DISQUS

mike138 · 2 months ago

This is a very accurate article and useful for artists and engineers. The only fine point I would want to clarify is when you are talking about proximity effect. Unfortunately, the bass boost caused by proximity effect varies radically with small distance changes when the mic is close-talked. That means any filter onboard the mic or in the mixer will only compensate for one spacing and one spacing only....if closer, the bass comes back in; if farther, it thins out quickly. Even with careful EQ there is something left in the bass range that doesn't sound right. Variable D by Electrovoice, eg RE-15, RE-16, RE-20, RE-27 works very well, but seems to have waned in popularity for stage vocalists...probably because they want the boomy sound and lack of feedback due to the false gain. In the studio if the artist is 5 to 6 inches from a condenser mic, proximity effect is not very prominent. If I were building a solo booth, I would avoid just coating the walls with foam.....it must be remembered that most acoustic materials become increasingly transparent as the frequency gets lower so RPG diffusers or gel bass traps might be in order. . Popping can be avoided by singing "over" the mic or at a 45 degree angle. That applies even with a pop filter on...which doesn't prevent all pops that are from dead-on-axis . Mike, Audio Engineering Society