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[Nature Recordists] Fuzzy Blobs

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Subject: [Nature Recordists] Fuzzy Blobs
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Hi David,
Thanks for elaborating, I will look forward to your sound focusing piece.
To give a rough estimate of the capsule spacing in the PCM-M10, I have measured 
the microphone grills at about 57mm on center. I don't use a dish very often so 
this is a bit of a diversion for me, however if it would be useful for anyone 
here, I could mount my M10 in my Telinga dish and see what happens.

John

--- In 
<naturerecordists%40yahoogroups.com>, 
"Avocet" <> wrote:
>
> > This is the first time I have heard the term "Airy disc" used in the
> > context of acoustics.
>
> John,
>
> The theory is identical with any wave focussing. Knowing the size of
> the "fuzzy blob" focus area describes most of the characteristics of a
> dish microphone and lets you work out what is happening.
>
> > ... in practice it will be distorted over a measurable volume of
> > space. From my perspective this practical "focus" will likely be a
> > non-uniform, asymmetrical blob rather than a sphere or disc.
>
> It is more like an apple core shape with the narrowest bit, or best
> image, at the focus point. This is what you see when you are focussing
> a camera lens. Bypassing the geeky explanation, the diameter of a
> sound Airy disc is more or less the wavelength of the frequency being
> focussed, in other words 300mm or 1 foot at 1 KHz.
>
> Stick a small mic in this position and you will only pick up a
> fraction of the reflected sound, therefore the dish gain is low, but
> at 15KHz and 20mm diameter it is about the same area as the mic
> capsule so the gain will be high and the focus will be narrow.
>
> My argument with using a dish for stereo is that a parabola loses its
> focus pattern off center, so why not use a spherical dish and at least
> maintain the same focus at any angle?

The huge wartime concrete
> reflectors used on the English Channel coast to listen for German
> planes were spherical.
>
> Point a dish at the sun - with the mic(s) removed for safety -and you
> can see the focus patterns with a piece of paper, or at least the
> patterns for high frequencies. A spherical dish has a ring focus which
> can be used for positioning the mics for stereo.
>
> I'm writing a full length piece on sound focussing which will give
> chapter and verse. :-(
>
> David
>
> David Brinicombe
> North Devon, UK
> Cogito cogito ergo cogito sum - Ambrose Bierce
>















"While a picture is worth a thousand words, a 
sound is worth a thousand pictures." R. Murray Schafer via Bernie Krause.



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