microphone location recording

MICROPHONE LOCATION RECORDING.

Using a handheld portable recorder and mobile phone, I recorded different sounds around the college at various locations. I took notes on the duration, take, location, subject and proximity and recorded the results.

The first sound I recorded  (take 2) was the sound of a bathroom door closing. It lasted for 3 seconds, and it was recorded approximately 3 inches away from the door.

The second sound I recorded (take 3) was the sound of a running tap. I had recorded this is a bathroom, approximately 1.5 inches away from the running tap.

The third sound I recorded (take 5) was the hand dryer in the bathroom when it was turned on. The duration for this was 2 seconds and was recorded about 3 inches from the dryer.

The fourth sound recorded (take 7) was the toilet in the bathroom flushing. The duration for this sound was 5 seconds and it was recorded from 30 cm away from the toilet bowl (approx.)

The fifth sound I recorded (take 8) was footsteps, which was also done in the bathroom. This lasted for about 5 seconds and was recorded about 5 cm away from the person’s feet.

The sixth sound I recorded (9) was the echo produced in the stairways mixed with the sound of a pen tapping on the metal bannisters. The duration for this was 8 seconds and was recorded about 50cm away from the bannister creating the original sound.

The seventh sound recorded (take 11) was the sound of turning on a printer downstairs on the 1^st floor. I recorded this sound 3 inches away from the printer. The duration for this sound was 5 seconds.

The eighth sound (take 12) I recorded was the sound of someone ordering something on the vending machine in the atrium, I recorded this sound 2 inches away from the buttons being pressed on the machine.

The ninth sound recorded was (take 15) someone exiting and re-entering the college with their access card. You could hear the sounds of the door opening as well. The duration for this sound was 4 seconds and was recorded at the entrance of the college.

The tenth sound recorded was ( take 17) the sound of a ring being banged against a metal pole which made a vibrating sound as it made contact with the pole. The proximity for this specific sound varied between 2-0inches, 2 based on the distance from the pole before it was banged and 0 being when the ring was in contact with the pole.

The eleventh and final sound was recorded on the top floor, outside the music classroom. This sound was of someone playing the drums and someone else singing. The proximity for this sound would be approximately 3 metres.

audio playback device

 audio playback devices :

   

   Ipad

   

   Iphone 

   

   PC

   

   TV - surround sound 

   

  Headphones

ideal setup for recording dialogue

Ideal set up for recording dialogue.            Tuesday 23rd september 2014

The ideal location for recording dialogue would be in a studio/isolation booth. Reasons for this would be because it is in a closed environment so the quality of sound would be a lot better than if it were being recording in an open environment e.g. outside. For example in a band situation, the isolation booths are there to accommodate loud instruments such as the drums and electric guitars and to keep these sounds from being audible to the microphones that are capturing the sounds from more quiet instruments, dialogue or vocals.

The isolation booth is generally a small room.  The room would have non-reflective surfaces (absorptive surfaces) to control the amount of reverberation (Decay/echo). The absorption power is determined by the strength of the materials.

Vocal booth à foam à absorbs sound = less reflection

Greater reflection = longer decay (reverb)

Glass = triple glazed to eliminate sound (entering or escaping).

Equipment that is generally found in a recording studio includes:

·      Mixing console

·      Multitrack recorder

·      Microphones

·      Reference monitors (Loudspeakers with a flat frequency response)

·      Keyboard

·      Digital audio workstation

·      Compressors, reverbs or equalizers.

    Architectural acoustics is about achieving good quality of speech wherever the location, e.g. being in an empty church or theatre would produce a greater reflection, therefore causing a longer decay. In modern buildings, achieving good sound is a branch of acoustical engineering. Most sound is reflected, which is almost as loud as the original sound being reflected. In terms of diffusion, the sound bounces around in different directions, depending on the type of effect that is wanted. 

  

Friday 19th September 2014 - lesson 5 

music - mood, type/genre, tonality (dark/light), tempo, instruments, dynamics, mix, how it effects audience

Dialect - what they are saying, emotion, dynamics, tone, accents, voice-over, narrator (off/on camera), how it effects audience 

Sound Effect- what SFX are being used?, diegetic/non-diegetic, tonality, on/off camera, how it effects audience

Matrix- fight scene - 

task 1

Sound production – task 1

Throughout the duration of any film or TV programme, the sound production company has used many different sound effects, different types of music and a variety of dialect to set the mood, which has an effect on the audience as to how they react to the suspense and events shown through the film. In this analysis I will be focusing on how the music, SFX, and dialect add emphasis to what is happening in 3 scenes from different films/TV programmes and how this would have an effect on the audience.

The first scene I will be analysis is the avengers – stark’s death. I chose to do this scene, as there is a lot of sound effects and dialect. 

The scene starts of with slow classical music and laser sounding effects to suggest that the character in the scene is about the shut down the machine that is causing the problem. This also suggests that she is the hero in the scene as it shows her trying to stop the ‘disaster’. This relates back to how to audience may feel about what she is doing because, at the time she is probably feeling as if she is saving the world, however this makes the audience feel unsettled as iron man then announces that he knows how to shut the portal, as he says ‘I got a nuc coming, its going to blow in less than a minute’. The music then switches from slow, to an up beat ‘countdown’ type of music, which suggests to the audience something is about to happen that will potentially be life threatening for the hero. The music used for this part of the scene is very fast, and the drums is used quite frequently as it makes a more low pitch sound, which creates a negative vibe within the scene.

The dialect within the scene somewhat reduces the level of seriousness, because of his tone of voice whilst speaking to the other heroes, although his facial expression suggest something completely different. He doesn’t seem to be worried at all about the nuclear bomb as he sound as if he has it all under control, although his facial expressions show determination and also doubt to whether he will be able to get to the portal in time.