RTV 440 Sound and Miking

Sound in an environment Sound wave Compression / rarefaction Frequency / Measured in hertz Amplitude / Measured in decibels (db-spl) AM/FM, kHz / MHz (r.f.) Attack/sustain (internal dynamics)/decay -- sound envelope Acoustics / Psychoacoustics / binaural hearing Absorbed / Reflected Direct / Indirect (echo & reverberation)

Some issues with sound Equal loudness principle--depending on loudness we don’t hear low and high frequencies as well as we hear middle Masking--Hiding of some sounds by other sounds by other sounds when each is a different frequency and they are presented together. Loud over soft / lower-pitched over higher Acoustical phase--the time relationship between two or more sound waves at a given point in their cycles Timbre--a sound’s unique tone quality or tone color

Acoustical issues Ergonomics – human element in designing room Sound Absorption and Reflection Diffusion--scattering of sound waves Diffraction--spreading or bending Resonance--vibration of an object at the same frequency as the original body’s frequency Lively or Dead Room Isolation

Sound Frequency Spectrum Bass Low bass, 1st & 2nd octaves, 16-64 Hz Upper bass, 3rd& 4th octaves, 64-256 Hz Midrange 5th, 6th & 7th octaves, 256 - 2,048 Hz Upper midrange: 8th octave, 2,048 - 4,096 Hz Treble 9th & 10th octaves, 4,096 - 16,384 Hz 20 to 20,000 Hz, sort of

‘Hearing Test’ High frequency test Range of frequencies (oscillator) 10 – 200 Hz 22 kHz down to 8 kHz C Scale notes

Mics -- Converting Sound Sound Frequency Spectrum Bass, midrange, treble Frequency / Hertz Amplitude / decibels Acoustics Direct / indirect sound Echo / reverberations

Microphone Directional Patterns Omnidirectional / nondirectional Unidirectional / Directional/ cardioid Super, hyper, ultra Bidirectional (see reading for diagrams)

Applications of polar patterns Football miking News live shot Basketball game Studio interview News anchor In audio recording studio Shotgun boom pole

Cardioid range Cardioid Supercardioid Hypercardioid Ultradirectional Shotgun mic

Professional Mic types Moving coil/dynamic Ribbon Capacitor/condensor (power source) Electret condensor Transducer – changes energy from one form to another – in this case sound waves into an electrical current

Mics on cameras Line vs. mic input +48v ONLY for mics that require phantom power (some of the shotguns) Line vs. mic input XA 20 cameras – Audio Technica mini plug mics Always use lavalier for close up audio

More about mics and sound Common audio connectors RCA (phono), ¼” (phone), mini-plug, XLR Jack (‘female’) vs. plug (‘male’) Firewire, HDMI, etc. Close vs. distant miking Cross-pair, mid-side, coincident (stereo) Wide – range of frequencies Flat – accurately recreates frequencies Colored response – changes frequencies (lavaliere boosts high frequencies, for example

Close miking when you can’t get close Visible mics What kinds of productions ‘dressing the mic’ Hidden mics Under clothing, in set pieces Wired vs. wireless Boom pole Fishpole, giraffe, perambulator Looping / ADR High percentage of TV and movie content

Common mic types lavaliere headset handheld studio/boom mounted TV boom Perambulator boom, giraffes, fishpole PZM (boundary mic)

Audio Mixing Three things you mix ProTools or Adobe Audition (DAW) Sources, techniques, aesthetics ProTools or Adobe Audition (DAW) Stereo or multi-track recording 5 console functions Amplify, switch, route, mix, balance Various console inputs Layering, in moviemaking

Other console terms Program / Audition Monitor vs. cue Master pot VU meter / PPM (analog / LED) Muting system Foldback (IFB note) Pad / trim / gain / AGC Pan Pot Submixer & pre-amp

Other audio mixing terms Compressor Limiter Equalizer (EQ) Filters High pass, low pass, band pass, notch Stereo vs. multi-track recording Basics of multi-track / mixdown

Three things you mix... Music SFX -- Production library, Foley Voice Production library, royalty-free loops BMI, ASCAP, SESAC blanket license vs. ‘needle drop’ SoundExchange fees SFX -- Production library, Foley Voice Narration vs. dialogue Straight voice, VO/music, donut, jingle ### Teams go record sounds, due before 5:00 -->