Online Article
Microphones
A microphone by definision has two meanings. It is a tool for increaceing week sounds whilst its also a device for tarnsforming sound waves into electronic impulses. the microphone trannsformes sound waves and vibrations of air pressure into petterns of electrical currants. Microphones are usesd all around in, radio, telivision, phones, hearingaids, ect.
The history of Microphones
Sir Charles Wheatstone was the man who inventer the name 'microphone' in 1827 however the microphone was non-exsistant intill 1876 when Emile Bernliner. Emile Bernliner's invention was first used as a teliphone voice transmitter. She was inspired to invent the microphone after watching a Bell Telliphone Company demonstration when telliphones had just been invented. The Bell Telliphone company was so inperssed with what Emile had invented that they bought the microphone patent for $50,000. In 1878 the carbon microphone was invented by David Edward Hughes. Hughes invention of the carbon microphone was largely deveoloped dureing the 1920s and has built the foundations on a lot of
the microphones that are avalible to us no days. The invention of radio broudcasting in 1942 represnts a huge leap in microphone tecnoligy since many microphones were invented to enable it. This includes the the ribbon microphone. In 1964 James West and Gerhard Sessler who worked in the Reserch Labotorys fot the Bell Tellaphone Company invented the electroacoustic transducter (an electret microphone). The electer microphone was more reliable that the microphones of the past aswell as being more managable size and costing less money. It was a revoloution in the microphone industry with almost one billion manufactured eatch year. The next big developments in microphoneswas in the
1970s, they were the condencer microphone and the dynamic microphone. They were a step ahead of the older microphones allowing for a clearer and generly better sound in recordings.
Polar patters
Microphones pick up different sounds in different ways, this is often known as the polar patterns. There are three main polor patterns that are commonly found in microphones. Omnidirectional, Cardioid, Figure-8.
Omnidirectional microphones capture sound from all around them. Omnidirectional mics are often used when the recording person wants to capture the sound or acoustics of the room they are in. For example someone might use an omnidirectional mic to pick up the echo in a very empty room. Omniderectional mics can be used as overhead mics for the cymbals. They might also be used when recording a orcstra. A
Omnidirectional mic would not work well for close miking because when you place a omnidirctional mic less than a foot from the sound source they have been known to capture too much background noise.
Cardioid microphones do not pick up sound from all around them. Instead they only pick up from the front and reject the sounds coming from behind. This makes them more suited for close miking because you can be more precise and not worry about the microphone picking us
extra noise from being or from the sides. Cardioid microphones can be used on tom drums and snare drums because they can be directed at the drum and the mic wont pick up any unwanted noise like a omnidirectional microphone. When a Cardioid microphone is placed close to the sound source it will pick up more bass frequencies. This is called the proximity effect. The closer the microphone, the more bass frequencies. You will not find the proximity effect in the Figure-8 microphones or the omnidiredtional microphones, only the Cardioid microphones, however some Cardioid microphones have a bass roll of switch which allows you to illuminate the extra bass frequencies that would usually be picked up.
Figure-8 microphones are often also referred to as bidirectional microphones. As the name Bidirectional suggests, Figure-8 microphones pick up
sounds from two angles, the front and the back but not the sides. Because of this the Figure-8 microphones are often use to record two instruments at once. For example in a orchestra the Figure 8 microphone could be placed between two horn players, the microphone would pick up the sound from both horns very well whilst eliminating the background noise coming from the instruments behind and in front of them in the orchestra.
A microphone by definision has two meanings. It is a tool for increaceing week sounds whilst its also a device for tarnsforming sound waves into electronic impulses. the microphone trannsformes sound waves and vibrations of air pressure into petterns of electrical currants. Microphones are usesd all around in, radio, telivision, phones, hearingaids, ect.
The history of Microphones
Sir Charles Wheatstone was the man who inventer the name 'microphone' in 1827 however the microphone was non-exsistant intill 1876 when Emile Bernliner. Emile Bernliner's invention was first used as a teliphone voice transmitter. She was inspired to invent the microphone after watching a Bell Telliphone Company demonstration when telliphones had just been invented. The Bell Telliphone company was so inperssed with what Emile had invented that they bought the microphone patent for $50,000. In 1878 the carbon microphone was invented by David Edward Hughes. Hughes invention of the carbon microphone was largely deveoloped dureing the 1920s and has built the foundations on a lot of
the microphones that are avalible to us no days. The invention of radio broudcasting in 1942 represnts a huge leap in microphone tecnoligy since many microphones were invented to enable it. This includes the the ribbon microphone. In 1964 James West and Gerhard Sessler who worked in the Reserch Labotorys fot the Bell Tellaphone Company invented the electroacoustic transducter (an electret microphone). The electer microphone was more reliable that the microphones of the past aswell as being more managable size and costing less money. It was a revoloution in the microphone industry with almost one billion manufactured eatch year. The next big developments in microphoneswas in the
1970s, they were the condencer microphone and the dynamic microphone. They were a step ahead of the older microphones allowing for a clearer and generly better sound in recordings.
Polar patters
Microphones pick up different sounds in different ways, this is often known as the polar patterns. There are three main polor patterns that are commonly found in microphones. Omnidirectional, Cardioid, Figure-8.
Omnidirectional microphones capture sound from all around them. Omnidirectional mics are often used when the recording person wants to capture the sound or acoustics of the room they are in. For example someone might use an omnidirectional mic to pick up the echo in a very empty room. Omniderectional mics can be used as overhead mics for the cymbals. They might also be used when recording a orcstra. A
Omnidirectional mic would not work well for close miking because when you place a omnidirctional mic less than a foot from the sound source they have been known to capture too much background noise.
Cardioid microphones do not pick up sound from all around them. Instead they only pick up from the front and reject the sounds coming from behind. This makes them more suited for close miking because you can be more precise and not worry about the microphone picking us
extra noise from being or from the sides. Cardioid microphones can be used on tom drums and snare drums because they can be directed at the drum and the mic wont pick up any unwanted noise like a omnidirectional microphone. When a Cardioid microphone is placed close to the sound source it will pick up more bass frequencies. This is called the proximity effect. The closer the microphone, the more bass frequencies. You will not find the proximity effect in the Figure-8 microphones or the omnidiredtional microphones, only the Cardioid microphones, however some Cardioid microphones have a bass roll of switch which allows you to illuminate the extra bass frequencies that would usually be picked up.
Figure-8 microphones are often also referred to as bidirectional microphones. As the name Bidirectional suggests, Figure-8 microphones pick up
sounds from two angles, the front and the back but not the sides. Because of this the Figure-8 microphones are often use to record two instruments at once. For example in a orchestra the Figure 8 microphone could be placed between two horn players, the microphone would pick up the sound from both horns very well whilst eliminating the background noise coming from the instruments behind and in front of them in the orchestra.
My experience with using different microphones with different polar patterns
I have used a lot of different microphones that the collage have and I have found that when recording different types of sounds it is sometimes good to try different microphones with different polar patterns to try and look for a good and accurate adios representation of the instrument. I have used a lot of Omnidirectsional microphones in collage. The omnidirectional microphones that the collage has are the 1000cs condenser microphone that i have found to be very useful and very good sounding when recording an acoustic guitar. I have use used large diaphragm condenser microphones in collage with figure 8 patterns .I have used it mainly for recording vocals and i have been very happy with the results that i came out with.
The picture below shows how a microphone with a omnidirectinal polor patten and how it works as you can see from the diagram, the microphone picks up from all angles.
Frequency Response
The frequency response is the output level or the sensitivity of a microphone throughout the whole of its range, high to low frequencies. There are two main types of frequency response, Flat frequency response, Tailored frequency response.
In Flat frequency response all of the available frequencies (20HZ to – 20 KHZ) have the same output levels. This will help to produce a clear recording because all of the frequencies are unaltered.
In Tailored frequency response the frequencies have been altered to enhance certain sounds.
Below you can see a diagram or a chart that shows the frequency responce of a sure sm-57 microphone
The frequency response is the output level or the sensitivity of a microphone throughout the whole of its range, high to low frequencies. There are two main types of frequency response, Flat frequency response, Tailored frequency response.
In Flat frequency response all of the available frequencies (20HZ to – 20 KHZ) have the same output levels. This will help to produce a clear recording because all of the frequencies are unaltered.
In Tailored frequency response the frequencies have been altered to enhance certain sounds.
Below you can see a diagram or a chart that shows the frequency responce of a sure sm-57 microphone
This diagram to the left of this paragraph shows the freuency ressponce of a SM 57 microphone. So as you can see the between 20 and 50 hz is the lowest frequenys that the microphone can respond to. That is shown in the curve at the begining of the line leading into the mid range.
The midrange is very flat as you can see on the line it spans between 100 to 1000 hz, there is then a natrual boost at the high frequencys.
The midrange is very flat as you can see on the line it spans between 100 to 1000 hz, there is then a natrual boost at the high frequencys.
Sensitivity
The microphone sensitivity is calculated as the output level the mic will produce in a known sound field. The microphone sensitivity is measured in millivolts and then stated in Db (dessabells) compared to the reference level. Since what a microphone dose is transfer sound wave in the air into electronic impulses, a sensitive microphone is a microphone that dose that accurately.
Dymamic Microphones
In a dynamic microphone, sound waves go into the microphone causing vibrations of the very thin metallic diaphragm which is connected to a coil of wire. There is also a magnet in the microphone that surrounds the coil and makes a magnetic field. When the coil moves or 'vibrates' inside the magnetic field it causes a current to flow. So current is produced by the movement of the diaphragm, the amount of current flowing in the microphone is dependent on the amount of movement in the diaphragm of the microphone, this means the louder the sound going into the microphone, the more the diaphragm will vibrate and the more the coil will move which then means the more the current will flow. This kind of microphone is known as a velocity sensitive microphone.
One of the most commonly used Dynamic Microphones is the Sure SM-57. The SM-57 is a great microphone for micing up guitar amplifiers or bass amplifiers as well as being very good for close micing acoustic instruments like guitars and violins. The Sm-57 is often also used when micing up drum kits. When it is used in a drum recording it will often be placed over individual drums like the snare or the High, Low or Floor toms. This is because of the microphones frequency response, the frequency response ranges from 40hz to 15000hz. Because of this the microphone produces a very full sound when used in recordings in the studio whether it is on guitar cabs or drums. The SM-57 is a very versatile microphone and because of this it is used in studios and on stages all around the world. The microphone is also great value for money since the price is £105. The SM-57 has a very affective cardioid pick up pattern witch isolates the main sound and rejects the sound from the rear of the microphone. This means the microphone will pick up what you point it at very well and not pick up anything else.
The SM-58 is another very reasonably priced dynamic microphone with a cardioids polar pattern. This means that like the SM-57, the SM-58 only picks up sound from the front and rejects sounds from the sides and the back. The SM-58 is the perfect choice of microphone for a vocalist in any kind of live performance. Sure say the microphone is ‘tuned to accentuate the warmth and clarity of lead and backing vocals’. The frequency response of this microphone is 50hz to 15,000hz, so it is only 10hz different from the Sure SM-57. The microphone is a very reliable and has proven to be perfect for musicians all around the world touring and playing different venues every night. The microphone is priced at £126.79. The Sennheiser E-935 is another cardioid dynamic microphone. It has been designed in the exact same way as the SM-58 to produce the same kind of warm vocal tones in live performances. However this microphone is priced at £170.
The microphone sensitivity is calculated as the output level the mic will produce in a known sound field. The microphone sensitivity is measured in millivolts and then stated in Db (dessabells) compared to the reference level. Since what a microphone dose is transfer sound wave in the air into electronic impulses, a sensitive microphone is a microphone that dose that accurately.
Dymamic Microphones
In a dynamic microphone, sound waves go into the microphone causing vibrations of the very thin metallic diaphragm which is connected to a coil of wire. There is also a magnet in the microphone that surrounds the coil and makes a magnetic field. When the coil moves or 'vibrates' inside the magnetic field it causes a current to flow. So current is produced by the movement of the diaphragm, the amount of current flowing in the microphone is dependent on the amount of movement in the diaphragm of the microphone, this means the louder the sound going into the microphone, the more the diaphragm will vibrate and the more the coil will move which then means the more the current will flow. This kind of microphone is known as a velocity sensitive microphone.
One of the most commonly used Dynamic Microphones is the Sure SM-57. The SM-57 is a great microphone for micing up guitar amplifiers or bass amplifiers as well as being very good for close micing acoustic instruments like guitars and violins. The Sm-57 is often also used when micing up drum kits. When it is used in a drum recording it will often be placed over individual drums like the snare or the High, Low or Floor toms. This is because of the microphones frequency response, the frequency response ranges from 40hz to 15000hz. Because of this the microphone produces a very full sound when used in recordings in the studio whether it is on guitar cabs or drums. The SM-57 is a very versatile microphone and because of this it is used in studios and on stages all around the world. The microphone is also great value for money since the price is £105. The SM-57 has a very affective cardioid pick up pattern witch isolates the main sound and rejects the sound from the rear of the microphone. This means the microphone will pick up what you point it at very well and not pick up anything else.
The SM-58 is another very reasonably priced dynamic microphone with a cardioids polar pattern. This means that like the SM-57, the SM-58 only picks up sound from the front and rejects sounds from the sides and the back. The SM-58 is the perfect choice of microphone for a vocalist in any kind of live performance. Sure say the microphone is ‘tuned to accentuate the warmth and clarity of lead and backing vocals’. The frequency response of this microphone is 50hz to 15,000hz, so it is only 10hz different from the Sure SM-57. The microphone is a very reliable and has proven to be perfect for musicians all around the world touring and playing different venues every night. The microphone is priced at £126.79. The Sennheiser E-935 is another cardioid dynamic microphone. It has been designed in the exact same way as the SM-58 to produce the same kind of warm vocal tones in live performances. However this microphone is priced at £170.
eg. the Sure SM-58
The sure SM-58 is one of the most commently used dynamic microphones in the worled it is used and relyed on in thousands of performances every few days. As you can see the frequency responce of this microphone is very similer to the frequency responce of a sm-57. It also has a flat ish mid that spans around 100 to 1000 hz and then there is also a natrual boost in the frequncys towards the high.
My experience with using dynamic microphones
In modern recordings these days the sm58 is not widely used however it is widely used in the live performances and i have used it a lot. I have found that the sm58 has a much better and clearer sound than any of its rivals and it is very well priced. Although the SM-58 is not often used in recordings, its twin brother, the SM-57 is. The SM-57 is used a lot to mic up amp cabs and guitar amps and also a lot on drums, the snare drum inperticular. I have even tryed using it for vocals one but I learns that the condenser microphones produce a much better sound.
Condencer Microphones
A condenser microphone can also referred to as a capacitor microphone. They are very sensitive and can respond to very high frequencies unlike dynamic microphones. Condenser microphones need less amplification than dynamic microphones to generate the same output level from the same source of sound. Because of this the condenser microphone is very well suited to picking up quiet sounds of distant sounds. Condenser microphones have very high frequency response. The reason for that is that there diaphragm can be made a lot thinner and lighter than a diaphragm in a dynamic microphone. The most dynamic microphones the diaphragm is only a few microns thick with a thin gold coating to make it extra conductive. When the diaphragm vibrates very fast because its very thin a very accurate high frequency travels to the powered part of the microphone, whether it be phantom power or batteries. Here it is amplified and sent though the XLR. Some condenser microphones have a phantom power switch; they are often referred to as externally polarised condenser microphones.
The Sure KSM-27 is a large diagram cardioid condenser microphone. This microphone is slightly more expensive than the dynamic microphones I mentioned and is priced at £382. The KSM-27 is a condenser microphone so it is very sensitive and has a huge frequency range. The KSM-27 has a fixed polar pattern which means it is slightly less versatile than other condenser microphones that do offer m ore that one polar pattern. The KSM-44 is another sure microphone which is very similar to the KSM-27. The main differences are that the KSM-44 has a duel diagram capsule and it offers a choice of three polar patterns; omnidirectional, bidirectional and cardioid. This means that the microphone can be used in a variety of different ways to create a variety of different sounds in a studio environment.
The AKG C1000s is a condenser also a microphone. This microphone cost £200. The AKG C1000s microphone has a choice of two polar patterns which you can swap between using a switch. There is the choice of the cardioid polar pattern and the hyper-cardioid polar pattern. The microphone can run on phantom power and on two AA batteries. The microphone offers a very detailed warm sound and offers a lot for the money you pay. Howere it dose face some tight competition from other big microphone brands like Audio Technica and Rode.
A condenser microphone can also referred to as a capacitor microphone. They are very sensitive and can respond to very high frequencies unlike dynamic microphones. Condenser microphones need less amplification than dynamic microphones to generate the same output level from the same source of sound. Because of this the condenser microphone is very well suited to picking up quiet sounds of distant sounds. Condenser microphones have very high frequency response. The reason for that is that there diaphragm can be made a lot thinner and lighter than a diaphragm in a dynamic microphone. The most dynamic microphones the diaphragm is only a few microns thick with a thin gold coating to make it extra conductive. When the diaphragm vibrates very fast because its very thin a very accurate high frequency travels to the powered part of the microphone, whether it be phantom power or batteries. Here it is amplified and sent though the XLR. Some condenser microphones have a phantom power switch; they are often referred to as externally polarised condenser microphones.
The Sure KSM-27 is a large diagram cardioid condenser microphone. This microphone is slightly more expensive than the dynamic microphones I mentioned and is priced at £382. The KSM-27 is a condenser microphone so it is very sensitive and has a huge frequency range. The KSM-27 has a fixed polar pattern which means it is slightly less versatile than other condenser microphones that do offer m ore that one polar pattern. The KSM-44 is another sure microphone which is very similar to the KSM-27. The main differences are that the KSM-44 has a duel diagram capsule and it offers a choice of three polar patterns; omnidirectional, bidirectional and cardioid. This means that the microphone can be used in a variety of different ways to create a variety of different sounds in a studio environment.
The AKG C1000s is a condenser also a microphone. This microphone cost £200. The AKG C1000s microphone has a choice of two polar patterns which you can swap between using a switch. There is the choice of the cardioid polar pattern and the hyper-cardioid polar pattern. The microphone can run on phantom power and on two AA batteries. The microphone offers a very detailed warm sound and offers a lot for the money you pay. Howere it dose face some tight competition from other big microphone brands like Audio Technica and Rode.
The picture above is a picture of a standard looking large diaphram condencer microphone. This perticular microphone is a rode microphone. Rode microphones of this sirt of price range will not give you the bast sound qualitly but it would still do the job of recording vocals a lot better that the dynamic microphone could do.
Ribbon Microphones
A ribbon microphone is a type of dynamic microphone. Inside a ribbon mic there is thin strip of aluminium suspended between two magnetic poles placed either side of it. These serve as the diaphragm of the mic and or the voice coil. Unlike a moving voice coil like in dynamic mics the ribbon mic reacts to the velocity of the air and triggers movement in the magnetic flux field. This then generates a AC voltage in proportion to the velocity. There are also clamps attached to the ribbon on either side. These act as the wires carrying signal to the transformer to make the output. The ribbon microphone responds to sound waves coming in from both the front and the back and does not pick up anything on either of the sides. The ribbon microphone has atypical bidirectional polar pattern. This makes the microphone perfect for getting rid of unwanted noise.
A ribbon microphone is a type of dynamic microphone. Inside a ribbon mic there is thin strip of aluminium suspended between two magnetic poles placed either side of it. These serve as the diaphragm of the mic and or the voice coil. Unlike a moving voice coil like in dynamic mics the ribbon mic reacts to the velocity of the air and triggers movement in the magnetic flux field. This then generates a AC voltage in proportion to the velocity. There are also clamps attached to the ribbon on either side. These act as the wires carrying signal to the transformer to make the output. The ribbon microphone responds to sound waves coming in from both the front and the back and does not pick up anything on either of the sides. The ribbon microphone has atypical bidirectional polar pattern. This makes the microphone perfect for getting rid of unwanted noise.
PZM
PZM stands for Pressure Zone Microphone. The PZM is also known as a Boundary Microphone. This is because it uses a sound phenomena called the boundary affect. PZM microphones are special kind of condenser microphone, they are very unusual looking, and unlike most microphones they are flat on the top. Unlike any other microphone, they work best when placed on a flat surface be that a wall of a table our any other flat surface. These microphones are often used in conference situations because they can be conveniently placed in the centre of the table and pick up all around it. The PZM also works in a strange way. There is a condenser microphone mounted face down a short distance from the reflective boundary plate. This creates a pressure zone between the plate and the mic. Within this pressure zone the microphone detects changes.
Mixing Desk
Comment critically on manufactures specifications
I have looked at the manufactures specifications of the Allen and heath desk are in collage. These desks have 24 channels and they have busses drivers and all sorts of other things. I have then taken a look at tone of the smaller mixing desks Allen and heath make. I have uploaded bot a picture of the collages mixing desk and then the small mixer that the collage also has. The picture on the left is the big Allen and Heath desks that are in studio 1 and studio 2 and the right picture on is the small desk.
Mixing Desks
A mixing desks job is to take signals in and reduce them to stereo outs or mono outs. The mixing desk takes signals and makes transforms them into signals you can use. There are lots of different types of mixing desks; Mixing desks are made for recording, live use, radio broadcasting and many more. There are many different priced mixing desks too, the lower end of the price range will be a lot more basic than the higher end made by recognisable brands like Roland or Peavey. A mixing desk is needed when recording using software on a computer and is also needed when playing live gigs so that people can mix all the instruments before they come out of the PA system.
Routing
Very often when you look on a mixing desk there will be routing buttons. Theses buttons are audio switches that send the signal down the pathway to the busses, they can be thought of as output selectors. There is usually two routing buttons. The buttons are labelled 1and 2 and 3 and 4. If you were to twist the pan knob all the way left and pres the routing button that is labelled 3 and 4, the goes out bus out 3. If you were to twist the pan know all the way right and press the button that is labelled 1 and 2 the signal will go out bus out 2. And if you were to pres both buttons and L and R switch then the signal would go out of all six outputs.
Channels
Different mixing desks have different amounts of channels. Depending on the size of the desk there can be anything from 4 to over 50. On a mixing desk the channels are in strips and are numberd as you move acros the desk to the right. The different channels on most mixing desks have a separate volume or 'level controle' which enables you to ajust the volumes and help find a good mix. On most mixing desks on each individual channel you can boost the bass or treble frequencies as well as adding effects like reverb and panning left and right. On most mixing desks there will be a EQ section in witch you can boost or reduce mid bass or high frequencies.
Busses
A bus is a fader with its own dedicated output. In outer words, a bus is a major pathway from all channels to a single fader connected to and output. On each channel there are routing buttons which enable you to rout the individual channel signals to busses and out from there to the master fader. Most of the time the busses job is to sent the groups of tracks to a digital multitrack. You can be very creative with the busses by connecting groove boxes and other effects units.
Auxiliaries
The auxiliary send is a channel routing device inside the mixing desk that sends the electronic impulses witch will be converted into sound waves down the busses onto the equalising sections or effects. It all depends on the mixing desk but on more advanced and more expensive mixing desks the auxiliary send will enable you to add effects like reverb and delay.
Monitoring
Monitoring is a very white field because monitors can be all sorts of different style and size speakers. You can get both Passive and active monitors and you can simply plug in a pair of headphones to hear the sound out of the desk going straight into your ears already being level. For live use there will often be more than one monitor in a chain along the front of the stage. The levels of all the channels that you have on the mixer will be sent to the chain of monitors so that the performers can get the certain parts of their performance louder through there monitor to help them perform. For example; backings singer who are harmonising with the lead singer might want to have the lead singer’s voice coming very loud though there monitor so that they can hear what there harmonising with.
A mixing desks job is to take signals in and reduce them to stereo outs or mono outs. The mixing desk takes signals and makes transforms them into signals you can use. There are lots of different types of mixing desks; Mixing desks are made for recording, live use, radio broadcasting and many more. There are many different priced mixing desks too, the lower end of the price range will be a lot more basic than the higher end made by recognisable brands like Roland or Peavey. A mixing desk is needed when recording using software on a computer and is also needed when playing live gigs so that people can mix all the instruments before they come out of the PA system.
Routing
Very often when you look on a mixing desk there will be routing buttons. Theses buttons are audio switches that send the signal down the pathway to the busses, they can be thought of as output selectors. There is usually two routing buttons. The buttons are labelled 1and 2 and 3 and 4. If you were to twist the pan knob all the way left and pres the routing button that is labelled 3 and 4, the goes out bus out 3. If you were to twist the pan know all the way right and press the button that is labelled 1 and 2 the signal will go out bus out 2. And if you were to pres both buttons and L and R switch then the signal would go out of all six outputs.
Channels
Different mixing desks have different amounts of channels. Depending on the size of the desk there can be anything from 4 to over 50. On a mixing desk the channels are in strips and are numberd as you move acros the desk to the right. The different channels on most mixing desks have a separate volume or 'level controle' which enables you to ajust the volumes and help find a good mix. On most mixing desks on each individual channel you can boost the bass or treble frequencies as well as adding effects like reverb and panning left and right. On most mixing desks there will be a EQ section in witch you can boost or reduce mid bass or high frequencies.
Busses
A bus is a fader with its own dedicated output. In outer words, a bus is a major pathway from all channels to a single fader connected to and output. On each channel there are routing buttons which enable you to rout the individual channel signals to busses and out from there to the master fader. Most of the time the busses job is to sent the groups of tracks to a digital multitrack. You can be very creative with the busses by connecting groove boxes and other effects units.
Auxiliaries
The auxiliary send is a channel routing device inside the mixing desk that sends the electronic impulses witch will be converted into sound waves down the busses onto the equalising sections or effects. It all depends on the mixing desk but on more advanced and more expensive mixing desks the auxiliary send will enable you to add effects like reverb and delay.
Monitoring
Monitoring is a very white field because monitors can be all sorts of different style and size speakers. You can get both Passive and active monitors and you can simply plug in a pair of headphones to hear the sound out of the desk going straight into your ears already being level. For live use there will often be more than one monitor in a chain along the front of the stage. The levels of all the channels that you have on the mixer will be sent to the chain of monitors so that the performers can get the certain parts of their performance louder through there monitor to help them perform. For example; backings singer who are harmonising with the lead singer might want to have the lead singer’s voice coming very loud though there monitor so that they can hear what there harmonising with.
Recording devices-Korg D1200
Commenting Critically / my thoughts and feelings on the Korg D1200
I think that the Korg D1200 has some very good elements to it before it all becomes really confusing, like how i think that that the korg has a very good lay out on the screen, it is easy enough to navigate your way to make a new song and to name it and to save it. They are some of the very bas things that you will have to do on recording devices. The korg is a small receding device and i think that that is a good thing is the way that it is a portable device and that will appeal to some people. I think personally that it is too small. It does not have a big enough screen i think. The reason that i think that is that on cubase you have a big screen and you can see all of the tracks that you have set up on it and you can get up the mixer and lots of other things like that but you cannot do that on that tyiny little screen on the korg.
The problem with mixing on this little device is that you cannot easily edit little parts of individual tracks. You definitely cannot do it in the same way that you do it on cubase. On cubase you can simply cut out the sect’s ion you want to edit or do another things to it out of everything cubase can do
The problem with mixing on this little device is that you cannot easily edit little parts of individual tracks. You definitely cannot do it in the same way that you do it on cubase. On cubase you can simply cut out the sect’s ion you want to edit or do another things to it out of everything cubase can do
Compareing the korg to outher stand alone recording devices.
Anouther stand alone recording device that i have been luck enough to use is the picture below. I used to have one of these but i sold it. This recording device is even smaller thatthe korg that collage has and because of this i foud it even harder to navigate my way around the menues and set up new songs and record and that kind of basic thibng that it should be easy to do.
Tracks
The Korg D1200 has twelve tracks to record on. Since there are only two XLR inputs you cannot record onto all twelve at once. You have to record in layers and build up your song on separate tracks. On each track there is a white knob that slides up and down. This knob controls the level of the track, so the overall volume of the track is higher when the knob is closer to the top of the slide and lower when the knob is nearer to the bottom of the slide. It is a very useful feature to have an individual volume control for each of the tracks because this enables you to easily change the level of a track if it is too loud when you listen back to it. There are also lights about each of the slides with the white knobs on each individual track. When the light is green the track can be played back and when the track light is red, the track can be recorded onto.
Inputs and Outputs
The Korg D1200 has 2 XLR inputs for microphones. You can record using both these inputs at the same time. It has also got a midi in and a midi out. These are very useful for recording synthesizer and keyboards. There is also a Guitar and bass input. This is a DI (direct Input). That means that when using that input you avoid the haste of microphones. There is also monitor in and out Left and Right. The korg D1200 there are 12 tracks.
Format
The Korg D1200 is a standalone recording device. This means that unlike the recording on computer programs like Logic and Q-bass that requires you to plug in a mixing desk or an interface to adjust the levels before recording; you simply plug in the microphone through the XLR inputs or plug the guitar or bass straight into the input. The korg is not the only stand alone recording device out on that market. There are lots of standalone recording devices made by big brands like Roland.
The Korg D1200 has twelve tracks to record on. Since there are only two XLR inputs you cannot record onto all twelve at once. You have to record in layers and build up your song on separate tracks. On each track there is a white knob that slides up and down. This knob controls the level of the track, so the overall volume of the track is higher when the knob is closer to the top of the slide and lower when the knob is nearer to the bottom of the slide. It is a very useful feature to have an individual volume control for each of the tracks because this enables you to easily change the level of a track if it is too loud when you listen back to it. There are also lights about each of the slides with the white knobs on each individual track. When the light is green the track can be played back and when the track light is red, the track can be recorded onto.
Inputs and Outputs
The Korg D1200 has 2 XLR inputs for microphones. You can record using both these inputs at the same time. It has also got a midi in and a midi out. These are very useful for recording synthesizer and keyboards. There is also a Guitar and bass input. This is a DI (direct Input). That means that when using that input you avoid the haste of microphones. There is also monitor in and out Left and Right. The korg D1200 there are 12 tracks.
Format
The Korg D1200 is a standalone recording device. This means that unlike the recording on computer programs like Logic and Q-bass that requires you to plug in a mixing desk or an interface to adjust the levels before recording; you simply plug in the microphone through the XLR inputs or plug the guitar or bass straight into the input. The korg is not the only stand alone recording device out on that market. There are lots of standalone recording devices made by big brands like Roland.
Monitoring
manufacture specifications
The KRK rocket 5 G3 are a very affordable set of monitor speakers that is on available on the market today. The system type of these speakers is an active studio monitor system. The speakers can respond to frequencies from: 45Hz -35kHz. When you take these speakers and you compare them to the genelec speakers you can tell the difference in quality from the specifications. The genelec 8030A speakers are and example of some speakers that are higher up in the price range. The frequenys that these speakers can respond to are 58Hz-20kHz.
The image above shows two different picture of studio monitors. I have got a picture of a rage of the top of the range genelec speakers and then i got the bottom end of the studio monitors witch is the krk speakers. The krks are nowhere near as good as the genelec speakers and that is because they are about 1000 cheaper. The images bellow show you how to position you studio monitors when you are doing you’re mixing.
Nearfeild
A nearfield monitor is called a nearfield monitor because it has been made to play sounds to someone listening to the speakers at close range. A nearfield monitor will often be found in a recording studio. More often than not when there are nearfield studio monitors in a recording studio they will be plugged in to the recording software playing the unedited sounds straight after they have been recorded, often trough very sensitive condenser microphones. They are there because they produce very sensitive high quality sound although they often will not produce as loud sounds as midfield monitors will, this is because when using them in studios you do not need a lot of volume. This is perfect if you are trying to mix or master a track. Nearfeild monitors are often very small. The moneters that the Henley collage use for nearfield monitoring are the Genelec 8040 speakers. These are very high quality studio monitors; because of this they cost £799.00 each. As well as the Genelec 8040 monitors there are a set of Genelec 8030 speakers. These are anouthere set of very high quality studio moneters.
Midfieild
Midfeild monitors are similar to nearfeild monitors in a lot of ways. They are made for the same purpose and are both made to be used in a studio environment. Midfield monitors tend to be bigger than nearfield monitors. This is because they are more powerful and produce loader sounds. When using midfield monitors the person listening should be positioned further away from the monitors than they would be sitting if it were a nearfield monitors. The fact that the midfield moniters are more powerful means that the midfield monitors will be able to do a better job that the nearfield monitors and not have to work that hard instead of overworking the nearfield monitors.
Frequency Responce
When you are see frequency response figures for monitors, the manufacture is telling you that for a given input signal, the listed range of frequencies will be produced output within a certain range of levels. For example; 20Hz to 20kHz +/- 3dB. For these frequencies the monitors will output a signal within a 6dB range. However this does not mean that the monitors are incapable of producing any frequencies out of this range because they are capable of producing them.
A nearfield monitor is called a nearfield monitor because it has been made to play sounds to someone listening to the speakers at close range. A nearfield monitor will often be found in a recording studio. More often than not when there are nearfield studio monitors in a recording studio they will be plugged in to the recording software playing the unedited sounds straight after they have been recorded, often trough very sensitive condenser microphones. They are there because they produce very sensitive high quality sound although they often will not produce as loud sounds as midfield monitors will, this is because when using them in studios you do not need a lot of volume. This is perfect if you are trying to mix or master a track. Nearfeild monitors are often very small. The moneters that the Henley collage use for nearfield monitoring are the Genelec 8040 speakers. These are very high quality studio monitors; because of this they cost £799.00 each. As well as the Genelec 8040 monitors there are a set of Genelec 8030 speakers. These are anouthere set of very high quality studio moneters.
Midfieild
Midfeild monitors are similar to nearfeild monitors in a lot of ways. They are made for the same purpose and are both made to be used in a studio environment. Midfield monitors tend to be bigger than nearfield monitors. This is because they are more powerful and produce loader sounds. When using midfield monitors the person listening should be positioned further away from the monitors than they would be sitting if it were a nearfield monitors. The fact that the midfield moniters are more powerful means that the midfield monitors will be able to do a better job that the nearfield monitors and not have to work that hard instead of overworking the nearfield monitors.
Frequency Responce
When you are see frequency response figures for monitors, the manufacture is telling you that for a given input signal, the listed range of frequencies will be produced output within a certain range of levels. For example; 20Hz to 20kHz +/- 3dB. For these frequencies the monitors will output a signal within a 6dB range. However this does not mean that the monitors are incapable of producing any frequencies out of this range because they are capable of producing them.
Bass Driver
The bass driver is a part of the actual speaker. They will be found on lots of types of speakers. They will be on active and passive speakers for PA systems as well as studio monitors. On a good quality PA system you will probably have a bass subwoofers witch is separate from the other speakers. The bass driver on these speakers is going to be a lot bigger than the bass driver that is going to be on studio monitors. So essentially what a bass driver dose is boost the low frequencies and drive them to make them more powerful. It does this in the same way that a mid driver would boost the mid range frequencies.
The bass driver is a part of the actual speaker. They will be found on lots of types of speakers. They will be on active and passive speakers for PA systems as well as studio monitors. On a good quality PA system you will probably have a bass subwoofers witch is separate from the other speakers. The bass driver on these speakers is going to be a lot bigger than the bass driver that is going to be on studio monitors. So essentially what a bass driver dose is boost the low frequencies and drive them to make them more powerful. It does this in the same way that a mid driver would boost the mid range frequencies.
Bass driver manufacture specifications
The bass driver is the part of the speaker that delivers the bass sounds. Usury the bass drivers respond to frequency’s from around 20-200 Hz. I have looked up about some bass drivers in some speakers that I have experience in using and I have found that the bass did not disappoint me and that they respond to 20-200 Hz witch is promising.
Tweeter
The tweeter in a monitor is the part of the monitor that produces the treble frequencies or the highest range. The tweeter looks like thin slit toward the top of the monitor; depending on the monitor you might not be able to see the tweeter without taking of the protective mesh that protects the speaker. What the tweeter dose is transform vibrations in the speaker into electronic impulses that are then transformed to sound. The reason for the tweeter is that it is one of three boosters that each does different parts of the range. There is a bass booster and a mid booster and a treble booster (tweeter). Without these three boosters in the complex design of monitors the monitors would not be able to produce such clean sounds and would be crackly
The tweeter in a monitor is the part of the monitor that produces the treble frequencies or the highest range. The tweeter looks like thin slit toward the top of the monitor; depending on the monitor you might not be able to see the tweeter without taking of the protective mesh that protects the speaker. What the tweeter dose is transform vibrations in the speaker into electronic impulses that are then transformed to sound. The reason for the tweeter is that it is one of three boosters that each does different parts of the range. There is a bass booster and a mid booster and a treble booster (tweeter). Without these three boosters in the complex design of monitors the monitors would not be able to produce such clean sounds and would be crackly
Tweeter manufacture specifications
The tweeters on speakers vary in frequency response. Typically most tweeters can deliver the high frequency’s and they can deliver anything to 100kHz. Tweeters also vary in size as well as responses and what frequency’s they can deliver. As you can see in the picture above the tweeter clearly dose vairy in sise.
Power Rateing
The power rating is basically how economically friendly the monitors are. This is like how much electricity the monitors use. Hence the name ‘power rating’.
Passive Speakers
The vast majority of speakers are passive speakers. Unlike active speakers, passive speakers do not have a built in amplifier. Because they do not have amplifiers inside them they are often lighter than active speakers. They get there power from the amplifier or a mixing desk through the normal speaker wire. Very often when you buy a sound system or a pa system the power rating in the mixing desk or in the amplifier has been matched to the speakers so that they can only ever be used in a set. When adding monitors to a passive pa system you will need another source of power to power them since the passive speakers cannot power them itself.
Active Speakers
Active speakers do have built in amplifiers in them. Because the amplifier is in the speakers it means you will need to have your speakers near a power supply. Active speakers are slightly herder to come by than passive speakers because they are more expensive and using active speakers on PA systems makes it harder to get the right speakers to extend your sound system to the way you want it. Active speakers are found on both the very low range speakers that you would plug to your PC and the high quality pa systems that cost thousands of pounds for single speakers. However when you pay big money for these kind of PA systems you will see the benefits of active speakers. Active speakers are more versatile because it allows you to use only one speaker at a time. They also allow you to daisy chain several at a time and daisy chain monitors without worrying about fusing or damaging you amplifier because of the wrong amount of power going through it.
The power rating is basically how economically friendly the monitors are. This is like how much electricity the monitors use. Hence the name ‘power rating’.
Passive Speakers
The vast majority of speakers are passive speakers. Unlike active speakers, passive speakers do not have a built in amplifier. Because they do not have amplifiers inside them they are often lighter than active speakers. They get there power from the amplifier or a mixing desk through the normal speaker wire. Very often when you buy a sound system or a pa system the power rating in the mixing desk or in the amplifier has been matched to the speakers so that they can only ever be used in a set. When adding monitors to a passive pa system you will need another source of power to power them since the passive speakers cannot power them itself.
Active Speakers
Active speakers do have built in amplifiers in them. Because the amplifier is in the speakers it means you will need to have your speakers near a power supply. Active speakers are slightly herder to come by than passive speakers because they are more expensive and using active speakers on PA systems makes it harder to get the right speakers to extend your sound system to the way you want it. Active speakers are found on both the very low range speakers that you would plug to your PC and the high quality pa systems that cost thousands of pounds for single speakers. However when you pay big money for these kind of PA systems you will see the benefits of active speakers. Active speakers are more versatile because it allows you to use only one speaker at a time. They also allow you to daisy chain several at a time and daisy chain monitors without worrying about fusing or damaging you amplifier because of the wrong amount of power going through it.
The image i have uploaded below is a image that shows in very simple terms the way that passive and active speakers are wired and how they work inside or the caseing. As you can also see there is anouther kind of speker that is called a hybrid speaker. A hybrid speaker is basicly a speaker that works with some of the eliments of passive and an active speak all put into the same speaker.
My exsperiance of useing both Passive and Active speakers
In my exsperiiance i have used bot passive and active speakers and i have not got ano over all opinion of wjat is best. I think that dependont on what you want the speakers to do wether its play music for a party or pun a whole band throiugh at a gig eather speackes can work. I have got a PA system that i have boiught myself that has got powerd speakers in it. That means that it has active speakers it it. I have never had any trouble with the speakers themselves however i have had some trouble with the amp.