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With speech as a sound source, a particular voice is selected to complement the meaning of the text, and to complement the other sounds in the musical texture. The voice is carefully selected for the appropriateness of its sound quality, and thus its dramatic or theatrical impact, to the meaning of the text to be recited.
Special effects are sound sources that are used to elicit associated thoughts from the listener. The associated thoughts generated by the special effects are NOT directly related to the context of the particular piece of music. Special effects pull the listener out of the context of the piece of music, to perceive external concepts or ideas. A horn sound occurring in a piece of music, used to elicit the mental image of an automobile, is an effect; the same sound used as part of the musical material, used to complement the musical ideas of the work, would NOT be a special effect, but rather using the sound as a musical sound source.
Sounds for special effects, and for sampling / synthesis devices, may be obtained from sound libraries. Sound libraries are collections of sounds (libraries) available on tape, compact disc, or lp, or in a proprietary digital format (for specific sampling-related devices). They are a resource to provide a wide variety of sounds, from virtually every conceivable source (natural and created sounds) and many different types of presentation (light through heavy footsteps of the same person; a child's footsteps, an elderly person's footsteps, high-heeled shoes; etc.). Individual sound libraries are commercially available, and allow the recordist to purchase specific types of sounds for specific projects.
Microphones: The Aesthetic Decisions Of Capturing Timbres
The interactions created by the selection of a particular microphone, placing the microphone at a particular location (within the particular environmental conditions), and matching those decisions to the characteristics of the particular sound source are major determinants of the sound quality of sound sources in music production.
A specific microphone will be used to make a certain recording of a sound source, because of the ways its performance characteristics complement the sound characteristics of the sound source. This interaction of the characteristics of the microphone and the sound source allows the recordist to obtain the desired sound quality of the recorded sound source.
A microphone will be selected for a particular recording because it is most appropriate for the desired, final sound quality. The recordist will determine which microphone is most appropriate by comparing the contributions of the sound quality of the sound source and the performance characteristics of the microphone, to the recordist's conception of the final sound quality to be recorded. The recordist will also evaluate their selection of microphone against the practical limitations of placing the microphone in the recording environment, and in relation to the sound source to be recorded and sound source the recordist does NOT wish to record.
No single microphone will be the "best" microphone for every sound source, or for the same source for every piece of music. The microphones selected for recording the same sound source will vary widely depending on the above circumstances, depending on the desired sound, and depending on what microphones are available.
All microphones can be evaluated by their performance characteristics. These characteristics are information on how the microphone will consistently respond to sound. Thus, through these characteristics, the recordist can anticipate how the microphone will transform the sound quality of the sound source, while it is being recorded.
As the microphone alters the sound source, it has the potential to contribute positively in shaping the artistic elements. If the recordist is in control of the process of selecting the appropriate microphone for the sound source and conditions of the recording, the selection and applications of microphones can be a resource for artistic expression. The artistic elements of the recording can be captured (recorded) in the desired form, and the microphone and its placement will become part of the artistic decision making process.
A number of microphone performance characteristics are most prominent in shaping the sound quality. These characteristics are of central concern in determining the artistic results of selecting these microphones for certain sound sources. These microphone performance characteristics are:
• Frequency response
• Directional response
• Transient response
• Distance sensitivity
Frequency response is a measure of how the microphone responds to frequency levels. Amplitude differences at various frequency ranges are determined throughout the audio range, to calculate the sensitivity of the microphone to frequency.
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