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KEYS TO SUCCESSFUL RECORDING TECHNIQUE
I
he
quality
ol
.1
live
recording with the use
ol
microphones
is
determined
not
only
by
tape
deck performance,
but
is
also greatly
influenced
by
microphone
characteristics
and
arrangement.
At
the
same
time,
skillful
handling of such
accessors
equipment
as
microphone
stands,
mixing
devices
etc.
is
important
for
obtaining
optimum
benefit
from
the
microphones, and
consequently
a
better
recording.
Microphone
Characteristics
Microphones
arc
specified
in
terms
of
sensitivity,
frequency
response,
impedance, and
directionality.
Microphones
with
a
sensitivity
of
(
72
dB/uBar-
SH
dB/jjBar)
and
an
impedance between
bOOSt and 50kSl
arc
acceptable
for
use with the
RT-I020L/H.
However,
if
long extensions
are
employed,
60012
is
rccommedcd.
While
a
wide frequency response
microphone
is
desirable,
width
is
not the
only
determining
factor.
I
xccssive
peaking
in
the
frequency response graph
should
also
be
absent,
in
order
to
avoid unnatural
emphasis
in
the
recorded
sound.
In
terms
of
directionality,
microphones
can be broadly
classified
into
unidirectional
and
nondirectional types, with
the
most
versatile
being
those
containing
a
switch
for
selection
of
either type.
For
stereo recordings,
a
not
too sharp
unidirectional
microphone
tends
to
be
easier
to
use.
Nondircc-
tional
microphones
have
a
drawback
in
that
they
arc
apt
to
pickup
background
noise.
On
the other
hand,
they
have
the feature
of
being
able
to
combine
reverberations with the
sound,
making them
easier for
obtaining
a
more
lifelike
recording.
Stereo Recording
Basics
I
igs
I,
2
&
3
show
typical
basic
arrangements
using
left
and
right
unidirectional
microphones.
I
he arrangement
in
fig.
I
is
referred to
as
a
one-point
system and
if
microphone
distance
is
carefully selected
according
to
the
sound
source width, comparatively
good
quality recordings
can
be
obtained.
While
the
I
ig.
2
arrangement
provides
good sound
positioning, the stereo
effect
can be
lost
it
microphone
directionality
is
too
sharp.
With
the
I
ig.
i-A
method,
excessive
microphone
separation
can cause
weak
center
sound
upon
speaker reproduction,
resulting
in a
disturbing
"hole
in
the
middle"
effect.
I
his
can be avoided
by
keeping
the distance
between microphones
within
3
meters (about 10
ft.)
or
by
employing
a
center
microphone
as
shown
in
I
ig.
3-B.
Multiple
Microphone
Method
I
his
is
a
mixing
method
which
utilizes
a
separate
microphone
for
each
instrument with each
level
adjusted
by
a
mixer.lt
is
effective
when
the
volume
difference
between
individual
instruments
is
large or
when
lively
direct
instrument
sound
is
desired.
Certain
technical
sophistication
is
needed
for
some
points
ol
mixing
amplifier
operation.
Ideally,
a
completely
soundproof monitoring
room
should be
employed
lor
obtaining
sound
balance.
If
the
opportunity
of
using
such
a
monitoring
room
is
unavailable,
headphones
can be
employed
to
individually
monitor
the
sound pickup
of
each
microphone.
After
setting
each
level,
the resulting
sound
is
then
mixed.
Careful attention
must be
paid
to
overlapping
sounds from
instruments other
than
the
one
to
which
the
microphone
is
pointed.
If
such overlapping
is
excessive,
sound
clarity
can be
easily
deteriorated.
If
a
mixer equipped
with
PAN-POT
(panoramic potentiometers)
is
available,
winch
can
electrically
move
left
and
right
microphones,
auxiliary stereo
microphones
can be
set
up
at a slight
distance
from
the subject,
as
shown
in
I
ig.
4.
Overall
sound
balance can then be
effectively
obtained by
adjusting
the
PAN-POT.
Left
channel
Right
channel
w
—
•
r
Left
and
right
microphone
spacing
pj«
\
4
in-12
in
(
1
0cm
-30cm)
Left
channel
Right
channel
/
\
Microphone
directionality
not too sharp
Fig.
2
Left
channel
Right
channel
Left
channel
Right channel
||
•
Center
•
|
j
3
channel
jj
1
—
1
!
Within
10ft.
(3m)
j
L
J
PAN
POT
1
R
Vacant
center
avoided by
Fig.
3
*
A
using center
microphone
Fig.
3-B
Mic: Auxiliary stereo
microphones
y**
Each
microphone
level
control
PAN
POT-
Fig.
4
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