TC electronic SDN BHD Gold Channel - Manual (Page 44)

WHERE GREAT RECORDINGS BEGIN
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Miking distance works in concert with directional pattern to affect the amount of ambient sound recorded.
Moving a mic closer to a sound source makes it louder in relation to competing sounds. To the listener,
this reduction of ambient sound makes the instrument or voice appear to be closer. Pulling the mic back
and allowing it to record more ambient sound will appear to push the sound back from the plane of the
speakers. In other words, mic placement has a direct effect on the perceived location of the sound on
playback. Though you can simulate this effect with artificial ambience, the results are rarely as convincing
as those achieved by varied microphone placement.
When it comes to mic distance, there are potential problems at both extremes. Place a mic too close, and it
may pick up only one aspect of a sound's character. Most directional mics also experience proximity
effect, which causes a buildup in bass frequencies when placed within about 18 inches of the sound
source. A low-cut filter or low-frequency equalization (both of which are found in the Gold Channel) can
help compensate for excessive proximity effect. Up-close mic placement can also accentuate dynamics
and transient peaks, making the sound a challenge to properly record and mix. When close mic placement
is a must, the Gold Channel's compression circuit can help tame excessive peaks.
Placing a mic too far from the instrument or voice can make for a distant, unexciting sound. Rooms with
poor acoustics will show up loud and clear on a distant mic, as will unwanted sounds and noises. High
frequencies and subtle details tend to decrease quickly with distance, giving distant miking a somewhat
duller sound than up-close miking. For most popular music recording of a single instrument, miking
distances of eight inches to three feet are most common.
Apart from miking distance, the orientation of mic to instrument or voice can have a significant impact on
the sound. Since high and low frequencies spread out from a sound source differently, various locations
around an instrument will deliver dramatically different sound. Likewise, various spots in a room will
have a different mix of frequencies due to the way sound careens around between walls, ceiling and floor.
Sometimes, moving a microphone just a few inches can alter the character of the sound considerably. The
closer the mic is, the more dramatic the resulting change. Finding a voice or instrument's "sweet spot"
takes some time, but is well worth the effort.
Stereo Recording
Stereo recording uses two microphones to record a more pronounced sense of spaciousness and ambience
than is possible with a single mic. Stereo recording can make a single instrument seem to spread from one
speaker to the other, or it can capture the sound of an ensemble with a great degree of realism.
Though variations abound, there are three common miking arrangements used to capture stereo sound (see
figure 2). The simplest is the spaced pair, which places two directional or omnidirectional mics anywhere
from 12 inches to several feet apart in front of the sound source. Spaced pair recordings capture a rich, full
ambient sound.
A related approach is coincident pair or "X-Y" recording. This approach places two directional mics at
roughly a 90-degree angle to one another, with their heads nearly touching. Though not quite as lush as
spaced pair stereo, this method offers good sound localization and better compatibility for mono playback.
A matched pair of mics is important for both spaced pair and X-Y miking setups, as is identical signal
processing of the two channels. The Gold Channel's stereo link mode makes it well-suited to X-Y and
spaced pair stereo recording, as changes in one channel will be performed identically on the other.