Eargle's the Microphone Book : From Mono to Stereo to Surround - A Guide to Microphone Design and Application , Third Edition

Eargle's Microphone Book is the only guide you will ever need for the latest in microphone technology, application and technique. This new edition features more on microphone arrays and wireless microphones, new material on digital models; the latest developments in surround; expanded advice on studio set up, recording and mic selection. Ray A. Rayburn provides detailed analysis of the different types of microphones available and addresses their application through practical examples of actual recording sessions and studio operations. The book takes you into the studio or concert hall to see how performers are positioned and how the best microphone array is determined. Problem areas such as reflections, studio leakage and isolation are analyzed from practical viewpoints. Creative solutions to stereo sound staging, perspective, and balance are covered in detail. Eargle's Microphone Book is an invaluable resource for learning the 'why' as well as the 'how' of choosing and placing a microphone for any situation. * The most comprehensive guide available, heavily illustrated with helpful diagrams, charts and equations * A timesaving, one-stop reference covering both microphone technology and practical tips on use and problem solving* Written by a highly respected industry veteran and Grammy award winner Front matter......Page 1 Copyright......Page 3 Preface to the First Edition......Page 4 Preface to the Second Edition......Page 6 Preface to the Third Edition......Page 7 Symbols Used in This Book......Page 8 The Early Years......Page 10 The Rise of Broadcasting......Page 12 The Rise of Mass Communications......Page 15 Studio Microphone Technology......Page 16 The Future......Page 17 Introduction......Page 18 Performance Checks......Page 20 Microphone Output Power Sensitivity......Page 22 Condenser Microphone Sensitivity to Temperature And Barometric Pressure......Page 26 Sound in a Plane Wave Field......Page 28 Effects of Humidity on Sound Transmission......Page 29 Diffraction Effects At Short Wavelengths; Directivity Index (Di)......Page 30 Analysis of the Condenser Pressure Microphone......Page 35 Diaphragm Motion......Page 37 Electrical Details of the Condenser Pressure Microphone......Page 39 Near-Coincident Arrays......Page 313 Condenser Microphone Sensitivity to Humidity......Page 43 Equivalent Electrical Circuits for the Condenser Pressure Microphone......Page 44 Details of the Preamplifier and Polarizing Circuitry......Page 45 On-Axis Versus Random Incidence Response: Grids, Baffles, And Nose Cones......Page 48 Typical Condenser Pressure Microphone Noise Spectra......Page 52 Instrumentation Microphones......Page 54 Sensitivity, Bandwidth, and Diaphragm Displacement of Condenser Microphones......Page 59 The Dynamic Pressure Microphone......Page 60 Typical Dimensions and Physical Quantities......Page 64 Other Pressure Microphone Transducers......Page 66 Piezoelectric Microphones......Page 67 Definition and Description of the Pressure Gradient......Page 69 Directional and Frequency Response of Gradient Microphones......Page 73 Mechanical Details of the Dynamic Pressure Gradient Microphone......Page 75 Western Electric Model 630......Page 417 Response Curves for Ribbon Gradient Microphones......Page 79 Equivalent Circuit for a Ribbon Gradient Microphone......Page 81 The Condenser Gradient Microphone......Page 82 Rca Mi-10001......Page 423 The First-Order Cardioid Family......Page 89 ``March to the Scaffold, ́ ́ From Symphonie Fantastique By Hector Berlioz......Page 338 1812 Overture By Pyotr Tchaikovsky (Choral Arrangement By Igor Buketoff)......Page 342 First-Order Cardioid Patterns in Three Dimensions......Page 95 Power Supplies for Older Tube Microphones......Page 97 Single Diaphragm Cardioid Microphones......Page 99 Variable Pattern Single-Diaphragm Microphones......Page 102 Handheld Ms Microphone......Page 105 The Surround Ambience Microphone (Sam) Array......Page 290 Reciprocity Calibration of Pressure Microphones......Page 146 Recording the Guitar......Page 115 Real-World Directional Patterns......Page 116 Interference-Type Microphones......Page 118 Some Acoustical Properties of Musical Instruments and Ensembles......Page 121 Details of the Playback Setup......Page 123 A Desk-Type Microphone Array With Cardioid Horizontal Response and Narrowed Vertical Response......Page 124 Variations in Second-Order Design......Page 130 A Third-Order Microphone......Page 131 Calculation of Directivity Data From Patterns Given in Polar Coordinates......Page 132 Introduction......Page 135 Frequency Response and Polar Data......Page 136 Microphone Stands and Booms......Page 202 Microphone Source Impedance......Page 142 Equivalence of M-S and X-Y......Page 143 Distortion Specifications......Page 145 Impulse Response of Microphones......Page 147 Standards......Page 148 Introduction......Page 150 Flush-Mounted Microphones......Page 200 Using Phantom Powering......Page 153 Western Electric Model 640Aa......Page 154 The Microphone Output Transformer......Page 160 Concerto for Piano and Strings By Alfred Schnittke......Page 350 Console Input Section......Page 162 Improper Microphone Loading......Page 163 Balanced Microphone Interfacing......Page 164 Telefunken Elam 251......Page 426 Microphone Splitters......Page 166 The Stand-Alone Microphone Preamp......Page 168 Line Losses and Electrical Interference......Page 169 Physical Characteristics of Cables......Page 172 Cable Testing......Page 173 Stage Preamplifiers and Fiber Optic Lines......Page 175 Ground Loops......Page 176 Gain Structure......Page 177 Summing Multiple Inputs Into a Single Output Channel......Page 179 Microphones Using the Rf (Radio Frequency) Transmission Principle......Page 180 Parallel Operation of Microphones......Page 181 Digital Microphones......Page 182 How Stereo Works: a Simplified Analysis of Phantom Images......Page 185 Transmission Principles......Page 187 Diversity Reception......Page 188 Signal Compression and Expansion......Page 190 Digital Wireless......Page 191 Transmitter Units......Page 192 The Transmitter......Page 195 The Receiver......Page 196 Shure Model 55 Unidyne......Page 427 Final Comments......Page 199 Factors That Determine Indoor Speech Intelligibility......Page 376 Cable Mounts......Page 205 Wind and Pop Screens......Page 207 Shock Mounts......Page 211 In-Line Electrical Accessories......Page 214 Auxiliary Microphone Power Supplies......Page 216 Introduction......Page 217 Coincident Stereo Microphone Arrays......Page 219 Microphones and Arrays for Stereo-Derived Surround Sound......Page 312 Crossed Cardioid Arrays......Page 223 Variation on X-Y Techniques: Mid-Side (M-S) Pickup......Page 224 Spaced Microphone Recording Techniques......Page 226 Near-Coincident Recording Techniques......Page 231 Williams ́ Summary of Stereo Spaced and Splayed Cardioids......Page 233 Mixed Stereo Microphone Arrays......Page 234 Comment on Front-Back Coverage of the Orchestra......Page 235 Introduction......Page 237 Anatomy of a Stereo Microphone......Page 238 Heads, Spheres, and Baffles......Page 242 Classical Recording: Art Form Or Science?......Page 249 The Noise-Canceling Microphone......Page 355 Keyboard Instruments......Page 251 The Guitar and Lute......Page 256 Two Common Problems......Page 257 Recording Chamber Music......Page 259 The Chamber Orchestra; Introduction to Accent Microphones......Page 262 Microphone Pickup Analysis......Page 264 Some Variations on the Large Orchestra Setup......Page 266 Soloists With Orchestra......Page 267 Livening Or Deadening the Performance Space......Page 268 How Much Reverberation is Needed in the Recording?......Page 270 Dynamic Range Issues......Page 271 Compact Disc References......Page 273 Introduction......Page 275 Principles of Speech Reinforcement......Page 276 A Simple Recording Approach......Page 277 A More Complex Recording Approach......Page 278 Some Acoustical Considerations......Page 280 Microphones for Speech Reinforcement......Page 282 Rca Model 44......Page 283 The Schoeps Kfm 360 Spherical Array......Page 285 Vocals and Vocal Groups......Page 288 Woodwind and Brass Instruments......Page 292 The Soundfield Microphone......Page 294 Basic Layout and Panning......Page 295 The Target Stereo Sound Stage......Page 296 Basic Layout and Panning......Page 297 Basic Layout and Panning......Page 298 The Large Studio Orchestra......Page 300 Modern Studio Acoustics and Control of Leakage......Page 301 The Three-to-One Rule......Page 302 Introduction......Page 305 What is Ambience?......Page 306 The Holophone Global Sound Microphone System......Page 315 Narrowband Equalization......Page 385 The Sound Performance Lab (Spl) Array......Page 316 In-Studio Acoustics and Practice......Page 363 Creating a Center Channel From a Left-Right Stereo Pair of Channels......Page 320 Microphone Arrays for Single-Point Pickup......Page 321 Paging in High-Noise Areas......Page 369 Overview of the Eigenmike......Page 325 Transaural (Head-Related) Techniques......Page 326 Systems With Parallax......Page 331 General Comments......Page 335 A Surround Mixing Rationale: Defining the Sound Stage......Page 336 Rhapsody in Blue By George Gershwin......Page 343 Opening Hymn From Te Deum By Hector Berlioz......Page 346 Selections From Carmen Ballet By Bizet-Shchedrin......Page 349 Automatic Microphone Mixing......Page 357 Headset-Microphone Combinations......Page 358 The Lapel Microphone......Page 361 Conference Systems......Page 366 Paging Systems......Page 367 Introduction......Page 370 Western Electric Model 618......Page 372 Analysis of an Indoor Speech Reinforcement System......Page 374 Loudspeaker Array Options in Large Spaces......Page 382 Electronic Control of Feedback......Page 384 Automatic Microphone Mixing......Page 386 Estimating the Intelligibility of a Speech Reinforcement System......Page 388 Speech and Music Reinforcement in the Legitimate Theater......Page 390 The Modern Musical Theater......Page 391 Active Acoustics and Electronic Halls......Page 392 Discrete Line Array Theory......Page 395 Microphone Array for Multimedia Workstations......Page 398 A Desk-Type Microphone Array With Wide Vertical Response And Narrowed Horizontal Response......Page 400 An Adaptive High-Directionality Microphone......Page 401 The Large Acoustic Data Array......Page 403 Echo Cancellation......Page 404 ``Virtual ́ ́ Microphones......Page 406 Akg Acoustics Model C-12......Page 425 General Recommendations......Page 409 Classic Microphones:The Authors' Views......Page 414 Neumann Model Cmv3A......Page 415 Western Electric Model 639......Page 419 Rca Model 77......Page 421 Neumann Models M49/50......Page 424 Electro-Voice Model 666 Variable-D......Page 428 Electro-Voice Model 643 Rifle Microphone......Page 429 Sony Model C-37A Condenser Microphone......Page 430 The First Stereo Microphones......Page 431 Notable American Condenser Omnis......Page 432 Bang & Olufsen Model Bm-3......Page 438 The Rise of Small-Format Condenser Microphones......Page 441 Sennheiser Model Mkh 404 Rf Microphone......Page 442 Crown International Model Pzm-30 Boundary Layer Microphone......Page 443 General and Historical......Page 445 Stereo and Multichannel Recording......Page 447 Communications and Sound Reinforcement......Page 449 B......Page 450 C......Page 451 E......Page 452 F......Page 453 M......Page 454 N......Page 455 P......Page 456 S......Page 457 W......Page 460 The Microphone Book is the only guide you will ever need to the latest in microphone technology, application and technique. This new edition features, more on microphone arrays and wireless microphones; a new chapter on classic old models; the latest developments in surround; expanded advice on studio set up, recording and mic selection; improved layout for ease of reference; even more illustrations. John Eargle provides detailed analysis of the different types of microphones available. He then addresses their application through practical examples of actual recording sessions and studio operations. Surround sound is covered from both a creative and a technical viewpoint. This classic reference takes the reader into the studio or concert hall to see how performers are positioned and how the best microphone array is determined. Problem areas such as reflections, studio leakage and isolation are analyzed from practical viewpoints. Creative solutions to such matters as stereo sound staging, perspective, and balance are also covered in detail. Recording and sound reinforcement engineers at all levels of expertise will find The Microphone Book an invaluable resource for learning the 'why' as well as the how' of choosing a microphone for any situation.