is definitely the most complicated but it has its benefits. First, learn how to get the singer comfortable in the recording studio and. This article proves to present some different placement techniques for a simple acoustic guitar recording. This serves to reduce extraneous noise, including room reverberation, and is commonly used when attempting to record a number of. This rule states that if you measure the distance from the sound source e. Use these suggestions as a guide and let your ears determine what works best in your situation. The ortf stereo technique uses two first order cardioid microphones with a spacing of 17 cm between the microphone diaphragms. Even slight variations can deteriorate accuracy significantly. While the singlemic techniques we demonstrated can be perfect for when the acoustic guitar. For more information about the proper care of your headset, and correct microphone positioning, jabra offers this handy onepage document. Join us for other presentations microphone techniques for dslr cameras rigging wireless and lavalier microphones recording live music for broadcast midside stereo miking demysti. If the microphone is a wired mic, spend time ensuring that the cable is routed around the stage in a sensible way.

Whatever method sounds right for the particular sound, instrument, musician, and song is right. The 3to1 rule is another guide for microphone placement. Last week, we explored a variety of ways to get an excellent acoustic guitar recording using a single microphone. Microphone techniques for live sound reinforcement shure. When recording audio or taking part in a voice conference, the position of your microphone can be one of the most important factors to your overall sound quality.

There is a lot of diy material on soundproofing rooms for optimal recording. Professional microphone techniques david miles huber pdf. Jan 24, 2017 offers a few quick tips and techniques on how to get the best results from a microphone in a conference room environment. Stereo miking techniques can replicate the itds and iids that occur naturally. Coincident or nearcoincident mic placement techniques from dpa microphones online publications with history and comments. It is a common view in the recording industry that.

Mic placement worked moving the microphone to spots in the room where there was less or more reflective or live sounding. Position the microphone at the seated position on the chair at ear height. Microphone techniques the selection and placement of microphones have a major influence on the audio quality of a sound reinforcement system. Runstein amsterdam boston heidelberg london new york oxford paris san diego san francisco singapore sydney tokyo focal press is an imprint of elsevier. Using the 3to1 rule when youre recording with multiple mics can help prevent phase cancellation, the pesky audio phenomenon of dropped frequencies. This stereo mic technique involves spacing a pair of cardioid or omnidirectional microphones apart in such a way that they cover the space but dont create phase issues for each other. A major difference between microphone placement in live sound versus.

There is also no one ideal microphone to use on any particular instrument. Microphone techniques pdf in this guide, shure application engineers describe particular microphone techniques and placement. I have a leather chair located at the principle seating location and have located the microphone on a tripod at ear level. The distance and placement of the microphone also affects the sound and tone of the voice as heard by the listener. You can use cardioid mics like a pair of shure sm57s to accomplish all of these except for midside. Learn how to take your vocal recordings from average to professional as fab shows you all of the classic techniques as well as often overlooked details and tricks what should the distance be between the singer and the microphone.

The above pic of the woody allan jazz band of which i am a fan is an excellent example of the. Microphone techniques for stereo recording stereo recording using two microphones adds realism by capturing sound similar to the way that humans hear. The next logical step in the quest for different sonic nuances is to combine two or more microphones to obtain different colors. How do you record with a microphone to get the right sound. Some of these microphoneplacement suggestions can be used in live applications, as well as for studio recording. Whatever method sounds right for the particular sound, instrument, musician, and song isright. The placement of a microphone can play just as important a role, and is one of an engineers most valued tools. Engineer can control time delays between loudspeakers by microphone placement advantage. Nov 16, 2010 mitch gallaghers latest book is guitar tone. Choose and place the microphone to get the sound you want. While experience is the best teacher, especially when it comes to the constantly changing variables of sound reinforcement, here are some guidelines that can save you a lot of time sorting it out on your own. It should also be noted that its not imperative, but highly advisable, to use mics of the same make and model to achieve the best results with these setups. Some also add a third center microphone to strengthen the center image. There are several classes of microphone placement for recording and amplification.

Microphone placement is the foundation for any solid recording. Quick tips for best microphone technique conference rooms. Fab dupont explores the most important aspect of recording a singer. Multimic and stereo mic techniques for recording acoustic.

Microphone techniques the selection and placement of. They will favor the cymbals somewhat because of their placement, which may or may not be a problem. Cardioid condenser microphone pga81 user guides shure. Professional microphone techniques mix pro audio david mileshuber, philip williams on. Eliminate micplacement guesswork with the shavering technique.

There are two broad systems of stereophonic recording techniques used to attain these objectives. This commonly used technique generally yields two results. Once you get the hang of it you wont ever like going back to doing just simple stereo techniques like xy. In no sense was this intended to be a microphone shootout the differences in the characteristics of the various microphones used would make nonsense of any such trial but it was a useful comparison of what could be achieved under identical conditions, with highquality microphones, using three different techniques. These techniques are, for the most part, suitable for making both live and studio recordings.

Mic placement techniques from dpa microphones online publications with history and comments by tom bates ortf stereo two first order cardioid microphones spaced 17 cm and angled 110 creating the stereo image. Best live sound mic placement techniques sweetwater. There are a surprising number of techniques for recording groupsfrom small ensembles to large choirs and orchestrasusing a pair of microphones or in some cases three microphones. In fact, you can find some largediaphragm dynamic mics specifically designed to record kick drums. Placement of microphones for stereophonic recording is an art whose object is the recreation of the natural tonal balance and spatial distri bution of the original sound source and its acoustic environment.

Lavalier microphone placement techniques are explored in this video tutorial. When the bass player gets his sound, place a microphone d112, 421, or an sm 57 four inches from the grill of hisher speaker cabinet. In a live situation it is entirely possible to trip over the cable if you havent been careful about its placement. Im going to stick with microphones because of the information and specifications on the subject is not my forte. Some podcasters say placing the microphone about fingers width away from your mouth is a good distance. No matter where you place the mic, you can reduce the amount of boominess from the drum by placing a pillow or blanket inside it. Sound advice on microphone techniques pdf free download. Some of the most common applications and placement techniques are listed in the following table.

This technique whose distance 6 modern recording techniques. A quick introduction to common mic placement techniques. Contents 2002 bill gibson published under license exclusively to proaudio press, an imprint of, llc. A quick introduction to common mic placement techniques june 27, 2017 by soundfly team 0 this article is courtesy of soundflys free course series any sound will do, which features essential tips and strategies on creating music from found sounds and sampled sources by youtube star andrew huang and ableton certified trainer brian jackson. Correct microphone positioning is one of the most important ways to enhance recognition accuracy. Rarely do pop musicians become interested in specialised microphone techniques for creation of spatial sound scaping. A simple technique for consistent microphone placement in. In addition to being a writer, he is a freelance recording engineerproducermastering engineer, teaches music business and audio recording at indiana universitypurdue university, and is sweetwaters editorial director. Modern recording techniques seventh edition david miles huber robert e. Coincident or nearcoincident mic placement techniques. Thats audio engineering for you, creating some great sounds with careful placement and ingenious mic techniques. Microphone techniques for live sound reinforcement english. Microphone techniques for introduction microphone techniques the selection and placement of microphones have a major influence on the audio quality of a sound reinforcement system.

The selection and placement of microphones can have a major influence on the sound of an acoustic recording. Microphone placement and tone quality listed are some common microphone placement techniques. Take that extra step of assuring correct placement of that microphone with a simple adjustment and your caller will thank you. Poor mic placement can result in the appearance of breathing, occasional or complete dropout of volume, and distorted or overdriven audio. Choosing the appropriate mic, however, is only half the story. Eliminate micplacement guesswork with the shavering. Following this, some fundamentals of microphones, instruments, and acoustics are presented.

Close microphone placement when close microphone placement is used, the mic is often positioned about 1 inch to 3 feet from a sound source. In no sense was this intended to be a microphone shootout the differences in the characteristics of the various microphones used would make nonsense of any such trial but it was a useful comparison of what could be achieved under identical conditions, with. To watch a video showing microphone placement techniques for vocals, scan this code with your smartphone or visit. These techniques are, for the most part, suitable for. Here are the perceptual results of common stereo miking techniques. Keep in mind that microphone technique is largely a matter of personal taste. For stereo recordings, there are a lot of options for microphone placement. Dec 11, 2008 rarely do pop musicians become interested in specialised microphone techniques for creation of spatial sound scaping. Jun 27, 2017 a quick introduction to common mic placement techniques june 27, 2017 by soundfly team 0 this article is courtesy of soundflys free course series any sound will do, which features essential tips and strategies on creating music from found sounds and sampled sources by youtube star andrew huang and ableton certified trainer brian jackson.

Learn how to take your vocal recordings from average to professional as fab shows you all of the classic techniques as well as often overlooked details and tricks. The following table lists the most common applications and placement techniques. Professional microphone techniques david miles huber pdf studio in the palm of your hand. Audio engineer scott hirsch takes us into his own studio to demonstrate the recording techniques the pros use to get crisp, resonant lead and backup vocals for any genre. Relatively minor differences in recording techniques of different subjects or multiple recordings of the same subject may introduce errors. Good reproduction of early reflections through loudspeakers. In close miking, a microphone is placed relatively close to an instrument or sound source, within three to twelve inches, producing a dry or nonreverberant sound. We encourage you to experiment with different techniques and to search the web and visit your local library or bookstore for books, magazines, instructional videos, and other sources of information. A simple solution to the problem of maintaining a relatively constant distance between the subjects mouth and the recording microphone is presented. Drums to see a listing contents hide 1 single microphone full kit techniques o 1. The above pic of the woody allan jazz band of which i am a fan is an excellent example of the basic correct principles of traditional live mic placement. Nov 29, 2012 how do you record with a microphone to get the right sound. Pdf coincident or nearcoincident mic placement techniques.

Gain techniques for mic placement and running a session. Some of these microphone placement suggestions can be used in live applications, as well as for studio recording. The microphone should be slightly above your mouth and slightly off to the left or right so you can talk past it instead of straight into it. Another method for recording the bass is by micing the amplifier.

If the sound coming from the mic isnt what you want, try moving the mic. Place the microphone element to the side of your mouth to avoid noise from breathing. There are advantages and disadvantages to consider as an audio engineer when placing microphones. Vibrations from the ground can travel up the pole to the microphone and caused unwanted additions to the signal. When recording a kick drum, most recording engineers choose a dynamic microphone. Mar 03, 2014 take that extra step of assuring correct placement of that microphone with a simple adjustment and your caller will thank you.