Unit 25 - Sound Recording

Introduction
The best way to record sound is dependant on the environment you’re in,
alongside other factors that can influence your recordings in a negative, or in
some cases, a positive.

I will be going through all the different factors that can affect recordings during this
presentation. Things that you can influence, influence via equipment, equipment
knowledge, uncontrollable factors and resolutions to these factors.

Finding the best recording setup for YOU is the most important, someone elses
setup may not work as well as it does for them, as it will for you and thus it is
important to understand what makes a good audio recording and how to achieve
such recordings.
Signal paths - brief explanation
Digital to analog
Analog to digital Digital Signal converter. This Reconverted
converter. It converts processor. It converts digital Analog signal
Raw Analog signal analog sound to digital processes digital sounds to analog
sound signal sounds

Analog signal ADC DSP DAC Analog signal

 Sound processing sequence

microphone

ADC
Monitor
controller DSP
Headphone
DAC

Audio information is transmitted from the

microphone into an adc, (Analog to digital
converter) then into a dsp ( digital signal
Monitor processor)to allow the data to be
Loudspeaker presented / read accurately in whatever
computer program format allows such
playback, eg. mp3 , flac , wav etc.
Audio file formats
PCM / WAV - Pulse Code Modulation - Waveform audio file format .

FLAC - Compressed audio samples, usually not compatible with most mainstream hardware

MP3 - Most common audio file type used on phones

M4A - A file with the M4A file extension is an MPEG-4 Audio file, M4A files are encoded with the Advanced Audio Coding
(AAC) codec in order to reduce the size of the file. Some M4A files may instead use the Apple Lossless Audio Codec
(ALAC)

AIFF - Audio interchange file format is an audio file format standard used for storing sound data for personal computers and
other electronic audio devices

WMV - Windows media video is the standard video and audio player that is integrated within the microsoft windows
software upon instillation onto a computer.

MPEG-4- MPEG4 is a development upon the original MPEG group (motion pictures expert group) that develops off of the
previous compression algorithm used to compress and allocate data onto a disc, usually DVDs and in some cases , even
Blu Ray discs.
Different types of audio compression
Lossy and Lossless compression are the two most commonly used
algorithms to compress files , both audio, video, text and more.
Primarily used for audio , lossy and lossless compression offer different
functionalities , some that are more suitable than the other due to the
circumstances.

Lossy is the algorithm commonly used on audio and video formats, this
algorithm compresses the file to a significantly lower size than the
original by removing parts of data in which is typically not needed. For
instance, within a audio file that contains a particular frequency that is
too high for humans to intercept , the data of that frequency will be
deleted, thus reducing the size of the file and retaining almost identical
data integrity.

Lossless is the alternate compression algorithm commonly used.

Lossless tries to reduce file size whilst retaining as must data as
possible, trying to rewrite information as close to the original as
possible , allowing for a file with increased data accuracy over lossy
however having a larger file size than a file that's been compressed
with a Lossy algorithm.
Different types of compression are more suitable
for different occasions and you should be able to
determine what algorithm is going to be more
effective in creating the outcome that you're
aiming for.
Microphones
Ribbon:
Ribbons are great for vocals because they bring out the tonal variances in
voice without the high end artifacts. Condenser microphones are a cross
between aribbon and a dynamic, borrowing the best characteristics from both
and combining these into a unique sounding microphone that has many
different applications.

Dynamic:
Dynamic microphones need large amounts of energy to get the diaphragm
moving but that energy transfer creates a unique sound that is characteristic
of dynamics. It is a big sound that only a dynamic can produce. Ribbon
microphones capture sound energy in a similar way as a dynamic
microphone.

Condenser:
Condensers use a capacitor to convert acoustical energy into electrical
energy. Condenser microphones require power from a battery or external
source. The resulting audio signal is stronger signal than that from a dynamic.
 Polar patterns

Polar patterns is the term used for presenting the

locations around different types of microphones
to which they are most sensitive and pick up the
most audio - of the highest quality. The most
commonly recognized and produced polar
patterns within microphones are Cardioid,
Hypercardioid, supercardioid, omnidirectional
and bi-directional.
Bi-directional
Bi-directional microphones gather audio from two ranges(hence the name, BI-directional)

Shotgun microphones
Shotgun mics have an extremely unique polar pattern,
reaching far, far out in front, slightly to either side,
and then returning behind the mid for just over half the distance
as it reaches at the front, an exceptionally unique polar pattern.

Bi-Directional Microphones
Your average ‘Bi-Directional’ Microphone features a polar
pattern that cycles from the front of the microphone, arcing into
the base and then revolving around back for roughly 70%
of the front facing range, allowing for extensive recording of
audio all around the microphone without much movement.

Omnidirectional microphones
The microphone that records it all! A huge 360 degree radius
That records all audio picked up inside its huge range.
suitable when you’re trying to record literally everything, and never
really for anything else.
 Cardioid Polar patterns
Cardioid
Cardioid patterns are primarily focused on picking up
audio from the front of the microphone, these are
typically used at concerts due to the ability to pick up
the singers voice and not the crowd - otherwise it would
result in a incredibly unbearable loop of cheering and
singing.

Supercardioid
Supercardioid are the precursor to hyper cardioids -
they are essentially the same just within a sensitivity
range that is slightly lower.

Hypercardioid
Hypercardioid, the polar pattern with the highest level of sensitivity
throughout the cardioid family, picking up a wide range of audio
from the front of the microphone, as well as an extended range at
the back end.
Equipment
When considering what equipment you may require in a recording
scenario you must take into considering a few things. A standard list
of equipment that would be wise to acquire would be as followed:

A diffuser - great for preventing a range of echoes that could be

audible when recording, high concentration audio is scattered to a
low concentration (around the room), which can develop natural
ambience for your recording.

Absorption/Acoustic panels - These can be used to stop any

unwanted or unintended intercepted frequencies from interfering
with your recording. Great for home rooms and studios alike to
develop the cleanest audio you desire.

Reflection filters - rebounding the audio waves back towards the

microphone, when spread out , enabling for the highest quality and
retention of such.
Hardware / connection equipment
All of your audio recording devices / hardware will require individual and unique
connection cables which may vary in port compatibility, you should always be
prepared. In the most common scenario, XLR cables are what you will most likely
encounter when dealing with most audio related hardware - there are 3 forms that
XLR cables come in , these are as follows.
XLR TRS to
Female Male 3.5mm jack
Diffraction and the Doppler effect.
Diffraction refers to various phenomena that
occur when a wave encounters an obstacle or a
slit. It is defined as the bending of waves around
the corners of an obstacle or aperture into the
region of geometrical shadow of the obstacle.
This effect will restrict the amount of sound waves
that pass through the obstacle at its original offset
path, changing or altering the final sound heard or
perceived.
The Doppler effect is the act of frequencies
lowering or rising dependant on the positional
distance between the observer, like when a
police siren is approaching you the
wavelengths become shorter the closer the
source is to you, increasing the frequency.
Exploring different recording environments
Inside a… Church

Keeping in mind how churches will not have the best balanced acoustics, due to their immense
size and unsymmetrical nature, there shall be a lot of echo and leak present when attempting
to record. Due to this factor I would recommend using a shotgun mic, one that would reach
around as far to record echo and would provide a high enough quality audio recording to
capture fidelity without so many echos or intrusive ambience. If the location within the church
doesn't have much human made ambience, walking, talking ect. It may be better to use a
regular omnidirectional mic as this would provide much better audio quality and coverage, as
well as you may not be able to notice the picking up of such annoying background noises of
interference. If you chose the path of shotgun mics, I would personally recommend the rode
videomic shotgun mic (camera reliant), I have personally used and can vouch for the quality
and usability of the microphone within a multitude of scenarios. If your scenario better fits an
omnidirectional microphone setup, I would recommend the RØDE nt55 as it has a high audio
retention and manages to capture sound to a professional standard, as well as having good
functional capabilities, for example, allowing for the transition between omnidirectional and
cardioid recording polar patterns.
Exploring different recording environments
Inside a… Field

Recording anywhere outdoors is going to greet you with your main common enemy, the wind.
Wind is going to be present 90% of the time when you’re recording and you cannot predict the
times in which it won’t be present and thus you must understand now to combat it with your
equipment. By running through the different microphones and qualities they possess, I declare
that you can setup a shotgun mic to where you want to speak into in order to utilize the immense
range in front and behind whilst having such a low range on either side of it, restricting the
amount of audio from the wind is picked up as it collides into it at a horizontal degree. This is not
a perfect solution as you will still hear some wind through the recording, but it is by far the best
microphone for wind reduction, the only other issue would be the practicality in recording audio
on the go, or potentially slightly out of its narrow range. The RØDE NTG4 is an excellent choice
to achieve the utmost quality within this scenario, being the newest in the lineup of consistently
refined and improved shotgun microphones developed by røde, providing great quality,
functionality as well as having some perks such as mobility and being very lightweight.
 Exploring different recording environments
Inside a… Busy street

Considering how loud a busy street is going to be, an obvious no brainer to rule out is any polar
pattern microphone that features a wide range of audio retention as well as from different
directions. You would aim to utilize a cardioid microphone for an environment like this, something
that encaptures the audio in front, in a relatively small area, whilst refraining from recording
behind, to the sides, or at an extreme angle that may capture unnecessary or intrusive audio (like
bi-directional of omnidirectional - omnidirectional would be a disaster). A regular cardioid
microphone would serve best for dialogue recording as it has the tightest polar pattern that is
primarily focused in the range of ‘forwards’ facing recording. If you were doing a interview segment
you may opt in for a supercardioid, a polar pattern that retains the tightness around front but allows
for a slight amount of background noise, something that may add to your news segment such as
BBC news like to implement, makes the segment feel more alive and realistic as opposed to a
crisp recording with minor impurities. In the scenario in which you opt to utilize a cardioid
microphone, I would refer to using Audio Technicas Pro41, an affordable and quality microphone,
being both lightweight and capable of providing a high enough quality with the recording of
captured sound. In the event of opting into a supercardioid microphone, I would suggest the E865
by Sennheiser, a rugged mic that captures sound at the utmost level of fidelity and doesn't
sacrifice quality in any sector (hence the price differential between the two).
 Conclusion
Overall, there is no true ‘best way’ to record sound. It is all relative and based on
personal environment and factors that will play a part in your recording. You must
be able to understand the situation you’re in and what equipment you may need or
have available to you as it can make such a difference in the outcome of your
recording. Polar pattern understanding will give you insight into what types of
microphones will best suit your needs within any given location, equipment
understanding will allow you to effectively enhance and refine the audio you
produce and edit and understanding technical details like compression rates and
sampling pools can help you anticipate an outcome with higher accuracy and help
influence your choices prior to your recording.

This presentation should have allowed for the full understanding of these concepts
and topics to help develop the best audio recordings possible.