Chapter 7 - Audio

After reading this chapter, you should know . . .

  • The role of frequency, amplitude, and pickup patterns as they relate to microphones.
  • How microphones are constructed and where they should be positioned.
  • Characteristics of digital outboard equipment, including servers, computer drives, MP3 devices, CD players, DARs, and DATs.
  • Characteristics of analog recording equipment.
  • The types of cables and connectors and their various uses.
  • The role of a patch bay and router.
  • How to care for cables and connectors.
  • The types of audio consoles.
  • Functions of typical audio consoles related to powering, inputting, shaping, mixing, isolating, outputting, and monitoring.
  • Differences between mic and line feeds.
  • The types of signal processing.
  • The role of faders (including the master fader) and pots.
  • Why audio boards have meters and the functions of VU meters and PPMs.
  • How speakers are used to monitor.
  • How pop filters, the proximity effect, presence, perspective, the inverse square law, phase, and balance relate to effective audio production.

1. Prepare a list of the microphones in your school’s production facility. Look up the mics on the manufacturers’ home pages. Create a spreadsheet that includes the following information about each microphone:

  • brand and model number
  • construction (dynamic or condenser)
  • pickup pattern (cardioid, omnidirectional)
  • type (handheld, lav, shotgun, etc.)
  • capabilities
  • drawbacks
  • typical production uses

2. Sketch your school’s studio audio console, outboard equipment, monitors, and other equipment related to audio. Identify the main components located within the console and other pieces of equipment according to whether they transduce, channel, select/alter, monitor, or record/play back.

3. Record a television commercial. After watching it carefully, write a two-page analysis of the way in which audio is used in the production.

1. Name at least one piece of audio equipment in your facility that does each of the following: transducing, channeling, selecting, recording, monitoring.

2. If you were the audio operator for a TV studio-based game show, what kind of mic would you use for the host? Cardioid or omnidirectional? Dynamic or condenser? Flat frequency response or with a speech bump? Lavaliere, handheld, stand, boom? Would you use balanced or unbalanced cable? What type of connectors would you use? Justify your answers.

3. If the sound from the CD player is not getting through the audio board but the sound from the microphone is, what troubleshooting could you do to get the CD sound operating properly?

4. Define the proximity effect, presence, perspective, and phase and describe how you would handle these four aspects of sound properly.

Here we provide links to excellent topic-related web sites.

Audio Consoles

Outboard Audio Equipment