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Re: [Nature Recordists] sanken cuw-180 recording

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Subject: Re: [Nature Recordists] sanken cuw-180 recording
From: Gregory O'Drobinak <>
Gentle people:

The A-law issue is actually more complex than just 'levels'.

One issue here is that there are quite possibly an infinite number of shape=
d
noise spectra that can register as the same A-law level. So if the self noi=
se of

the mic is measured as being 16 dBA, the noise spectrum of that mic could f=
avor
the low, the mids or the highs and still be read by the sound level meter a=
s 16
dBA.

The Fletcher-Munson study that gave rise to the 40 phon (in level) A-law cu=
rve
was done a long time ago and was formulated to account for the perception o=
f
individual tones, not random noise, back in 1933. Go to the audiologist
and that's what you get: tones to test your hearing, not even band-passed
noise!

In particular, A-law weighting of low-level background noise (such as the d=
rone
of the city) does NOT correlate at all well with what most people hear, it=

devalues the low end perception of the spectrum severely. And A-law weighti=
ng
does not account for our enhanced perception of low-level noise at around 6=
 KHz;

it devalues it by 10 - 12 dB. That is why the BBC and others did the resear=
ch to

account for this perception and formulated the ITU-R 468 spec. Note that th=
is
spec specifies not only the weighting curve, but also the precise method fo=
r
metering (measuring) the level of the noise.

ITU-R 468 is better (and much newer!) science, not an attempt to hammer
something into a 'compartment' in which it does not belong.

Here are some links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equal-loudness_contour
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A-weighting
http://www.rane.com/par-w.html#weighting_filters  (look towards the end for=

different weighting filters)
http://sound.westhost.com/project17.htm
http://broadcastengineering.com/mag/broadcasting_reading_microphone_specifi=
cations/


I can see why Jez has an issue with A-law specs for mic self-noise. But is =
ITU-R

468 the be-all and end-all spec? For some people, maybe not, for their own=

perception may be heightened or stunted in ways different from the 'norm' o=
f the

human population. But I do believe that applying A-law curve, which was des=
igned

for the perception of tones, is not applicable to measuring noise in
any reasonable way. Why folks continue to apply it to such purposes is quit=
e
puzzling. Perhaps they didn't know before ( in the '60s) what we know now a=
nd
there is just too much inertia to move away from A-law. It's sad that the m=
ic
manufacturers haven't kept up with current perception theory and measuremen=
t
methodology.

Human perception, especially hearing, is quite complex. Pick up a contempor=
ary
psychoacoustics text and you'll see.
ITU-R 468 is much better than A-law for self-noise measurement, but it's st=
ill
an approximation to what really happens in our minds when we listen to nois=
e and

make our own judgements about it.

So what do we do now?  :>}

Numbers can lie. I suggest we listen and make more comparison recordings of=

different mics on a common (good) recorder under identical extremely quiet=

conditions. And by identical, I mean not only the same background level, bu=
t
with the preamp gain calibrated to give the same output level for each mic=

according to a properly chosen calibration tone. Then we can make our own
judgements independently from the vendor's 'spec' sheets.

Let's move forward.

- Greg

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