Sound Recording - the WellMixed.com Blog

The blog has not been well-tended recently, but now it will be even less so, as the WellMixedStore.com takes over the NavBar link on the main website.

However, this means the beginning of a new era, where the microphones that you want to listen to are available at WellMixedStore.com

News about all thing related to home recording will be more constantly posted on a little microblogging platform that you may have heard about called Twitter. Be sure to Follow @WellMixed there.

One interesting thing about directional microphones is the “Proximity Effect.”

The proximity effect occurs when a sound source gets so close to a microphone that the normal frequency response curve (like from the SM-57) become inaccurate in the lower frequencies. Normally these curves are measured with the microphone in question set at about 4 feet away from the sound source.

The response remains true under normal recording conditions, until the directional mic is moved very close to the sound source. Extreme closeness creates a sharp rise in bass response.

Here is a bit of acoustic guitar recorded with an SM-57 about 12 inches from the neck:

Here is the same passage with the mic at only 4 inches:

When a vocalist “eats” the mic, he or she is attempting to take advantage of the proximity effect and add some bass to give the voice extra body.

Check out Shure’s technical discription of why Proximity Effect occurs here.

Artists are outsiders. It’s not just a burden to bear, it’s a job.

What do you want to be when you grow up?

Answering “be a musician” is usually met with the same “best-of-luck-to-you” patronization reserved for the kid who is clearly too skinny and nerdy to be the star quarterback. Luckily, skinny nerds still try out for the team. Sometimes they make it. Sometimes they play. Sometime they win. And those are the times when everyone watching wants to jump up and on the table top and cheer…

Table-jumping cheering is the feeling people want when they play a new track on their stereo, and rebellion is one thing sure to elicit such a response. Think of the music that grabs you. It fights against the man, the winners, the status quo. Like a skinny nerd quarterback, it’s like nothing you’ve experienced before.

My point is this: When recording sound, don’t follow the pack. Rebel!

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Go ahead! Crank it up!

Oh wait… what’s that crackly hiss?

It’s the monster… behind the wall … well, from the grid really. Electricity can be DIRTY and noisy. Here are a few easy tips to help eliminate electrical noise.

1. Unplug IT. When Recording with a Laptop, unplug it from the wall and use only battery power. This isolates your equipment from anything else on the circuit that may be polluting the lines. It’s a very easy way to prevent grounding problems in your home from creating noise on your recordings. This works really well if you have a bus powered (USB or Firewire) system. You should notice an obvious reduction in electrical noise. (more…)