Acoustic Terminology

axeman69 · 30th September 2004

Hello all,

This forum is a wealth of information for us junior recordists ( I hate the term newbie).

What I'd like to see is an explaination of a number of terms. Not what you might think. I'm talking more of the Acoustic Termonology. Maybe including MP3 examples. Like what does 'comb filtering' sound like? Or 'standing waves' or out of phase mics?

I think this would aid in helping us figure our own rooms out.

joeq · 30th September 2004

If you want to hear some comb filtering, run your signal through a graphic equalizer and pull every odd slider up and every even slider down.

axeman69 · 30th September 2004

Great, that's the kind of stuff I'm looking for.

DeadPoet · 1st October 2004

If you want to hear the effect of standing waves:

1) play a continuous sine wave (100-150-200Hz) through your monitors and move around in your control room. Notice volume changes as you move from mix position to a corner (or even moving your head in the mix position closer to ceiling or floor !!)

2) play a very slow sweeping sine, say 20Hz --> 500Hz over 30seconds and record it. Check out the result in your fav wave editor. What should be a continous sine wave just became a picture of the grand canyon !!

Phasing: More difficult. If you have a mixing desk with a phase button on it, it's easy: send identical signals through two channels and flip phase on one.
If you don't, try to find a function in your fave wave editor that says 'phase' or 'invert' or 'negative' or whatever...
Best done with the left and right channel of drum overhead tracks. Notice how some frequencies get cancelled and others pass through.

Herwig

30th September 2004	#1
axeman69 Gear nut Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Central Pa. Posts: 78 Thread Starter	Acoustic Terminology Hello all, This forum is a wealth of information for us junior recordists ( I hate the term newbie). What I'd like to see is an explaination of a number of terms. Not what you might think. I'm talking more of the Acoustic Termonology. Maybe including MP3 examples. Like what does 'comb filtering' sound like? Or 'standing waves' or out of phase mics? I think this would aid in helping us figure our own rooms out.

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30th September 2004	#2
joeq Lives for gear Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: New York Posts: 9,254	If you want to hear some comb filtering, run your signal through a graphic equalizer and pull every odd slider up and every even slider down.

1st October 2004	#4
DeadPoet Lives for gear Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Belgium Posts: 1,282	If you want to hear the effect of standing waves: 1) play a continuous sine wave (100-150-200Hz) through your monitors and move around in your control room. Notice volume changes as you move from mix position to a corner (or even moving your head in the mix position closer to ceiling or floor !!) 2) play a very slow sweeping sine, say 20Hz --> 500Hz over 30seconds and record it. Check out the result in your fav wave editor. What should be a continous sine wave just became a picture of the grand canyon !! Phasing: More difficult. If you have a mixing desk with a phase button on it, it's easy: send identical signals through two channels and flip phase on one. If you don't, try to find a function in your fave wave editor that says 'phase' or 'invert' or 'negative' or whatever... Best done with the left and right channel of drum overhead tracks. Notice how some frequencies get cancelled and others pass through. Herwig