Fundamentals of Audio Production

1. Fundamentals of Audio Production Chapter Fourteen: Field Recording Fundamentals of Audio Production. Chapter 14

2. Preproduction planning • Field recording requires additional planning as back-ups are not on-hand • Redundancy in equipment, batteries, cables, recording media • Checklists help avoid missed items • Patience is required as field recording nearly always takes longer than expected Fundamentals of Audio Production. Chapter 14

3. Acoustics in the field • The acoustic environment in the field differs greatly from the studio • Eliminating unwanted sounds requires the use of hyper-cardioid microphones • Controlling wind noise requires windscreen accessories for microphones Fundamentals of Audio Production. Chapter 14

4. Windscreens Fundamentals of Audio Production. Chapter 14

5. Recording music • Recordings may be made from pre-fader sends from the FOH console sent to a recording device • Recordings may be assembled from parts of several performances • Click tracks played through monitors keep musicians playing at the same tempo during each performance Fundamentals of Audio Production. Chapter 14

6. Recording music • Remote trucks offer the benefits of the control room on the location • Trucks come in all shapes and sizes • The microphone signals are split at the stage box and sent simultaneously to the remote truck and the FOH console Fundamentals of Audio Production. Chapter 14

7. Remote truck Fundamentals of Audio Production. Chapter 14

8. Stereo recording • Binaural dummy heads provide the most accurate stereo imaging • Microphones are placed inside the head’s “ear canals” • The stereo imaging is heard most effectively when listening through headphones Fundamentals of Audio Production. Chapter 14

9. Stereo recording microphone set-ups • Pairs of matched microphones may be used to achieve excellent stereo imaging using one the following techniques • X-Y • Blumlein • Mid-side • Near coincident • ORTF • Spaced pair • Decca Tree Fundamentals of Audio Production. Chapter 14

10. Stereo recording microphone set-ups Variations on the X-Y technique using cardioid microphones Fundamentals of Audio Production. Chapter 14

11. Stereo recording microphone set-ups Blumlein technique using two bi-directional microphones Fundamentals of Audio Production. Chapter 14

12. Stereo recording microphone set-ups Mid-side technique using one bi-directional and one cardioid microphone Fundamentals of Audio Production. Chapter 14

13. Stereo recording microphone set-ups Near coincident ORTF set-up using two cardioid microphones Fundamentals of Audio Production. Chapter 14

14. Stereo recording microphone set-ups Spaced pair technique using 2 cardioid microphones (left) & 2 omni-directional (right) Fundamentals of Audio Production. Chapter 14

15. Stereo recording microphone set-ups Decca tree using three omni-directional microphones Fundamentals of Audio Production. Chapter 14

16. Stereo recording microphone set-ups Boundary effect microphone Gap to capture audio Fundamentals of Audio Production. Chapter 14

17. Stereo recording microphone set-ups Fundamentals of Audio Production. Chapter 14

18. Parabolic microphones • Parabolic microphones are useful for capturing wildlife sounds – bioacoustics • Parabolic microphones are used for capturing sound effects and field sound at sporting events • Sound is focused by the parabolic dish into a microphone at the dish’s focal point Fundamentals of Audio Production. Chapter 14

19. Parabolic microphones Fundamentals of Audio Production. Chapter 14

20. Parabolic microphones Fundamentals of Audio Production. Chapter 14

21. Location recording for screen • The boom or “fish pole” allows the operator to place the microphone near the talent without being on-camera Fundamentals of Audio Production. Chapter 14

22. Fish poles Fundamentals of Audio Production. Chapter 14

23. Location recording for screen • For decades, the recorder of choice for film sound was the “Nagra” reel-to-reel recorder. • The recorder could be synchronized with the camera using SMPTE time code. • Digital tape and solid state recorders now offer the same capabilities Fundamentals of Audio Production. Chapter 14

24. Location recording for screen Fundamentals of Audio Production. Chapter 14