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SECTION ONE Microphone Technique Basics 3 How to: Reduce reverberation Reduce background noise and leakage Reduce phase cancellations between two mics Reduce phase cancellations from surface reflections Reduce handling noise Reduce proximity effect Achieve a natural tone quality Achieve a bright tone quality Achieve a good balance 3 3 4 4 4 4 4 4 5 SECTION TWO Notes on Crown Mic Models CM-200A CM-700 CM-150 GLM-100 PZM-6D PZM-30D SASS 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 SECTION THREE Specific Applications 5-10
INTRODUCTION How to reduce background noise • Stop the noise at its source: turn off appliances and air conditioning; wait for airplanes to pass; close and seal doors and windows; use a quiet room. In this guide you’ll find suggestions on using Crown microphones to record music effectively. Whether you run a large professional facility, or a project studio, you’ll find useful tips here. We’ll cover some basics of miking, Crown mic models for studio use, and specific applications.
How to reduce phase cancellations between two mics As described in the Crown Boundary Mic Application Guide, these situations can cause phase cancellations which give a strange tone quality. Solve the problem by using Crown PZM or PCC microphones mounted to the piano lid, wall, floor, or other large flat surface. If two microphones pick up the same sound source at different distances and their signals are fed to the same channel, this might cause phase cancellations.
GLM-100 CM-200A, or a PZM-30D/PZM-6D set to “rising” response. Also, move the mic around until you find a spot where the monitored sound is bright. This miniature omni mic offers all the quality and wide-range response of larger studio microphones. Since the GLM is small, it can be attached to instruments to improve isolation and reject off-mic sound. How to achieve a good balance A good balance is a good loudness relationship among instruments and voice in a mix.
spent experimenting. They work well in many cases, but if you don’t like the results, feel free to change the microphone or its placement. • Place a CM-700, CM-150, or GLM-100 6 to 12 inches from where the finger board joins the body (Figure 3). For stereo, add another mic the same distance from the bridge. If pickup of room reverberation, leakage, or feedback is excessive, place the mic closer than recommended below, and roll off the bass if necessary at your mixer to obtain a natural timbre.
Three Microphones (Figure 7): • Tape or clip one GLM-100 to the rim of the snare drum. This GLM picks up the hi-hat, snare, left rack tom, and cymbals. Tape or clip another GLM near the right rack tom and the floor toms. This GLM picks up the right rack tom, floor tom, and cymbals. Experiment with placement to achieve a good balance. You may want to boost the bass and treble slightly. Put another GLM or PZM in the kick drum.
Percussion • Place a CM-700, CM-150, or GLM-100 about 1 foot away. • Tape a PZM on the musician’s shirt. Ambience • Place one or two PZMs on a distant wall, or on the control-room window. Grand piano • Raise the lid. Tape a GLM-100, PZM-6D, or PZM30D to the underside of the lid in the middle. For stereo, use two over the bass and treble strings Upright Piano • Remove the panel in front of the player to expose the strings.
Violin Hammered Dulcimer • Place a CM-700, CM-150, or GM-100 2 feet over the top. • Place a CM-700, GLM-100, or CM-150 about 12 inches above and in front of the center of the top edge. • For a fiddle player who sings, try a CM-200A at mouth-height and horizontal. Harmonica • Place a CM-700, GLM-100, or CM-150 1 foot away. Mandolin, Bouzouki, Dobro, or Lap Dulcimer Harp • Aim a CM-700 or CM-150 at the soundboard about 18 inches away. • Place a CM-700, GLM-100 or CM-150 12 inches away.
PZM Wedge (Figure 14) • Mount a PZM microphone 6 inches from the edge of a 2-foot square panel. Mount another PZM similarly on another panel. Tape together the panel edges nearest the microphones, forming a “V.” Aim the point of the “V” at the center of the sound source. Angle the panels about 70 degrees apart. This assembly is called a PZM wedge. Put the wedge where you would put a stereo mic.