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---MIKE---
 
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Default Microphone distortion

Everyone is concerned about distortion in speakers, amplifiers, CD
players, and even cables. How about microphones. We never hear about
whether microphones distort when driven to high levels (such as close
proximity to a large chorus and orchestra). Are there any specs for
microphones?


-MIKE
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Uptown Audio
 
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Default Microphone distortion

Sure, they work similarly to speakers in reverse. Good recordings are
made using good microphones and all better studios incorporate them.
They can be very expensive and even exotic/collectable just like
loudspeakers. Among other vintage audio relics such as Victrolas and
radios, I actually collect antique microphones myself as they are
relatively easy to store and display while offering some snapshots of
audio history and industrial design in one viewing. One of my oldest
is a carbon mic which works by vibrating carbon against an aluminum
diaphram in response to the voice's pressure against it. You can
imagine the level of distortion and lack of sensitivity of that design
vs a more modern tube mic which can be so sensitive that most singers
use processing after the mic to shape the tone to their liking. Not
everyone likes to hear things so realistically as be transported to
the gargle at the back of the singers throat or the smack of their
lips and subsequent drops of spittle. It can be captured that
realistically with ease.
- Bill
www.uptownaudio.com
Roanoke VA
(540) 343-1250

"---MIKE---" wrote in message
...
Everyone is concerned about distortion in speakers, amplifiers, CD
players, and even cables. How about microphones. We never hear

about
whether microphones distort when driven to high levels (such as

close
proximity to a large chorus and orchestra). Are there any specs for
microphones?


-MIKE


  #3   Report Post  
Cossie
 
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Default Microphone distortion

"---MIKE---" wrote in message
...
Everyone is concerned about distortion in speakers, amplifiers, CD
players, and even cables. How about microphones. We never hear

about
whether microphones distort when driven to high levels (such as

close
proximity to a large chorus and orchestra). Are there any specs for
microphones?


The only reason you "never hear about" microphones distorting at high levels
is because you must not be in the recording business, but rather in the
business of enjoying the final product. Virtually every microphone on the
market today will have a max. SPL rating included in the published
specifications.

Bill Balmer
  #4   Report Post  
Dick Pierce
 
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Default Microphone distortion

"Cossie" wrote in message ...
"---MIKE---" wrote in message
...
Everyone is concerned about distortion in speakers, amplifiers,
CD players, and even cables. How about microphones. We never
hear about whether microphones distort when driven to high levels
(such as close proximity to a large chorus and orchestra). Are
there any specs for microphones?


The only reason you "never hear about" microphones distorting at
high levels is because you must not be in the recording business,
but rather in the business of enjoying the final product. Virtually
every microphone on the market today will have a max. SPL rating
included in the published specifications.


Beyond that, which is all very true, is also the notion implied often
that microphones are somehow magically a neutral, unimpassioned and
utterly faithful player in the reproduction chain. Such a view is
certainly naive, and most certainly just plain wrong.

True, there are some microphones that are capable of quite faithfully
and accurately sampling (in the borader sense) the acoustical information
at the position of the microphone and converting it to an electrical
representation with very minimal distortion and change.

However, not a small number of these very expensive microphones
have very DEFINITE and UNIQUE signatures: in one dimension or another,
they most certainly DO distort. For example, vocal mics are often
because they have a very definite, non-flat, no accurate frequency
response. Many microphones have this property, and recording engineers
will often exploit this fact, conciously or otherwise, to, in their
view, enhance a recording.

What I find ironic is the wholesale condemnation of tone controls,
equalizers and such by the high-end audio community, contrasted
against the wholesale embrace of recordings made with microphones
that are, in every sense of the word, tone-controls and equalizers.
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Cossie
 
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Default Microphone distortion

"Dick Pierce" wrote in message
...

not a small number of these very expensive microphones
have very DEFINITE and UNIQUE signatures: in one dimension or another,
they most certainly DO distort. For example, vocal mics are often
because they have a very definite, non-flat, no accurate frequency
response. Many microphones have this property, and recording engineers
will often exploit this fact, conciously or otherwise, to, in their
view, enhance a recording.

What I find ironic is the wholesale condemnation of tone controls,
equalizers and such by the high-end audio community, contrasted
against the wholesale embrace of recordings made with microphones
that are, in every sense of the word, tone-controls and equalizers.


Very true. If microphones were perfectly flat and uncolored, you would
really only need one kind. They are tools, used by engineers to achieve the
sound they want.

Of course, a reproduction sytem can do no more than attempt to duplicate
THAT sound - which isn't necessarily the sound of the actual performance.
In making that attempt, the flattest and most neutral reproduction possible
IS valid. In other words, you cannot squeeze performance elements out of a
recording which were not included in said recording. You are at the mercy
of the engineer/producer/mastering engineer.

The question will undoubtedly come up--"Then why don't they always use those
few microphones that ARE uncolored?"

The answer is complex, but boils down to two things:

1) They don't always WANT an uncolored sound

2) The mikes that are flat are most commonly measurement mikes with
omnidirectional polar patterns. They are often impractical for use in real
world recording situations.

Bill Balmer



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MYKEY
 
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Default Microphone distortion

"Cossie" wrote in message news:jdq%b.418269$na.808378@attbi_s04...
"Dick Pierce" wrote in message
...


Very true. If microphones were perfectly flat and uncolored, you would
really only need one kind. They are tools, used by engineers to achieve the
sound they want.

The mic does have built in distortion. It's the saturation point. One mic

that can withstand high SPL is a Crown PZM. All professional microphones
use pads or adjustable attenuators to prevent overload distortion.
Consumer equipment does not have that feature. You can buy an external small
mic preamp or mixer with that feature.
You guys are so afraid of EQ. I grew up being taught just the same.
Now I relize EQ is one of the three greatest improvements to hi fi, even
to a very trained listener. Dare to EQ.

  #7   Report Post  
chung
 
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Default Microphone distortion

MYKEY wrote:

The mic does have built in distortion. It's the saturation point. One mic

that can withstand high SPL is a Crown PZM. All professional microphones
use pads or adjustable attenuators to prevent overload distortion.
Consumer equipment does not have that feature. You can buy an external small
mic preamp or mixer with that feature.
You guys are so afraid of EQ. I grew up being taught just the same.
Now I relize EQ is one of the three greatest improvements to hi fi, even
to a very trained listener. Dare to EQ.


You're right that there is really nothing wrong with the concept of
equalization. The one essential component in every phono-preamp is the
RIAA equalization network. Vinyl would be a disaster without equalization.

Done incompetently, equalization can really increase the noise floor and
add distortion, though. So what are the other 2 great improvements to
hi-fi in your opinion? That could be the start of an interesting thread.
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