Working at the limits of broadcast technology, news providers are constantly stretching systems to deliver their story first. Discover how the winners operate and quickly master the technology they value.
In the lingo of microphones, we often use imprecise words to describe sound. The audio from ribbon microphones is frequently called “dark.” Condenser microphones may be called “bright.” But what do these subjective terms mean?
In this era of personal video and sound recording, it might sound ridiculous to say that many people don’t know how to properly use a microphone. But it’s true. Whether spoken word or a vocalist singing, learning some basic microphone techniques can significantly improve results.
Driven by more powerful personal computers, the first USB microphones were cheap consumer devices designed to simplify the home recording process for amateurs. As a result, those early models gave USB mic technology a bad name. That has changed. Today, many USB microphones offer far beyond broadcast quality audio.
Large recording facilities are a complex assembly of components, networks, cables and patch bays. It can take months to learn all the ropes in a major studio. However — with the trend toward smaller, more compact recording spaces — complexity can slow the user down. Let’s look at how to simplify the small facility.
In today’s digital world, audio recordings can sound too sterile. It is often necessary to manipulate that super clean sound and give it a more colorful, analog flavor. How to accomplish this is wide open to experimentation, but it can be surprisingly affordable for engineers with the right skills.
With all the high-tech wizardry available today to manipulate sounds in the studio, microphone placement reigns as the most important way to get quality audio recordings. With the right placement of mics, most other electronic sound tools are not needed. Yet, not enough engineers, producers and artists understand the value of this art.
Wild variations in the levels of program audio has long been a problem for broadcast outlets. Due to controversy over varying audio levels, governments have forced broadcasters to specify specific loudness levels for all programming. In this article, we’ll look at how audio has moved beyond traditional types of level monitoring to a new method.
Choosing to not caption content not exempted by the FCC is asking for serious legal trouble. Wouldn’t you think state lawmakers would know better?
