Warm Audio WA-CX12 Manual De Instrucciones página 8

TIPS AND INSTRUCTIONS
MICROPHONE PLACEMENT & SPACING
When it comes to distancing a microphone from its sound source, one may think of this process, among other things,
as choosing a desired ratio of original sound source to reflections and acoustic space. The closer to the source, the
less space and ambience will be captured. In some cases, this is fully desirable; and ambience will be added in later
via the magic of digital delay and reverb. In other cases, natural acoustics are critical. A great illustration of this is
the recording of a gunshot or cannon fire: at very close range, the sound is surprisingly thin; however, at a distance,
the sound becomes more full and explosive. This is a great reference to keep in mind; because to some degree, this
phenomenon holds true with anything where natural acoustics is an important part of the sound, most notably with
percussion. Beware that all processes do have boundaries and microphones do have a maximum SPL level they can
be subjected to without distortion. Both microphones and preamps have a signal to noise ratio that tends to get poor
in cases where more gain is required to make up for a distant signal. It's generally good advice to place a micro-
phone about 12 inches from a source, and to fine-tune it from there until you have exactly what you are looking for.
A BRIEF WORD ON ROOM TREATMENT
Room acoustics can be just as important as the microphone you choose. Even the best microphone won't sound great
if you are picking up unwanted reflections that can smear or comb-filter the sound you are recording. Just because a
microphone is set to the cardioid pattern, does not mean that it is not picking up unwanted room reflections or outside
noises such as street traffic, footsteps, or air conditioning vents. Though a walk-in vocal booth is hardly necessary
for most situations; a good quality 'vocal shield" type product can make an enormous difference, often making the
difference between a demo quality and a professional quality recording. Likewise, when recording combo amps
and other instruments, using gobos or other acoustic isolation products can be hugely beneficial. Getting proper iso-
lation, and just the right amount, but not too much room ambience is sone thing that really cannot be effectively cor-
rected later in the process. It is of the utmost importance to put in the extra time to set things up well in the beginning.
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