At 7:35 PM -0800 3/3/04, Eric Benjamin wrote:
>Jesse,
>
..snip
>
>If the system isn't adjusted to "natural
>recording" levels, then all bets are off.=A0
>
..snip..
>I hope this helps.
>
>Eric
>
>jessehammons <> wrote:
>
>Out of curiousity, if a microphone has 5 dB of self-noise, and you
>turn the gain on the pre-amp up to 50 dB, how loud is resulting signal
>(assuming the microphone is place in a sound-proof chamber of some kind).
,,snip..
>I'm wondering if I can calculate whether that is possible or whether
>the self-noise value wouldn't even be audible if all my equipment is
>running within spec.
>
>Thanks,
>-Jesse
>
Sorry to snip off your elegant question Jesse and
responses Eric and Evert. [If I don't, someone
often does. Doug I assume.] Call it it perversion
or honest affection, but many people do amplify,
particularly dynamically tame recordings, at a
much higher level than the original. Louder play
can be a major part of the fascination because
one can detect many more things above room tone.
Bets are off for many recordings made in natural
settings. For example, my urban attic studio was
38dB as I mixed this afternoon. The recordings
were all made under 30 dB. To Jesse's question:
how can one tell if they are hearing
significantly more pre than mic noise? (I agree
with Evert, you amplify it all-- mic noise , pre
noise and also incidental interference like RF).
One can mix and match other mics and pres to sort
out the sonic characteristics added by each
component, but with such low levels, there are
also unique noise contributions specific to
locations which mic/pre combinations and bit
saturation can promote or detract from. Common
examples are exaggerated "edginess" in leaf and
grass sounds or a grunge/drone in the lower mid
range even when no mechanical sound sources are
being recorded. Equalization can really help and
eq apps vary a great deal. With the equalizer
plug, Eqium, I recently discovered that I can
notch out very narrow bands of intense "zizz"
from my mbho/mp-2 combination that Waves Q-10
could not discern. The files sound much better.
A mic with a 14dB(A) self noise and a pre with
53dB gain can beat out a combination that looks
much better on paper. Its frustrating, there are
more and more ways to work around the challenges
and so many uniqiue applications, how can one
know one if one is making a good choice?
Money-wise, the difference between an MP-2 and a
mic2496 is what, $300? If you rent with option to
buy from a dealer who sells both,.. you can hear
what the $300 does. Might cost you another $100,
after its all done, but you'll know. Rob D.
--
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
"Microphones are not ears,
Loudspeakers are not birds,
A listening room is not nature."
Klas Strandberg
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