Unit 25 Sound Recording

Sound is a form of dialogue which can assist to create different types of moods which could
either be part of your intended purpose, highlighting desired aspects in what's going on and could
make the audience observant on the action that is currently taking place. These are shown to be
the reasons why sound being recorded for media products are shown as essential.

Audio Signal Path

An Audio Signal Path is where you've got a sound that originates somewhere and an example of
this would be a voice/voices. This would be the signal. It doesn’t have to be a voice it could be
anything that produces some sort of sound. An example of this would be an instrument or
anything which produces sound. The sound that is being made by this would have to follow a
specific path.
Demonstrated in the example above, the sound would travel through the microphone. From the
microphone, it will then travel to a mixer. The mixer then receives the audio from the
microphone through its multiple input channels. During this stage, the audio can be adjusted for
your desired outcome as well as other types of attributes. Once this is done, the audio is then sent
to an amplifier. An amplifier is an electronic device that increases either the voltage, current or
power of the audio signal.as it makes the audio louder with its increase in power. As the sound is
following this order of operation, the sound is then projected through a speaker.

Audio levels
Audio levels are measured with Decibels (db) on a number scale. When recording audio levels, it
is most common and highly suggested to not allow the audio to peak at 0 or go above it and to
only stay within the negative end. If it the audio peaks at 0 or suppresses 0, audio distortion is
then made which is quite hard to fix and should be avoided. Hearing sounds which are above
85db is quite harmful if you are exposed to them quite frequently or for a long duration. A
normal conversation and an air conditioner are registered at 60db, City traffic is from 80-85 db
and sirens are 120db.
A normal healthy audio signal is where it’s a smooth curve and is rounded on the top,
intensifying the signal with an amplifier beyond its normal capacity, the waves begin to square
off at the top and bottom peaks which is called clipping.

Analog Sound

Analog audio creates this analogy for real audio through an electrical signal. With variations in
the instantaneous voltage correlating with the real audio's variation air pressure. For example,
when we record with a microphone our sound source in front of the mic creates real audio which
then travels through the air to the microphone and then the microphone converts the mechanical
energy in the air into variations in voltage which then travels to whatever piece of gear that you
have plugged your mic into. Analog sound replicates the original soundwaves as seen in the
diagram above. Both Vinyl records and cassette tapes are examples of analog recordings.

Digital Sound
Compared to analog audio, the fluctuating audio is changed into ones and zeros and as this is
being done, there is no longer a value that's constantly fluctuating. The constant fluctuating of
the sound wave refers rising and falling of the soundwave itself. This is demonstrated in the
diagram above. As the constant fluctuation is no longer there, individual snapshots of the signal
are being taken and are stores as a series of values which is then used to recreate the signal. This
quite similar to how a film depicts movement by recording and playing back a series of still
images rapidly and in succession films trick the human brain into thinking that it is looking at
movement. Similarly, digital audio captures a series of data points during with each data point
during information on the analog signal for that exact moment these data points are then used to
reconstruct something very close to the original analog signal when unpackaged and used by the
computer and rapid succession.

Analog and Digital Converters

Analog to digital converters refers are very important components in electronic equipment.
Since most real-world signals are analog, these two converting interfaces are necessary to allow
digital electronic equipment's to process the analog signals.
Both DAC and ADC are viewed as important components due to the availability of changing the
signal, for example, ADC is able to convert an analog signal that is being received, this would be
something like a microphone and then is changed into a digital signal so it can be accepted and
process by a computer. During this stage, the computer can change the sound for your desired
outcome. These could be things like changing the pitch and such. DAC then converts the digital
signal back into the analog signal that is used by the audio equipment such as a speaker.
Clipping

Clipping is a form of waveform distortion which is done when an amplifier is being worked against its
maximum PML (Permitted Maximum level). The signal then goes into overdrive as it is commonly
triggered by the amplifier. As the signal is currently now in overdrive, the signal causes the amplifier to
create an output voltage which is beyond its capability and capacity and this is called clipping. Clipping is
seen as something which is quite important as the outcome of it could physically and digitally damage
your amplifier.

Sound File Formats

An audio file format is a recognised method for organising data bits of sound into a data file. On
macs, digital sounds may be stores as data files, resources or applications such as AIFF or AIFG.
In Windows, digital sounds are usually stored as WAV files. There are 3 major groups if audio
file formats and these are called Uncompressed audio format, Lossless compressed audio format
and Lossy compressed audio format.
An Uncompressed audio refers to real waves which are captured and then converted into a type
of digital format without and sort of processing. However, as the audio file is accurate, it takes
up quite a lot of disk space. Examples of Uncompressed Audio files would be WAV, AIFF and
Raw header-less PCM. Most WAV files contain uncompressed audio. The AIFF files can
contain more than one type of audio.
The Lossless compression is seen as a type of method as it decreases the file size without losing
the quality between the original source file as well as the resulting file. However, there is a
downside to this, and it is that compression Lossless compression isn't as efficient as lossy
compression which means that the equivalent files can be up to 2 to 5 times larger. Examples of
Lossless compressed audio format is both WMA and ALAC. WMA means Windows Media
Audio and is similar to MP3. This does not hold any sort of advantages over any other types of
formats. AlAC which means Apple Lossless Audio Codec was made as a proprietary format but
changed into an open source.
Lossy compressed audio is a form of compression that loses data during the compression
process. This type of compression sacrifices quality and fidelity for file size. However, in most
cases, the difference cannot be heard. Examples of Lossy compressed audios are MP3, AAC and
WMA.
MP3 which means MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3 is a type of popular audio format in the world fir
music files. AAC means Advanced Audio Coding. The compression algorithm that is being used
by AAC is seen as more advanced and technical than MP3. When recording in MP3 and AAC
formats at the same bitrate, the AAC one will generally have better sound quality. WMA which
means Window Media Audio was meant to address certain flaws within the MP3 compression
method.
Optimum recording levels

Mono and Stereo

Mono sound is when audio is in one channel. Mono systems use only one microphone so there is
only one audio signal. With something that can output sound such as earphones, the 2 speakers
project the same signal through the earphones, Stereo is when the audio is when in 2 or more
channels, uses 2 microphone, stereo gives you the option of putting different signals for each. So,
for each speaker, it can output a different signal for each. Stereo sound can give the impression
that sound is being projected from various directions. This gives the sound the element of
directions and as well as location. Choosing to output sound on the right speaker to give the
impression that sound is coming from the right side or you can output it from the left or both.
Stereo can provide a better experience when listening to music or watching film, mono also has
its own advantages. Mono equipment is cheaper and less complex, its file sizes are about ½ of its
stereo counterparts and mono takes up less band width. Therefore, mono is much preferred in
radio talk shows and telephone calls. However, there is no element of direction and location.
Stereo can provide sound direction and location which contributes to the overall experience and
offers the possibility of multi-track recordings. However, Stereo systems are more expensive to
set up and it has larger file sizes.
Microphone
Omnidirectional Microphone - Omnidirectional microphones are microphones which pick-up
sound with equal gain from all sides or directions of the microphone. This means that whether a
subject speaks into the microphone from the front, back, left, right or even from any angle, the
microphone will record the signals all with equal gain.

Bidirectional Microphone - This type of microphone which is called a Bidirectional microphone

can pick up sound quite well from the front and back however this type of microphone picks up
poor quality from the left and right. This type of microphone is commonly used within question
and answering as it isolates one voice which is being spoken into and is due to the very narrow
pick up angle. This can be also known as the figure of eight formation.
Unidirectional Microphone - Microphones which are only able to pick up sound with high gain
from only a specific side or direction of this microphone.

Cardioid Microphone - Cardioid microphones are a type of microphones which are able to pick
up sounds which have a high gain from the front and the sides however, it poorly picks up sound
from the end of its spectrum which is shown in the diagram above.

Hypercardiod microphone - Hypercardioid refers to the polar pattern of the microphone. Polar
pattern refers to the sensitivity of a microphone to the sound around it as well as how well it can
pick up sound from where the audio is coming from.
Shotgun Microphone - This type of microphone which is called a shotgun microphone is a highly
directional microphone that must be aimed directly towards the target sound source which in
return proper recording will be achieved. Shotgun Microphone use unidirectional microphone to
pick up a sound from the exact location the user is speaking.

Coil Microphone - Coil microphone which is also known as a dynamic mic is a type of
transducer and this converts sound waves into signals for the mic which is done by
electromagnetic induction. Shown in the diagram bellow, as the diaphragm moves, the attached
coil moves within the magnetic field. This creates an ac voltage around across the coil. This is
then outputted as the mic signal.
Ribbon Microphone - This type of microphone is the most common when wanting to pick up a
natural sound of either an instrument, a voice and even the ambience of a room. An example of
where this microphone could be used would be within a concert and that is because it gives the
most accurate sound reproduction.

Condenser Microphone - These types of microphones which are called Condenser microphones
are most commonly found within studios as they a capture large frequency range. These focus on
picking up good audio.

Sound Recording Equipements

Power Conditioner - Power conditioners act as a buffer between the outlet and your system,
smoothing out voltage fluctuations as well as radio and electromagnetic interference that can
effect system performance. These allow multiple cables to be placed within which helps your set
up to be tidy due to cables not being all over the place.

Rackmount - Rackmounts are known to allow multiple different sound sources and this si a
major difference from an amateur to professional as it allows multiple channels to be recorded
with different types of equipment being used.
Preamp - This is an electronic amplifier and it converts the received weak electrical signal into
an output signal that is strong enough to noise tolerant and as well as being strong enough for
further processing. This type of device is important as without it, the final signal would be noisy
or even distorted

Snake Cable - Snake cables are a way of organising and storing your cables which is done to
reduce mess within a studio. This allows multiple of cables to be stored at one point.
Uninterruptible Power supply (UPS) - Provides emergency power to a lot of devices in case of a
blackout or when the input power source fails.

Reflection Filters - Reflection filters are composed of many materials and this is positioned
around the microphone. They are quite helpful due to the absorption of sounds that would
otherwise reach the rear-facing sides of the mic, and also to catch and absorb some of the direct
sound from the vocalist.
Diffusers - A sound diffuser is an acoustic panel used to treat echoes and reflections. Unlike
absorption, diffusers preserve the liveliness of your room because they don't absorb much sound
energy. Instead, they disperse it, spreading the energy around the room
Bass traps - Bass traps are acoustic energy absorbers which are designed to damp low frequency
sound energy with the goal of attaining a flatter low frequency room response. This is commonly
a problem within smaller rooms.

Acoustic panels - Acoustic panels are good at absorbing frequencies which is from anywhere that
is either high or low. These are particularly goof at taming standing waves which does have a
tendency to cause major acoustic problems within rooms.