Microphones?

Comments about LibriVox? Suggestions to improve things? News?
adrianstephens
Posts: 1747
Joined: August 27th, 2019, 5:06 am
Location: Cambridge UK
Contact:

Post by adrianstephens »

schrm wrote: November 23rd, 2020, 11:08 am
KevinS wrote: November 23rd, 2020, 11:03 am
schrm wrote: November 23rd, 2020, 10:46 am proximity effect has a wikipedia page:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proximity_effect_(audio)
Thank you, schrm. I can't say I understand all of that, but I get the general idea.
(that's more or less the same with me :-) )
While deep he-man thundering bass might be effective for "power voice-over" use, it's not appropriate for Librivox, IMHO. Most of the information in speech is between 300Hz and 3000Hz (the so-called "telephone frequencies"). I have a 100Hz high-pass filter on my mic, which I leave switched on.

I mention this because you generally do want to get as close to the mic as possible to reduce the relative intensity of room echo/reverb (unless you have a really well treated sound booth), but getting really close (like a couple of inches away) probably results in booming bass unless you add some kind of filter (in the mic or in post).

I read the Wiki article. I wasn't greatly impressed with it - it didn't really explain why the proximity effect occurs.
My Librivox-related YouTube series starts here: Part 0: Introduction. https://youtu.be/pMHYycgA5VU
...
Part 15: Case Study (Poem) https://youtu.be/41sr_VC1Qxo
Part 16: Case Study 2 (Dramatic Reading) https://youtu.be/GBIAd469vnM
schrm
Posts: 4210
Joined: February 10th, 2018, 11:02 am
Location: Austria

Post by schrm »

adrianstephens wrote: January 25th, 2021, 12:24 pm
While deep he-man thundering bass might be effective for "power voice-over" use, it's not appropriate for Librivox, IMHO. Most of the information in speech is between 300Hz and 3000Hz (the so-called "telephone frequencies"). I have a 100Hz high-pass filter on my mic, which I leave switched on.

I mention this because you generally do want to get as close to the mic as possible to reduce the relative intensity of room echo/reverb (unless you have a really well treated sound booth), but getting really close (like a couple of inches away) probably results in booming bass unless you add some kind of filter (in the mic or in post).

I read the Wiki article. I wasn't greatly impressed with it - it didn't really explain why the proximity effect occurs.
well, you can edit it to rise the quality of the article?

in the german version, there are strict rules for editing. but i am not able to really compare the informations between the two versions..
i think you can use google translate to check it, though:
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nahbesprechungseffekt
cheers
wolfi
reader/12275
kwpapke
Posts: 340
Joined: February 18th, 2017, 10:40 am
Location: Tucson, AZ
Contact:

Post by kwpapke »

JordanN wrote: November 11th, 2020, 7:16 pm
Availle wrote: October 23rd, 2020, 6:35 pm I think it could do with a new section on mobile phones, Ipads,... not that I know anything about these. :lol:

Also, I think that the zoom H2 recorder is not produced any longer. :cry:
I believe the H2n is still produced and sold.

Zoom just announced the F2 yesterday. At $200 with an included lavalier microphone and Bluetooth control, it might be a good introductory option. It’s intended purpose is as an alternative to a wireless lav microphone for video, but it might work acceptably for Librivox purposes.
I purchased an F2 for doing outdoor recordings for my Youtube channel. It'll work fine for that, though I don't think it'll last long because it's pretty flimsy. The quality of the included Lav mic is questionable - I find my old Giant Squid preferable. The lav mics are not really up to Librivox standards IMHO, I have been using my Shure SM58 exclusively. Prior to buying the Shure mic I used my H2 and was very happy with the result.

The main benefit of the F2 is 32 bit float, which is way overkill for Librivox recordings.

FWIW.
sjmarky
Posts: 4534
Joined: August 28th, 2006, 8:47 pm
Location: Sacto CA
Contact:

Post by sjmarky »

More USB mics are coming out all the time at various price points.

Here's a shoot out with samples from Sweetwater:

https://www.sweetwater.com/insync/usb-mic-shootout-sound-samples/

And here's some recent ones on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/e88lqty0BCU

https://youtu.be/N9rceCfJfho
"Bringing you yesterday's tomorrow...today!"

My website
My Librivox reader page
Algy Pug
Posts: 6962
Joined: December 26th, 2009, 10:07 pm
Location: Perth, Western Australia

Post by Algy Pug »

The following video, which is a few years old, shows how good USB microphones in a treated space can sound:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dv9LUThq-Ek&t=139s

Anyone got a spare whisper room........

Cheers
Algy Pug

My Librivox page



_________________________
lurcherlover
Posts: 1206
Joined: November 10th, 2016, 3:54 am
Location: LONDON UK

Post by lurcherlover »

KevinS wrote: November 23rd, 2020, 10:25 am
Someone---I wish I remembered his (?) moniker---suggested that we speak closer to the mic. The difference is significant enough, but I still feel there is a value to recording from both close and farther (Not far.) Closer is giving me a warmer (?) tone which I think I will be using for some projects and not others. Why this is so---that is, my feeling that one is more 'appropriate' for one project than the other---is entirely up for grabs. It is a purely subjective.
It could have been me, or others too. An explanation about the proximity effect - as you get closer to the mic the bass frequencies are exaggerated - and very close means a lot of bass. Some mics do this more than others and some of these mics have settings that can exaggerate this effect or diminish it. Generally speaking 6 inches to 12 inches from most mics will have little effect, but at one inch to three inches will mean more bass. Of course the male voice will have the greater effect with its (usually) lower frequencies. But you should use the mic to get the sound you want.
KevinS
Posts: 15465
Joined: April 7th, 2019, 8:32 am
Contact:

Post by KevinS »

lurcherlover wrote: April 14th, 2021, 8:30 am
KevinS wrote: November 23rd, 2020, 10:25 am
Someone---I wish I remembered his (?) moniker---suggested that we speak closer to the mic. The difference is significant enough, but I still feel there is a value to recording from both close and farther (Not far.) Closer is giving me a warmer (?) tone which I think I will be using for some projects and not others. Why this is so---that is, my feeling that one is more 'appropriate' for one project than the other---is entirely up for grabs. It is a purely subjective.
It could have been me, or others too. An explanation about the proximity effect - as you get closer to the mic the bass frequencies are exaggerated - and very close means a lot of bass. Some mics do this more than others and some of these mics have settings that can exaggerate this effect or diminish it. Generally speaking 6 inches to 12 inches from most mics will have little effect, but at one inch to three inches will mean more bass. Of course the male voice will have the greater effect with its (usually) lower frequencies. But you should use the mic to get the sound you want.
Thank you for the explanation!
Post Reply