Different Microphone Tones (PGOA 1.5)
Summary
TLDRThis script discusses the subjective criteria for selecting a microphone based on its tonal qualities. It introduces terms like neutral, dark, bright, and warm to describe microphone tones and explains the importance of low, mid, and high frequencies. The tutorial includes a demo of white noise and a frequency sweep to help listeners understand these frequencies. It also teaches how to read a frequency response graph to get a general idea of a microphone's sound, emphasizing that personal preference and voice type are crucial in choosing the right microphone tone.
Takeaways
- 🎤 Tone is subjective and personal preference plays a significant role in microphone selection.
- 📊 Understanding frequency terms like low, mid, and high frequencies is crucial for grasping microphone tonality.
- 📉 A frequency response graph provides a general idea of a microphone's sound but hearing it is necessary for a full assessment.
- 🔊 White noise demo helps to illustrate the range of frequencies from 20 Hz to 20 kHz.
- 📌 The script explains how to interpret a frequency response graph with decibels on the Y-axis and frequencies on the X-axis.
- 🔄 A neutral microphone provides a balanced and even sound representation without significant frequency boosts or cuts.
- 🌑 A darker microphone rolls off high frequencies, which can make the sound seem less bright and detailed.
- 🌟 A bright microphone boosts high frequencies, delivering an exciting, lively, and detailed sound.
- 🔥 A warm microphone exaggerates lower frequencies and may roll off highs, often associated with ribbon microphones and vintage sound.
- 👂 Listening to samples from different microphones, especially those similar to one's own voice, can help determine the best tone.
Q & A
What are the different tone descriptors used to describe microphones?
-The different tone descriptors used to describe microphones are neutral, dark, bright, and warm.
What is meant by 'neutral' in the context of microphone tone?
-A neutral sounding microphone provides a fairly accurate representation of the sound in front of it without boosting or cutting too much in the low, mid, or high frequencies, resulting in a balanced and even sound.
How does a 'dark' microphone tone differ from a neutral one?
-A darker sounding microphone rolls off some of the higher frequencies, resulting in a less bright, detailed, and lively sound. It might sound muffled and low in detail to some listeners.
What characterizes a 'bright' microphone tone?
-A bright microphone boosts the higher frequencies quite a lot, making it sound exciting, lively, and detailed.
How is a 'warm' microphone tone described?
-A warm microphone tone is characterized by exaggerated lower frequencies and sometimes a roll-off in the higher frequencies, giving it a vintage or old-fashioned sound.
What is the purpose of the quick demo with white noise in the script?
-The quick demo with white noise is to help listeners understand the difference between low, mid, and high frequencies by isolating each range.
Why is it important to learn how to read a frequency response graph when selecting a microphone?
-Learning to read a frequency response graph is important because it gives a general idea of what a microphone will sound like, although it does not tell the whole story and actual listening is necessary.
What does the Y-axis on a frequency response graph represent?
-The Y-axis on a frequency response graph represents decibels (dB), which indicate the level of a frequency relative to other frequencies.
How does the position of the squiggly line on a frequency response graph indicate frequency boost or cut?
-If the squiggly line is on the 0 dB line, the frequency is neither boosted nor cut. If it's below, the frequency is cut and sounds quieter. If it's above, the frequency is boosted and sounds louder.
What is the significance of the distance of the squiggly line from the zero dB line on a frequency response graph?
-The distance of the squiggly line from the zero dB line indicates the extent of the boost or cut. The further away from the line, the more exaggerated the boost or cut, making the frequency sound louder or quieter.
Why is personal preference important when choosing a microphone tone?
-Personal preference is important because it determines which tone a user likes best. It can also be utilitarian, as certain tones can complement or mitigate specific voice characteristics.
What is the best way to identify the microphone tone that fits one's voice?
-The best way to identify the microphone tone that fits one's voice is by listening to samples from different people on different microphones, especially if they have a similar voice type.
Outlines
🎤 Understanding Microphone Tone
This paragraph discusses the subjective criteria for selecting a microphone based on its tone. The speaker introduces descriptors such as neutral, dark, bright, and warm to characterize different microphone tones. A quick demo using white noise is provided to help listeners understand the range of frequencies, from 20 Hz to 20 kHz, and how they relate to spoken words. The frequency response graph is explained as a tool to get a general idea of a microphone's sound, with a clarification that it's not the complete picture and actual listening is necessary. The graph's Y-axis represents decibels, and the X-axis represents frequencies, with the squiggly line indicating how frequencies are boosted or cut. The example of the SE Electronics SE4400a is given as a relatively neutral microphone, with a slight boost in higher frequencies.
🎧 Characteristics of Different Microphone Tones
The second paragraph delves into the characteristics of darker, brighter, and warmer microphone tones. A darker microphone, exemplified by the Shure SM7B, rolls off higher frequencies, which can make the sound seem less bright and detailed. In contrast, a bright microphone, like the Audio-Technica AT4040, boosts higher frequencies, resulting in an exciting and detailed sound. Warm microphones, often ribbon microphones, exaggerate lower frequencies and may roll off higher ones, giving a vintage sound, as demonstrated by the AEA KU5A. The speaker advises that the choice of microphone tone is highly personal and can also be influenced by the voice characteristics of the user. Suggestions are made to listen to recordings from various microphones, especially if they are similar to the listener's voice, to determine the preferred tone. The paragraph concludes with the idea that while there's some guesswork involved, being informed can help in the selection process.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Microphone Tone
💡Low Frequencies
💡Mid Frequencies
💡High Frequencies
💡Neutral
💡Dark
💡Bright
💡Warm
💡Frequency Response Graph
💡Boost
💡Cut
Highlights
Subjective criteria for microphone selection includes tone preferences such as neutral, dark, bright, and warm.
Descriptors like low, mid, and high frequencies are essential for understanding microphone tones.
A quick demo using white noise is provided to illustrate the range of frequencies from 20 Hz to 20 kHz.
An explanation of how to read a frequency response graph to understand microphone sound characteristics.
The importance of listening to a microphone before making a decision, as frequency response graphs do not tell the whole story.
The Y-axis represents decibels, and the X-axis represents frequencies on a frequency response graph.
A squiggly line on the graph indicates the microphone's frequency response, with 0 dB line signifying no boost or cut.
A neutral sounding microphone provides a balanced and even sound representation.
The SE Electronics SE4400A is used as an example of a relatively neutral microphone.
A darker sounding microphone rolls off high frequencies, resulting in a less bright and detailed sound.
The Shure SM7B is an example of a classic darker sounding microphone.
Bright microphones boost high frequencies, making them sound exciting and detailed.
The LLCT 440 is an example of a bright sounding microphone.
Warm microphones exaggerate lower frequencies and may roll off high frequencies, giving a vintage sound.
The AEA KU5A ribbon microphone is an example of a warmer, vintage sounding microphone.
Choosing the right microphone tone depends on personal preference and the type of voice being recorded.
Listening to samples from different microphones can help identify the best tone for a particular voice.
Ultimately, trying out a microphone and listening to the recording is the best way to determine its suitability.
Upcoming video will cover other important microphone specifications.
Transcripts
let's get into some more subjective
criteria for microphone selection and
what I'm referring to is what kind of
tone do you want out of your microphone
a couple of descriptors we're going to
be discussing today are neutral dark
bright and warm there are dozens of
other descriptors we could use but I'm
trying to keep it somewhat succinct so
that's what we're going to be using to
describe different microphone tones
before we go any further if you're
unfamiliar with the terms low
frequencies mid frequencies or high
frequencies I want to include a quick
demo so you can understand that what
you're hearing right now is White Noise
this covers every single frequency from
20 HZ to 20
khz now I have eqed this so that all
you're hearing are the high
frequencies now all you're hearing are
the low frequency
and now all you're hearing are the mid
frequencies in order to help you
understand these frequencies even better
I going to do that EXA and sweep from 20
Herz all the way up to 20 KZ while I am
talking so you can hear how these
frequencies correspond to spoken words
hopefully this is helping you get the
picture of what frequencies lie where
now let's quickly learn how to read a
frequency response graph which is a
graph that gives us a general idea of
what a microphone is going to sound like
but quick disclaimer it does not tell
the whole story you always need to hear
a microphone first let's get to learning
on the Y AIS we have decb and on the x
axis we have frequencies on this graph
you have this squiggly line and I know
it may be a bit confusing but this is
what's going to give us a general
understanding of the sound of a
microphone that we're looking at the
left hand side of the graph is going to
represent the lower frequencies and as
we move further to the right the
frequencies we're looking at are getting
higher and higher here's a sign sweep
from 20 HZ all the way up to 20 khz and
I'll throw a graph up on screen so you
can see how these frequencies correlate
to what you're
[Music]
hearing now let's look at this 0o debel
line on the Y AIS when this squiggly
line is sitting on that 0 dbel line that
means the frequency is not being boosted
or being cut when the squiggly line is
below this that means the frequency is
being being cut and that frequency is
going to sound quieter but when the
squiggly line is above this as it is
above about 2 KZ on this graph that
means those frequencies are going to be
boosted and sound a bit louder and in
this instance this mic is going to be
brighter I should also note that as the
squiggly line gets further away from
that zero DB line that means the Boost
or the cut is going to be more
exaggerated and that frequency is going
to sound louder or quieter first up we
have a neutral sounding microphone what
this means is it provides a fairly
accurate representation of the sound
that's in front of it it's not boosting
too much or cutting too much in the low
frequencies the mid frequencies or the
high frequencies it just gives you a
nice balanced and even sound for this
example I am using the SE Electronics
se4400a it is not ruler flat there is a
little bit of boost in the higher
frequencies but compared to a lot of
other microphones this is relatively
neutral next we have a darker sounding
microphone and what this means is it
rolls off some of those higher
frequencies so it's not going to come
across as bright as detailed as exciting
as Lively for this example I'm using the
sm7b which is a classic darker sounding
microphone for your voices like mine I
love this but I know a lot of people
dislike this sound because they think
that it sounds muffled and a bit too low
detail the next descriptor is bright the
way that I classify a bright microphone
is a microphone that boosts those higher
frequencies quite a lot it makes it
sound really exciting really Lively
really detailed for this example I am
using the L LCT 440 which I think offers
a very bright sound to it but it sounds
great at the same time if that's the
sound you're looking for and lastly we
have warm microphones the way that I
classify this is the lower frequencies
are going to be more exaggerated it may
also exhibit a bit of a roll off in the
higher frequencies a lot of ribbon
microphones are going to fall into the
category of being warmer they sound a
bit more vintage a bit more
old-fashioned what I'm using for this
example is the aea ku5a which is a
ribbon microphone this is a great
example of what a warmer more vintage
sounding microphone can offer so then we
get to the question of which tone is
right for you or which tone is best this
really comes down to personal preference
which tone do you like the best but it
can also be a little bit of utility if
you know you have a lot of mouth noises
a bright microphone is going to
accentuate that so maybe steer clear of
that do you have more of a siblin voice
where your s's whistle a bit then maybe
a darker sounding microphone would be
the right option because that can help
tame it or do you have a super deep and
Bassy and manly Voice without a lot of
higher frequencies then perhaps a warmer
microphone wouldn't be the best fit
because it could make you sound a little
bit too muddy I think the best way to
identify which tone you prefer and which
tone would fit your voice the best is by
listening to a lot of s from different
people on different microphones
especially if the person you're
listening to has a similar voice to you
that's going to help you hone what your
preferences are and identify what tone
you like as well as what kind of tone is
going to fit with your type of voice
unfortunately this is at best
guesstimating how a mic is going to work
you're never truly going to know until
you get in front of the mic record with
it and then listen back so it is a
little bit of a guessing game but you
can and go in and be a little bit more
informed we're coming up on the end of
this module and in the next video we're
going to be covering other microphone
specs that you should pay attention to
and that video is linked directly
beneath me as well as in the description
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