REWIRE YOURSELF
As much as most people understand that their cassette or reel to reel tape recorders will record as well as playback, it seems they have a lot more trouble making recordings than just pushing the “play” button. Often the tape machine is blamed; after all, the machine plays back pre-recorded tapes great, but original recordings don’t play back that well.
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REWIRE YOURSELF
MIKE TO MOUTH RESUSCITATION
by Richard Robinson
As much as most people understand that their cassette or reel to reel tape recorders will record as well as playback, it seems they have a lot more trouble making recordings than just pushing the “play” button. Often the tape machine is blamed; after all, the machine plays back pre-recorded tapes great, but original recordings don’t play back that well. The truth is, most machine owners have very little idea of how to record properly, being victims of the illusion rather than manipulators.
It isn’t all that difficult to make a proper recording with just about any tape machine, if you , understand how it’s done. This “understanding” isn’t particularly technical, having more to do with the microphone than with the machine’s internal electronics. Of course, it helps to use good tape, clean the machine’s record head, and watch the level controls to avoid distortion. But the big problem most home recordists have is what is generally referred to as “microphone technique.”
The basics of good mike technique are to be sure that the microphone is neither too close (distortion results) or too far away (extraneous sound enters) from the source of the sound being recorded. The human voice, for instance, is best recorded by a microphone placed from six to twelve inches from the mouth, any closer and the sounds will be garbled as the voice’s vibrations overpower the mike element that translates sound to electric pulses, any further away and the voice is lost in the environmental sound resulting in a weak sounding, noisy recording.
The surroundings in which the recording is made must also be considered^ Any recording made in high traffic areas is difficult since other sounds will often filter into the mike and dull the primary sound being recorded. On the other hand, in a properly controlled environment (as created in recording studios, churches, and many theaters), one microphone can record the sum total of many different sounds.
Recently Sony introduced five different microphones costing very little, and each designed for a particular consumer application. A clever idea on Sony’s part, and, considering each of these five mikes, an educational experience for anyone who ever wanted to get a mike “to do some recording.”
“This new microphone line,” explains Sony’s Jim Guthrie, “ranging in price from $30 to $50, will offer the broadest possible dealer network an inexpensive line satisfying 90% of their customers’ miking needs.”
It is interesting to note that even if your tape machine has a built-in mike, an outboard mike is recommended if you want to make a really proper recording.
Sony’s The Mic (F-V3T) is the least expensive in the new line, costing $29.95 list, complete with stand. This is a general purpose hand or stand mike made to be used to record conversations and other simple, direct voice-to-mike recordings. It features a cardiod response pattern, which means that it tends to reject sounds coming from any direction other than straight at the mike element.
Sony’s Stereo Mic (F-99T) is a two element microphone that has two output cables, allowing the user to make a stereo recording with only one microphone. While any one-point stereo recording is more limited than using two mikes placed at a distance from each other, a noticeable stereo effect is created with a mike like this that is quite pleasant to listen to. The F-99T would be a handy mike to use to record live music from a distance. It lists for $39.95.
Sony’s Tie-Tac Mic (ECM-16T) also sells for $39.95 and is a very handy miniature microphone that can be used to get a very good recording of the human voice by attaching the mike to the speaker’s clothing on the chest about six inches below the chin. This is the kind of microphone used by newscasters on TV. Two or three of these mikes, fed through a mike mixer, will produce excellent, ungarbled sound, in group talk situations. Also handy for home videotapers, as the mike is unobtrusive in the picture. Comes complete with clip to attach to clothing and battery.
Sony’s Vocal Mic (F-V4T) is designed for hand held, close to the mouth use at a retail price of $39.95. This is the type of mike you’d want to use if you were seriously trying to make a very good recording of the human voice either talking or singing. Because the human voice tends to sound “boomy” or brassy when used close-up to a microphone, this mike has been designed to eliminate this boomy “proximity effect.” It features a cardiod response pattern which will alow it to be used in high noise areas (like the lead vocalist of a band) without picking up extraneous noise or feeding back.
Sony’s Instrument Mic (ECM-220T) costs $49.95 and is a battery powered electretcondenser microphone with a wide frequency response and a very sensitive response. It is most useful to record musical instrument sounds and must be properly placed to avoid distortion from the instrument or instrument’s amplifier. But it will produce an excellent recorded version of the original sound.
Each of these five microphones has been made easier for the home recordist to use by having a cable ending in a mini-plug which is threaded to accept a ¼" phone plug sleeve (supplied). So if you’re using a cassette deck with mini-plug inputs or a large tape recorder or mixer with phone plug inputs this Sony “unimatch”®, plug configuration will solve your problem.
