[microsound] project: microacoustic pt2

[Justin Glenn Smith]

I am not an engineer either, but I have dabbled and read a few things here and there. I think it could have to do with a smoothing of the recording (caused by poor high frequency response) compensating for harsher qualities in the gear reproducing the sound. And also the fact that the recorded medium does not nearly have the dynamic range that the human ear is capable of. For example, in order to hear the saxophone at a full normal amplitude you are either compressing the signal in order to retain clarity on the quieter moments, or gating to eliminate the quieter sounds, or introducing the distortion of an extremely low bit-depth when the sounds get quieter. As far as I know any fourth option (other than a drastically higher dynamic range) would be an improved version of compression and or gating.

Electronic simulacra of sounds have a number of limitations, which we can choose as artists to compensate for with a careful concealing artifice in order to mimic natural sounds, or allow to remain as a sort of wabi-sabi trace of our human technological limitations.

David Powers wrote:
> That's interesting thanks for that info -- I'm no recording engineer,
> and was not aware that modern equipment would actually create a
> harsher sound. Maybe that's something in favor of lo-fi then...
> 
> But, this may be a naive question, why would a flat response
> microphone recording a saxophone sound harsher than the same sound if
> I'm listening to it standing next to the saxophone? Or is it just
> because the mic is normally much closer than the ear?
> 
> ~DP
> 
> On Wed, Dec 16, 2009 at 4:29 PM, Justin Glenn Smith
> <noisesmith at gmail.com> wrote:
>> The Blue Note recordings were done on outdated equipment with far from a flat frequency response. To get that sound today you would use some kind of preamp or processor, modern equipment is too accurate in general and would sound overly harsh without some processing.
>>
>> David Powers wrote:
>>> I don't know, all the classic Blue Note records were two mics straight
>>> to tape. I don't think they sound "lo-fi" per se. So, I think that you
>>> don't need a large amount of pre or post processing. And honestly, I
>>> don't think eq and compression as pre (as opposed to post) processing
>>> is a good idea for acoustic music personally, unless you really know
>>> what you are doing. When an engineer tried to do that on my last
>>> recording, he almost ruined the drums trying to give it "character".
>>> My friend who mixed it down couldn't understand why he didn't just
>>> record it clean...
>>>
>>> Now your point about the acoustic space and the mic placement is well
>>> taken. However, the space is a consideration in all acoustic music,
>>> not just recorded music, and mic placement to some extent is
>>> equivalent to the position of the spectator at a performance. So the
>>> only question is that of the mics themselves, which for most of us
>>> probably comes down to, "use what you've got." I personally will have
>>> to borrow one.
>>>
>>> ~David
>>>
>>> On Wed, Dec 16, 2009 at 4:04 PM, Justin Glenn Smith
>>> <noisesmith at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>> Adam Davis wrote:
>>>>>  Question: Are autopan, gate and downsampling acceptable forms of processing
>>>>> for this project?
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>> Good point. Also, what about selecting a mic or sound card to record with specifically for the way it colors the sound? Overpowering the mic? A mic with a damaged membrane? Moving a powerful magnet near the mic cable while recording? Recording in spaces with unusual or "unnatural" resonant characteristics? Unconventional mic placement? Recording without equalization or compression? Failure to record in an acoustically dead space and use the typical measure of electronic reverb?
>>>>
>>>> I think the standard set of rules for recording of "acoustic" music state that pre or post processing that makes the sound seem cleaner or more natural is obligatory. Absence of processing typically gives you the "low fi" sound, which is just another genre of hybrid electronic music. It's kind of like how you don't look a real live human on TV unless you have a solid pancake of makeup on your face.
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