Recording Engineer's Handbook
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THE Recording Engineer’s HANDBOOK by Bobby Owsinski This page intentionally left blank The Recording Engineer’s Handbook by Bobby Owsinski © 2005 Bobby Owsinski. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system without written permission from Thomson Course Technology PTR, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review. The ArtistPro Publishing and Thomson Course Technology PTR logo and related trade dress are trademarks of Thomson Course Technology PTR and may not be used without written permission. SVP, Thomson Course Technology PTR: Andy Shafran Publisher: Stacy L. Hiquet Executive Editor: Mike Lawson Senior Marketing Manager: Sarah O’Donnell Marketing Manager: Heather Hurley Manager of Editorial Services: Heather Talbot Associate Marketing Manager: Kristin Eisenzopf Marketing Coordinator: Jordan Casey Project Editor: Cathleen D. Snyder PTR Editorial Services Coordinator: Elizabeth Furbish Copy Editor: Heather Johnson Cover Designer/Interior Designer: Stephen Ramirez Proofreader: Gene Redding Cover photography: Susana Millman Special thanks to John Lucasey and Studio 880, Oakland, CA All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Thomson Course Technology PTR and the author have attempted throughout this book to distinguish proprietary trademarks from descriptive terms by following the capitalization style used by the manufacturer. Information contained in this book has been obtained by Thomson Course Technology PTR from sources believed to be reliable. However, because of the possibility of human or mechanical error by our sources, Thomson Course Technology PTR, or others, the Publisher does not guarantee the accuracy, adequacy, or completeness of any information and is not responsible for any errors or omissions or the results obtained from use of such information. Readers should be particularly aware of the fact that the Internet is an ever-changing entity. Some facts may have changed since this book went to press. Educational facilities, companies, and organizations interested in multiple copies or licensing of this book should contact the publisher for quantity discount information. Training manuals, CD-ROMs, and portions of this book are also available individually or can be tailored for specifi c needs. ISBN: 1-93292-900-2 Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2004113765 Printed in the United States of America 04 05 06 07 08 DR 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Thomson Course Technology PTR, a division of Thomson Course Technology 25 Thomson Place Boston, MA 02210 http://www.courseptr.com Contents Preface Meet the Engineers .............................................. xi With These Special Non-Engineer Guests .....................xiii PART ONE—Tracking in Stereo CHAPTER 1 Microphones ..................................................... 1 How and Why Microphones Work .............................. 1 The Dynamic Microphone ....................................... 2 The Ribbon Microphone ......................................... 3 The Condenser Microphone ..................................... 6 Condenser Mic Fallacies ...................................... 8 Condenser Operational Hints ................................ 9 Phantom Power ..............................................10 Microphone Specifi cations ......................................10 Sensitivity ....................................................10 Overload Characteristics ....................................11 Frequency Response ........................................ 12 Noise ........................................................ 12 Polar Patterns (Directional Response) ......................... 12 Omnidirectional ............................................ 13 Figure-8 ......................................................14 Cardioid ......................................................14 Hypercardioid .............................................. 15 Proximity Effect ............................................ 15 Specialty Microphones ..........................................16 Shotgun Microphones .......................................16 Lavaliere ......................................................16 PZM ..........................................................17 Wireless ......................................................18 Stereo Mics .................................................. 20 Parabolic .................................................... 20 Microphone Accessories .........................................21 Pop Filters ....................................................21 Windscreens ................................................ 22 Shock-Mounts .............................................. 23 iv The Recording Engineer’s Handbook CHAPTER 2 Classic Microphones ........................................... 25 RCA 44 Ribbon Microphone ................................... 25 RCA 77 Unidirectional Ribbons ............................... 27 Neumann U47 .................................................. 28 Neumann U47FET ............................................. 28 Neumann U67 .................................................. 29 Neumann M49/50 .............................................. 30 Neumann KM84 Series .........................................31 Neumann KM54/56 ............................................ 32 Neumann U87 .................................................. 33 AKG D12/112 ................................................... 34 AKG C-12/Telefunken ELA M250/251 ........................ 35 AKG 451 ........................................................ 36 AKG 414 Series ................................................. 37 Sony C37A ...................................................... 39 Schoeps 221B ................................................... 40 STC/Coles 4038 ................................................. 40 Shure SM57 ..................................................... 41 Sennheiser 421 .................................................. 42 Sennheiser 441 .................................................. 42 Beyer M160 ..................................................... 43 Electro-Voice RE-20 ............................................ 44 Royer R-121 ..................................................... 44 CHAPTER 3 Basic Recording Equipment ................................... 45 The Microphone Preamplifi er ................................. 45 Why a Separate Mic Amp .................................. 45 Vintage Mic Pre’s ............................................... 46 Neve 1071/1083 ............................................. 47 API 312/512 ................................................. 47 Telefunken V72/V76 ........................................ 48 Modern Mic Pre’s ............................................... 48 Great River .................................................. 48 Manley Labs ................................................ 49 Vintech ...................................................... 49 Daking ...................................................... 49 Universal Audio ............................................. 50 Hardy ....................................................... 50 Millennia Media HV-3B .................................... 50 GML ..........................................................51 Mic Amp Setup ..................................................51 Direct Injection ................................................. 52 Contents v Advantages of Direct Injection ............................. 52 Types ........................................................ 52 Setup ........................................................ 53 Amplifi er Emulators ........................................ 53 Compressor/Limiters ........................................... 54 Primary Controls ........................................... 54 Compressor/Limiter Setup ................................. 55 Vintage Compressor/Limiters .................................. 55 Telektronix LA-2 A ......................................... 55 United Audio LA-3 A ....................................... 56 UREI LA-4 ................................................. 56 UREI 1176 ................................................... 56 CHAPTER 4 Basic Stereo Techniques ....................................... 59 Types of Stereo Miking ......................................... 59 Coincident Pair ............................................. 60 X/Y ...................................................... 60 M-S .......................................................61 Blumlein Array .......................................... 62 The Stereo Microphone .................................. 63 Spaced Pair .................................................. 64 Decca Tree ............................................... 65 Near-Coincident Pair ....................................... 66 Baffl ed Omni Pair .......................................... 67 CHAPTER 5 Basic Multichannel Tracking ................................. 71 Choosing the Right Mic ........................................ 71 The Secret of Getting Good Sounds ........................... 72 Secrets of Mic Placement ........................................74 Placement Considerations .................................. 76 The 3 to 1 Principle ......................................... 77 Checking Phase ................................................. 78