Studio broadcasts use high quality condenser microphones.
They use these because broadcasts have to be of very high quality, and
condenser microphones deliver this. Condensers are delicate, but in a
controlled environment like a studio they can be used. In studio broadcasts,
hiding the microphone is a priority - unless you are broadcasting for radio, in which case the microphone doesn't need to be hidden. In a radio station, common microphones include:
Used in BBC's Radio 1/2 and the US' NPR, the U87 is an industry standard that has been used by lots of recording artists, like Justin Bieber and The Rolling Stones, but it is very expensive at around £1,800. The U87 is a condenser microphone.
It can switch between 3 polar patterns: Omnidirectional, Cardiod, and Figure 8 (good for interviews with people facing opposite each other.
The U87 can be above or below an audio source to record it, but one of the advantages of the U87 is that it can record audio sources from very close without sounding unnaturally harsh. This is why in studio's like BBC Radio 1's studio, people will sit directly in front of the microphone. It might be a little distracting, but it provides an unparalleled clean sound.
A pop cap is an optional extra for a Neumann U87, since when placed between the sound source and the microphone, it stops 'popping', which is when certain sounds creating during speech, such as 'S' or 'P' cause the sound to clip from being too harsh. A pop cap stops this from happening by using a semi transparent material to stop the sound from getting through to the microphone too fast. The cap also keeps saliva off of the microphone, which can extend its lifespan.
This Shure microphone is great for local stations, as it costs just £300 for good quality. It is a dynamic microphone, and is a little lower quality than the other microphones because of this. However, because of this it can handle higher sound without breaking and is generally more durable. This means it can be used to record sound like instruments near the source, eliminating some background noise. It was used to record Michael Jacksons Thriller.
The SM7B is great because it has a built in pop filter, and it sounds warm and smooth, which is ideal for radio. It does however have a low output level, so the use of a pre-amp might be necessary. The microphone is cardiod, and has a selectable frequency response.
An external pop filter is usually required to stop the audio from capping.
Studio Broadcasts (TV)
Television studios have to capture audio - but not only that, they need to make it look like they aren't. With the use of boom microphones, audio can be captured by staff that aren't in frame. A boom microphone is a large microphone on the end of a pole. It's useful for recording people from above thanks to its shotgun polar pattern that draws sound mostly from the area around the character.
http://www.lennonbus.org/images/blog/post_images/600px-Polar_pattern_directional.png
Sometimes however hiding the microphone isn't as simple as keeping it out of frame. Boom microphones can end up in shot when you don't want them to. For this reason, many shows that are filmed live, such as the news, or shows filmed in front of a live audience, lavalier microphones are used. Lavalier microphones are used to capture audio discreetly, and can be hidden inside somebodies clothing or hair while still picking up sound. The sound is then sent via wire to a radio transmitter, which then sends the sound to an amp.
Often when using a lavalier microphone there is a loss of clarity of sound, since the sound has to travel through material to be picked up. To remedy this, a grille is often attached to the microphone to form a resonant cavity, which creates a high frequency boost, restoring some clarity in a way that electronic equalisation could not achieve. The polar pattern used most commonly for lavalier microphones is omnidirectional, but cardioid is used often too.
Interviews
Interviews are between two sources of sound - the interviewer and the person being interviewed. 2 Microphones may be used, for example if the interview is being video recorded as well as via audio. Lavalier microphones can be used in this case, as it hides the microphone from the viewer. Inside recordings can benefit from the use of a boom microphone - a large microphone on the end of a pole that can be operated by somebody out of shot and pointed at the sound source from above the shot.
Boom microphones operate using the shotgun polar pattern, which picks up sound from two opposing sides. Because of this the shotgun microphone can also be used to pick up sound by being placed in between 2 people.
Your typical radio interview however will use some of the configurations explained above, 2 high quality condenser microphones placed directly in front of each person being recorded, however the configuration is not exclusive to radio interviews, and can be used for interviews where video of the interview is not required.
Outside interviews often use boom microphones and lavaliere microphones, however particularly common for TV news interviews, is portable dynamic microphones that reporters can carry around. These microphones send audio to a receiver, and require no phantom power.
Atmosphere
The atmosphere can be recorded in different ways. It can be recorded using an omnidirectional microphone placed in the middle of the atmosphere, like in wildlife for example, or for a live performance the atmosphere can be recorded using a standard cardioid microphone as it means you can keep recording the live performance while still catching some of the atmosphere on one mic.
Live Performances and Conferences
Live performances and conferences can each be recorded with a cardioid microphone placed anywhere between the audience and performance. This means you can record a little of the atmosphere at the same time as the performance with just one mic.
For a higher quality approach however, using multiple microphones is necessary. By using a microphone per performer, each instrument or performer can be singled out to one track each in a DAW software allowing you to manage levels and adjust the sound after the event.
A good setup would be to mic every instrument individually with a focus on not capturing sound from the audience, using the output of any singers microphones for example where possible.
Another option is to use the output from a front of house desk, which is where the audio engineer will balance each track on the night.
The audience then has to be captured. You could use an omnidirectional stereo microphone and stand in the middle of an audience, or you could use a directional microphone to record the audience, and face it at the audience from near the stage.
Monologue
A monologue would be a one way conversation, where only one person talks, usually to a crowd in a live scenario, or to themselves in radio/ TV. One way of recording this would be a lavalier microphone hidden in someones hair/ clothing. The lavaliere microphone would then connect to a signal transmitter via a wire, which would then wirelessly transmit to a receiver, which in turn would connect to an amplifier or mixing desk.
Dialogue
Dialogue is recorded often using boom microphones in the shotgun polar pattern when the microphone must be hidden during filming for example. Lavalier microphones can also be used, by hiding them on people using clothing and hair.
For recording two people that aren't moving, a condenser microphone like the U87, often used by radio stations works great because it can capture people talking very well.
For people talking and moving around, a dynamic microphone can be used. Dynamic microphones work great because they don't need phantom power - making them portable when connected to a wireless transmitter and receiver. The best polar pattern for this would be omni directional as the microphone will be on the move.
Group Debate
A group debate would have multiple people talking around an area. Because of this, people could be microphones individually, but for example if people were sitting in a circle, an omnidirectional microphone might make more sense as only one microphone would be needed for good quality sound.
Audience Interaction
The audience should be recorded separately to the act that is happening in front of them. Groups of audiences can be recorded via two microphones either side of the stage facing them. Cardioid polar patterns work well for this.
Participation
Audience participation requires individual recording of people, often with very little time to sort people out, so a TV show host walking around with a wireless dynamic microphone connected to an amp or mixing desk would be ideal for quick recording. If an audience member were to be brought up on stage however, the stage could be mic'd up or the person could have a lavalier microphone quickly placed on their clothes.
Microphone types and characteristics
Dynamic
Dynamic microphones are more sturdy than condenser/ capacitors. This is because of the way they capture sound. They suspend a coil of thin copper wire in a magnetic field that moves up and down and creates a small electric current. The current is much weaker than a condenser microphone, so the output is much smaller. Dynamic microphones also don't need any phantom power.
Capacitor
Capacitors, unlike dynamic microphones break easily. They require phantom power, though some don't require to be plugged in constantly, some can use batteries for example. A capacitor is made with two plates, each with voltage between them. One plate is much thinner than the other and moves up and down when struck by sound waves. By shortening and lengthening the distances between the two plates, the capacitance is changing.
Electric Condenser
Electric condensers are capacitors/ condensers that don't need unlimited phantom power as they use a permanant material to power them, like a battery for example.
Ribbon
A ribbon microphone is a type of microphone that is built closer to the way that the ear works, and therefore sounds more like the way you hear a sound. They create very low levels of voltage that usually must be amplified before reaching a speaker.
A ribbon microphone is more similar to a dynamic than a condenser microphone. The ribbon mic creates a magnetic field similarly, but instead of using a copper coil, a thin strip of corrugated aluminium is used. This allows it to move around more freely.
Carbon
Carbon microphones rely on carbon particles placed behind a diaphragm. It is no longer used but it was the microphone first used when telephones were invented.
Crystal Hand-held
Crystal microphones use a piezoelectric crystal to produce voltage. The crystal bends, stretches, and twists to create voltage. The frequency response of these kind of microphones are not great however.
Stand
Microphone stands hold microphones. Their job is to keep the microphone still to keep the sound consistent, if the microphone moves it will change the recording noticeably.
Tie-Clip
Tie-Clip microphones are the same as lavalier microphones. They are hidden in the clothing or hair of someone in order to record them while still looking professional, for TV talk shows or monologues for example. They are connected to a wireless transmitter, which then sends data to a wireless receiver, which then may go into a mixing desk.
Often a mesh grille is added to the microphone. This creates a resonant cavity, gently boosting high frequency sound, which adds some clarity that would have been lost otherwise.
The polar pattern used in this is omnidirectional.
Rifle
The rifle microphone is also referred to as the shotgun microphone, as it uses the shotgun microphone. It gets its name from its similarity in appearance to a gun barrel. The shotgun microphone records from either end, and as the microphone gets longer, the polar pattern becomes more directional. Long microphones can capture sound from quite far away as it can cancel out sound waves that hit the middle of the microphone.
The rifle microphone's quality is inferior to the dynamic microphone however.
Boom
Boom microphone are in many ways the same as rifle microphones. They use the shotgun polar pattern, but are used on a boom pole. The boom pole is used to capture sound from out of camera shot, above the sound source for example.
Associated Polar Diagrams
Polar pattern diagrams are important for recording situations. A group debate for example might use an omnidirectional polar pattern so that it can pick up sounds from every corner of the room. An interview could use a shotgun microphone placed centrally and slightly above the two people because it picks up sound from opposite ends of the microphone. A live recording however could use a cardioid microphone, which picks up sound from the stage while still taking in a small amount of the crowd.
Radio Microphones
Radio microphones can have many different qualities. A dynamic microphone would sound warm, and a condenser microphone would sound clear. A dynamic could be great for a radio station that's on a low budget, like a Shure SM7B. Condenser microphones are used generally for recording in radio stations, and effort is made to keep the sound from becoming too unnaturally quiet, and more "warm" like dynamic microphones. Reverb can be added, for example. The Neumann U87 is used at BBC's Radio 1. They use the U87 because it can receive sound from a close sound source without sounding unnaturally harsh.
Pre-recorded Sources
DVD
Extracting audio from a DVD can be done using a computers built in DVD/ CD drive, VLC player, and the program HandBrake that allows you to import audio directly from a DVD.
CD
Sampling from a CD is easy as you can drag audio files from a computers CD drive directly into a DAW like Cubase.
Tape
To record a sample from a tape, you could use a converter connected via USB, or if your cassette player has a line level output, you can use a line level connecter and attach that to your computers sound card.
Hard Disc
Hard discs contain many different types of file format that vary based on compatibility, compression and file size. Any files that cannot be sampled may require the use of an external codec which can be found online.
MiniDisc sound file formats (e.g MP3)
MP3 files can be directly imported into most DAW's. Other sound files may need converting (below)
File Conversion
Most programs that can read audio can convert audio into other formats. iTunes can convert basic files, and VLC can convert most files, and the list can be expanded via plug ins.
As-Live Recordings
Another way to record multiple instruments is to mic them up as you would during a live show - separately mic'd, with them all playing at the same time - using isolation booths and isolating them afterwards in cubase.
This is handy when a band plays better together, but gives you more control over a single track recording.
The drummer would play in an isolation booth as it is would most likely be the loudest instrument.
Concerts
Concerts can be recording directly through the pa channel - or recorded from the feed of the pa channels stereo out, using a hard disc recorder.
Interview Material
Online interviews can be done via your laptops webcam/ microphone.
Commentary
like sporting event commentary live vs not live - feed going to a van
Sports commentary is often captured through a booth, and broadcasted to TV/ Radio, following a similar format to Radio/ TV as explained above.
More mobile setups are available however and are recorded similar to news - on location a van is used to broadcast to a studio or directly to TV/ Radio. Portable cameras and durable, dynamic microphones are used to capture media, which is then sent to the van wirelessly.
Library Material
Musicians and other artists make samples to be used on TV for extra revenue - By putting your work out there people can pay for the rights to use it publicly.
Recording Equipment
Interfaces
Interfaces are used to connect microphones and other inputs into an output, such as your computer. Interfaces allow you to mix and preamp your inputs as you hear them.
Cables and gain stages
A gain stage is the point during an audio signal flow where adjustments to the level of sound can be made. An example would be on a mixing console or a DAW.
Mixer Inputs and Outputs
In professional audio, the main inputs and outputs used for mixing are XLR. This is because professional microphone outputs generally require XLR.
Signal Flow and Levels
Signal flow is the path audio signals take to reach an output. Levels are the volume of sound.
Metering and Monitoring
A sound meter is used to determine the volume of noise. They commonly appear on mixing desks, and are used to monitor and control the level of sound output to an acceptable level.
The Integrity of the Sound Signal
The sound signal should be above a level of signal quality before it is professionally recorded. The more the signal flows, the more possibility there is for loss of integrity. Distortion can occur and noise can be added. A noisy guitar pedal might ruin your signal for example.
Direct Injection
Also known as direct input, direct injection is recording an instrument is plugging an instrument directly into a DI box which then goes into a computer, rather than recording the output from an amplifier using a microphone. This removes the possibility of any kind of distortion effect from the dynamics of the microphone and room surrounding it, plus any background noise.
This however will lead to an unnatural sounding recording, so using effects in moderation such as distortion and reverb is necessary.
Multi Track
Multi track recording means recording several tracks at once. By doing this, you can capture extra quality from instruments like drum sets, by using a bass microphone to record the snare for example, which will give the lower end of the recording more quality. The rest of the drum kit can then be recorded normally, whether separately or with just one other microphone. By using a multi track recording, you can collect multiple samples and combine them without losing any of the control you would have had by using them individually, like mixing and mastering tools.
Stereo and Single Track Recording
Single track recording is used for bands that perform better when they can hear each other. Multi track provides more control over the final mix, so is generally more desirable, but when the added control is not worth sacrificing the bands synergy together, single track should be used. Single track recording also saves time. Single track recordings can later be singled out as much as possible later on so that you can have some control over the final mix.
Analogue/ Digital Recording
Analogue recording using tapes is an old way to record. Lots of people say today's music doesn't sound right because of the different way of recording then. Analogue recordings sound warmer, and more pleasant. Digital recordings however don't sound the same. There is a good reason for this. Digital recording is much more accurate, and with that gain in accuracy the warmth is lost. Digital recording also has a higher range of frequencies that can be picked up.
Linear/ Non-Linear
Linear recording is when recording has to be in order. Recording to tapes for example and most stereo recorders have to be done in a chronological order. A non linear recording would be using a computer to record. Samples can be created and rearranged in any order using a DAW.
CD
CD's carry data. They come in a couple formats, CD-RW and CD-ROM. CD-ROM's are CD's that can only be written to once, as the data is burnt into the disc. They can, however, be read many times.
A CD-RW however is a rewriteable CD. It costs much more than a CD-ROM however, and in either case of CD's hard drives can carry much more data. CD's can also be scratched easier.
DVD
A DVD can carry more data than a CD, put per disc, CD's are much cheaper, which is why they're used most commonly for album releases. A CD player can only play CD's, whereas a DVD player can play both CD's and DVD's.
Hard Disc
Hard Discs are commonly used to store data in mass amounts on PC's. They can store terabytes of data, but before data can be read it must be loaded into the RAM.
Recordings
Voice-Over
For a TV ident, I needed to do a voice-over that announces the next program to be shown on a TV channel.
Track 1: Voice-over
The recording is of somebody announcing the next program. It was recorded with an AKG C1000S condenser microphone plugged into the mixing desk. After the initial recording, we found that we would need a pop filter as the audio would pop during certain parts of the voice-over.
Guitar Recording
The techniques used to record this instrument are the same techniques that would be used in a multi track recording - each part would be mic'd up separately and the mixing would be done separately.
Track 1: Acoustic guitar - a small NT55 pencil microphone was used to record the acoustic guitar about 4 inches from the sound hole, from the left and facing inward.
Track 2: An identical matching NT55 was used to record the acoustic guitar in a similar setup from the right. This was done for the track to have a left/ right channel and become a stereo recording. Both tracks were then mixed.
Foley / Sound Effects Bank
For my TV ident, I used a combination of tools to create the sound of a rubix cube spinning - metal, scraping across metal.
Track 1 (foley):
Track 1 is made using a staple - dropped onto a piece of metal, later reversed using Cubase. Other sound effects are a hard drive being scratched with a staple. Reverb has been added to the track to give the impression of empty space to the ident. All recordings were done using an AKG C1000S as it gave a high quality sound.
Track 2 (sound effects):
An AKG C1000S attached to a portable recorder was used to record each sound effect. We used a popcap as defence against unwanted noise and wind. All sounds were recorded close, particularly when reverb could be a factor in empty areas.
In Situ Recording
