Today is Technical Tuesday! And today we’re going to talk about microphones. The Mondavi Center has over 130 mics in its inventory. Why so many? Because we need different microphones for different audio situations---plus we often need multiples of the same type of mic. To give you one example of a specific audio situation: As mentioned in todays earlier post, Convocation was held this morning in Jackson Hall. Senior Stage Manager Chris Oca and his crew worked on the set-up yesterday, so I was able to go out on stage and take a few pictures before the big day. I asked Audio Engineer Adrian Galindo about the Neumann (pronounced “NOY-man”) KM105 microphones he had chosen for the lectern. He decided to use those because they’re stronger and pick up more sound. He also said that because of their frequency characteristics, they make people’s voices sound warmer. In addition, he believes they’re good for people who don’t have formal training on how to use a microphone. Below are two photos of the KM105s placed on the lectern. Note that Adrian set them up next to each other. This was to provide better coverage if speakers turned their heads from side to side while talking to the audience. Also, having two mics helps reduce “plosives” since they’re set up toward the sides of the mouth instead of the center. You’ll receive the same level of sound while minimizing plosives from those pesky Ps and Bs. Lastly, mounting mics on the sides provides better sightlines for reading material on the lectern. My thanks to Adrian for sharing his thinking process and insights! I’ll talk about other MC microphones in future posts. Wishing the entire UCD community a great academic year! DJF
Posted on: Wed, 08 Oct 2014 01:49:46 +0000
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