Warm Audio WA-47jr Bedienungsanleitung Seite 8

TIPS AND INSTRUCTIONS
A BRIEF WORD ON ROOM TREATMENT
Room acoustics can be just as important as the microphone you choose. Even the best
microphone won't sound great if you are picking up unwanted reflections that can smear or comb-filter
the sound you are recording. Just because a microphone is set to cardioid pattern will not always
mean that it is not picking up unwanted room reflections or outside noises such as street traffic,
footsteps, or air condition vents. Though a walk-in vocal booth is hardly necessary for most situations;
a good quality 'vocal shield' type of product can make an enormous difference, often making the
difference between a demo quality and a professional quality recording. Likewise, when recording
combo amps and other instruments, using gobos or other acoustic isolation products can be hugely
beneficial. Getting proper isolation and just the right amount but not too much room ambience
is one thing that really cannot be effectively corrected later in the process. It is of the utmost importance
to put in the extra time to set things up well in the beginning.
SIGNAL INTEGRITY
In professional audio a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. When it comes to microphone cable, a
quality cable can make a difference. Though not as critical as with instruments or dynamic microphones,
a thin, poor quality, or worn XLR cable can affect the sound of a microphone. With extreme age or wear,
gaps can form in the foil or spiral shield of a microphone cable, allowing RFI and EMI to leak through, or
shield wiring can begin to make intermittent contact with the signal wire. XLR pins can corrode after many
years of exposure, or solder joints break at the stress points inside an XLR barrel. Occasional cable testing
and maintenance is good practice, and worn XLR pins can often be given new life (if not past the point
of no return) by spraying liberally with a contact cleaner such as DeOxit and worked through several
insertions. It is good practice to not use a cable much longer than what is needed for the job at hand; if
a 20 ft. cable will work, little good can come from using a 35 ft. cable. Though condenser microphones
are far better equipped to survive longer or lesser quality cable runs than dynamic and ribbon mics, audio
can begin to attenuate or become contaminated beyond a certain threshold.
Not all phantom power is created equal. Though practically all preamps, mixers, and interfaces on the
market today conform to the +48v/10ma industry standard; phantom power, traditionally, has been set
as low as 10v on some legacy devices.
If in doubt, check the literature of your preamp to ensure proper phantom power is being provided.
Another point worth considering is that phantom power, being DC, can have the tendency to
attenuate over extremely long cable runs. Some engineers have observed that some demanding
condenser microphones appear to perform better when a quality phantom power source is moved closer
to the microphone.
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