Microphone Types –
Omni Directional: This type of mic records sound in every direction and is commonly used by presenters or vocalists. A lapel mic is very similar except is is clipped onto a persons clothing, this mic is often used when it needs to be concealed or the person needs to move around and use their hands.
Shotgun: This Mic is the most commonly used in film and is very good for recording things such as interviews or documentaries
Bi-Directional: This mic will pick up sound from directly in front or behind, this type of mic will often also be a velocity transducer or a pressure gradient, meaning that the response to the sound is dependent on the direction that it hits the mic from. These types of mics are often used in sound booths and recording studios.
Sound Tests
Sound Booth –
This audio was recorded in one of the sound booths. In terms of audio this environment would be perfect for an interview or foley work. The sound in this room hardly bounces at all, creating quite a dead sound with minimal reverb. This is because of how the space has been built, the entire room is air tight meaning that little sound would penetrate from outside. Also the walls themselves have tiny holes all over them meaning that the sound will be absorbed and diffused by them. This together creates a very quite environment with practically no echo similar to a plane.
Music Mixing room –
In this room we found a very common setup for a recording studio where the desk was. In this room there were various soft furnishings and panels to try to absorb and dissipate the sound, these included foam pyramids, wooden ceiling panels and soft boxes on the walls, even the carpet and sofa will have an impact in reducing the amount of echo. This room wasn’t quite as severe as the sound booth as it still had a slight echo but that was greatly reduced by the setup of the room. This whole system allows you to have a comfortably quite room while still getting a slight reverb feel to the sound.
College Entrance –
This sound was recorded in the main entrance hall of college and provides a very different result to the previous rooms. First of all
.3 outside sounds
.7 things you learned
Matthew Tucker 