Source Distribution takes on Townsend Labs London-based company will begin distributing the manufacturer's widely acclaimed Sphere L22 Microphone Modeling System in August. Source Distribution has been appointed the official distributor in the UK and Ireland for Townsend Labs Inc, maker of the widely acclaimed Sphere L22 Microphone Modeling System. The Sphere aims to set a new gold-standard in microphone modelling technology, “delivering the real three-dimensional characteristics of the most sought-after microphones ever produced.” Sphere additionally allows for stereo recordings from one single microphone, and enables the user to reduce the influence of room characteristics on the final recording. The high-precision, side-address, large-diaphragm condenser microphone was launched via an international crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo and proved an overnight success, raising more than $100,000 in the first 24 hours. "We’re delighted to be distributing Townsend Labs and look forward to growing the brand in the UK and Ireland.”
Bees Are More Crucial to Modern Agriculture Than Fertilizer Motherboard by Becky Ferreira Bees are more integral to a successful harvest than fertilizer, according to a new PloS ONE study. Researchers, led by Alexandra-Maria Klein of the Albert-Ludwigs-Universität, discovered that disrupting insect pollination affected almond tree yields far more than restricting nutrients and water. Klein, along with her colleagues at the University of California, exposed three sample groups of almond trees to different levels of pollination. One group was pollinated by insects without intervention, while the blossoms of a second group were caged, preventing insects from reaching them. In addition to the pollination variables, Klein’s team treated one group of trees to a standard helping of water and fertilizer, and compared its yields to a group that was given no fertilizer and very little water. The results were dramatic. The finding further confirms that colony collapse disorder will have disastrous effects on agricultural yields.
The horn section is using Shure KSM313s, ribbon microphones, a new addition. Very smooth-sounding microphone, very natural.” From left: Ben Lovett, Marcus Mumford, Ted Dwane, and Winston Marshall Photo: Steve Jennings Mix caught Mumford & Sons during a three-night, sold-out run at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley, Calif., just prior to the announcement of bassist Ted Dwane’s surgery and the cancellation of dates on the Stampede Tour. Our thoughts are with him. FOH engineer Chris Pollard, pictured at left, mixes on a Midas XL4, which he chose for its sound—the preamps, EQ and its wide dynamic range. FOH engineer Chris Pollard (left) and system tech Jamie Howieson “I use a range of classic live sound compressors—the UA1176 for lead vocal, Summit DCL200s for secondary vocals, Distressors for guitars—but my favorites are the TubeTech multiband compressor and Alan Smart C2 limiter, which are inserted in stereo over the main mix. Monitor engineer Joel Gregg “I’m on a DiGiCo SD10, with no external plug-ins, running at 96k,” says monitor engineer Joel Gregg.
Microphone museum Chinese ribbon microphone buyer's guide | recording hacks What’s the difference between various inexpensive made-in-China ribbon mics? There are so many styles, makes and models! Importers and “rebranders” of made-in-China mics often specify different body, headbasket and color schemes to differentiate their microphones from other brands. But just as the capsule is the heart of a condenser microphone, the “motor” is the heart of a ribbon mic. As it turns out, there are really just a small number of ribbon motor types hiding within the headbaskets of all these mics. Editor’s Note, 2010This article was written to “lift the hood” from Chinese ribbon microphones, to reveal that just three basic ribbon motor designs — and three characteristic sound profiles — underlie the dozens of different makes and models of imported ribbon microphones.In that context, Michael Joly’s original simplification of “long ribbon” vs “short ribbon” was descriptive and useful. “Long Ribbon / Short path” Ribbon Motor Mics Representative mics include: The Second Generation
How to read microphone specifications This article is a walk through some of the most important microphone specifications and how they are derived. Keywords: dB-scale, frequency response, frequency range, on-axis response, diffuse field response, polar response, equivalent noise level, sensitivity, max SPL, total harmonic distortion (THD).Achieved knowledge: You will be able to read the specifications listed with the individual microphone models. When you read microphone specifications, it is extremely important that you understand how to interpret them. What you cannot determine from specifications While microphone specifications provide an indication of a microphone's electro-acoustic performance, they will not give you the total appreciation of how it will sound. The decibel (dB) scale The basis for most microphone specifications is the decibel scale. Frequency Response d:dicate™ 4006 Omnidirectional Microphone: Frequency Range: On-axis: 20Hz - 20kHz ±2dB Multiple frequency response curves On-axis response Diffuse field response
NOVA - Official Website | Auto-Tune: Expert Q&A On July 7, 2009, Harold "Dr. Andy" Hildebrand answered questions about Auto-Tune, the implications of its use among professional musicians, and more. Harold Hildebrand Harold Hildebrand, or "Dr. Andy" as he is widely known, founded Antares Audio Technologies in 1990. Photo credit: Courtesy Harold Hildebrand Q: Dr. Andy Hildebrand: Hi Ryan, How about Marilyn Monroe singing "Happy Birthday" to JFK? Famous singers who use Auto-Tune likely learn new distinctions about intonation as they develop as artists. Q: Auto-Tune is capable of shifting individual pitches to produce a more desirable sound, but can the software be used to change the key of an entire song in a few clicks, or would you have to shift each note manually? Hildebrand: Matt, The latest Auto-Tune has a pitch-shifting control that, when used with formant compensation, allows easy key changes while preserving the original character of the performance (including pitch errors, if desired). Hildebrand: Dear Grade 11, Good questions!!
Getting immersed in sound at IBC - PSNEurope Full spatial surround sound has been a ‘nearly’ technology for years. But, as Kevin Hilton reports, developments on show at September’s IBC exhibition may point to it finally entering the mainstream 3D was the big thing at IBC 2008. You couldn’t move for camera rigs and video displays specially designed for the deeper, immersive format. Stereoscopic imaging in TV has stalled since then and so had a much lower profile during this year’s show but the 3D concept was kept alive as more audio developers presented different ways to recreate a true spatial sound experience. In cinema world, Dolby Labs has is already there with Atmos. The company’s development of discrete-channel, more realistic surround sound began during the mid-1990s with AC-3 coding, the basis of the original Dolby Digital 5.1 system. Research into immersive audio was at one time being driven by the growth in 3D imagery. Spatial sound is a cinematic reality and theatre and live events are following suit.
A Practical Guide To dB Calculations By Chuck McGregor • October 7, 2014 This is a practical guide to doing dB (decibel) calculations, covering most common audio situations. You see dB numbers all the time in audio. You may understand that 3 dB is considered a just noticeable change in volume level. But, you haven’t a clue how to figure out how to figure out what 24 dB from your mixing console means to your amplifier rated for 1.4V input sensitivity. Thanks to modern technology, you can do dB calculations without knowing a thing about the mathematics of logs, anti-logs, ratios, exponents, or even much about math. Along the way the math is explained to some extent so that you might understand what you are doing. This article is necessarily long in order to cover many situations where you might need to use dB. Introduction First, if you don’t have one, you need to acquirte a cheap scientific calculator. Another function you need is a 10x function (also called 10 to the x function or the anti-log function). Tagged with:
TSL and Cinela introduce new VR recording package PIANI-SPS200 comprises a SoundField Standard SPS200 microphone slotted into a Pianissimo windshield. Broadcast equipment manufacturer TSL Products has collaborated once again with windshield specialist Cinela to produce the PIANI-SPS200, which it calls the ‘ultimate virtual reality recording package.' The two companies previously worked together to house a custom short body version of TSL's SoundField SPS200 ambisonics microphone within Cinela’s ZEPHYX windshield to create a portable, robust and reliable recording system. The success of that partnership led to this latest project that enables surround sound and VR content creators to capture high quality, immersive sound with the absolute minimum of handling and wind noise to complement their images, TSL says. The SPS200 Software Controlled Microphone can capture SoundField B-Format, surround and stereo simultaneously.