Instruction/ maintenance manual of the product Microphone M-Audio
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Contents Microphone Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Microphone T ypes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 1 Micr ophone Design While all micr ophones ar e designed for the common purpose of con verting variations in sound pressur e to electr onic signals, different technologies ha ve their benefits depending upon the a pplication. This chapter examines the merits of differ ent design types, capsule sizes, polar patterns, electronics and mor e.
ha ve v ery low output, ther eby r equiring more electr oni c g a in a f a ct o r t ha t n e ce s si t at e s high -quality preamp electr onics in order to a void noise.
Small Capsules Small capsules ar e ty picall y those with dia phragm diameters of less than about 1/2. Categ oricall y , they ar e extremel y accurate through the audible range of 20Hz to 20kHz.
invariably pr efer the sound of solid brass. Needless to say , w e use solid brass backplates in all M-Audio mics. The spacing betw een the diaphragm and backplate is critical. In or der to a void pr oblems with barometric pressur e, the spacer ring has a break in order to allow air to move fr eely between these two components.
Omni also exhibits significantly less pr oximity effect than car dioids. One result is that omnis are some what less sensitiv e to the mov ements of an animated vocalist.
signal through headphones.That’ s because one side of the mic is in phase with the performer (and ther efore reinforcing their perception of their o wn sound) while the other side is not. Addressing the in-phase side while monitoring produces optimal monitoring results .
An output transformer and/or amplifier serves as a sort of translator and, in audio, we expect that translation to be excellent in or der to maintain fr equency response, dynamic range, and signal-to-noise ratio.
still work.) The theor y there is that the tube is used as a sor t of processor to “w arm” up the sound. The reality is that these are still solid state mics masquer ading as tube mics as cheaply as possible .
From a technical perspectiv e, the two mics need to be as identical as possible in fr equency r esponse. A f l a t f requency response implies that ther e is no deviation in the output le vel v ersus the input lev el at any and all fr equencies acr oss the audible spectrum.
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Chapter 2 Ca r ing for Micr ophones High-quality condenser mics lik e the M-Audio line r epresent an investment. A few basic tips will help ensure a lifetime of excellent perf ormance. Shock Protection As you now kno w , condenser mics ar e constructed with extremel y thin diaphragms and very high tolerances.
Choosing & Using Microphones 14 Cleaning and Storage Alwa ys store a condenser microphone in its case when not in use. Par ticulate matter such as dust can attach itself to the dia phragm and cause degradation of performance ov er time .
Choosing & Using Microphones Chapter 3 Basic Miking Conce pts Micr ophone placement is an ar ea in which art meets science. Micr ophone choice and placement is somewhat subjectiv e, much in the same wa y that choosing a guitar and amp is a matter of personal pr efer ence .
Choosing & Using Microphones a pro ximity effect wher e the low-mid fr equencies increase as the distance betw een the sour ce and mic decr eases. (The proximity eff ect is not a big issue with omni patterns or medium-sized capsules of any pattern.
The R ecording Envir onment Prof essional studios often ha ve se veral diff erent acoustic spaces a v a i l a b l e f rom small, relatively dead isolation booth to ca vernous r ooms with natural r eflections and long dela y times.
Choosing & Using Microphones 18 common acoustic damping materials for home studio use. Music stands can also be reflective something y ou can compensate for b y simply draping to wels o ver them.
Minimize r eflective surfaces. Har d surfaces lik e wood floors, smooth walls, windows and mir r ors are a common culprit in phase issues because the y reflect sound back into the micr ophone. If things sound odd, tr y moving the performer and/or mic.
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Chapter 4 Ster eo Miking T echniques The use of stereo miking techniques utilizing matched pairs can mak e all the difference between mediocre and outstanding r ecordings. After all, we listen to the world ar ound us in stereo via matched pairs of ears.
Choosing & Using Microphones 22 separation and ca ptur es more r oom reflections. In general, the X-Y technique using cardioids yields an accurate stereo image exhibiting minimal acoustic r eflections, although the separation is not as significant as some other stereo miking techniques.
together to create one side of the ster eo signal, and subtracts the side signal fr om the mid signal to cr eate the other .The result is a v ery accurate translation of the stereo listening field.
Choosing & Using Microphones 24 degrees and fanned out to cov er the physical spread of the or chestra. Another pair of mics is often placed fur ther back in the hall on either side of the orchestra in order to captur e room reflections in the ambient space.
Chapter 5 Specific Miking A pplications Now that we ve cov ered some basics, it s time to look at some time-honored guidelines f or common recor ding situations.
Choosing & Using Microphones 26 experiment with angling the mic down at the perfo rme r s mouth in order to a void projecting the energ y of the breath directly into the micr ophone . Also, make certain that the voc alis t s headphones are the closed-cup variety , as open-cup designs tend to leak sound that the microphone will captur e.
mount is needed to minimize vibrations fr om ta pping feet and the lik e . In most cases, cardioids are the best choice for miking acoustic guitar .While you can certainly attain good results with a large dia phragm mic, medium diaphragms ar e often pref err ed in order r educe pro ximity effect.
Choosing & Using Microphones 28 1. Pop/r ock. The closer the mics are to the hammers, the mor e per cussiv e the resulting sound will be. For this reason, pop/rock r ecordings wher e the piano needs to cut thr ough other tracks ar e often achiev ed by close-miking the hammers.
• Single Mic . Using a single mic , the best you can attain is some sense of balance between the individual drums, along with the amount of room r eflection versus pur e drums. Using a boom, tr y angling a cardioid mic towar d the kit at about 6 feet off the gr ound and about one foot in fr ont or behind the kit.
Choosing & Using Microphones Close-Miking Drums. Much of toda y s music focuses so strongl y on the kick, snar e and hi-hat that being able to mic these components of a drum individually is fairly critical. At a minimum, you also need a pair of o verheads to catch e verything else in stereo .
Ho we v er , you can experiment with large capsul e mic s lik e the M-Audio Luna, which is noted for it s performance in the higher frequencies.If using a pair , they can either be used in an X-Y coincident fashion or spaced se v eral feet apart ov er the left and right portions of the kit.
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Chapter 6 The M-A udio F a mily of Micr ophones At this point, yo u ve learned a g ood deal about how micr ophones w ork, how they ar e built and how the y are typically applied. Along the way , w e v e occasionally r eferr ed to some of the specific models in the Groov e T ubes family of mics.
Choosing & Using Microphones 34 Appendix A T r oubleshooting T ips Please consult the following befor e calling tech suppor t (or even a friend). Pr oblem: No audio fr om mic ¥ Ph an to m p ower not on. T urn on phantom power on y our mic preamp or mix er channel.
Appendix B Contact Information M-Audio , formerly kno wn as Midiman, is a leading pro vider of digital audio and MIDI solutions for toda y s electr onic musicians and audio pr ofessionals. Founded in 1988, M-Audio now has independent offices in the US, Canada, UK, German y , France , and Japan.
An important point after buying a device M-Audio Microphone (or even before the purchase) is to read its user manual. We should do this for several simple reasons:
If you have not bought M-Audio Microphone yet, this is a good time to familiarize yourself with the basic data on the product. First of all view first pages of the manual, you can find above. You should find there the most important technical data M-Audio Microphone - thus you can check whether the hardware meets your expectations. When delving into next pages of the user manual, M-Audio Microphone you will learn all the available features of the product, as well as information on its operation. The information that you get M-Audio Microphone will certainly help you make a decision on the purchase.
If you already are a holder of M-Audio Microphone, but have not read the manual yet, you should do it for the reasons described above. You will learn then if you properly used the available features, and whether you have not made any mistakes, which can shorten the lifetime M-Audio Microphone.
However, one of the most important roles played by the user manual is to help in solving problems with M-Audio Microphone. Almost always you will find there Troubleshooting, which are the most frequently occurring failures and malfunctions of the device M-Audio Microphone along with tips on how to solve them. Even if you fail to solve the problem, the manual will show you a further procedure – contact to the customer service center or the nearest service center
