Preface ixIntroduction xiiiChapter 1. Recording History 11.1. In the beginning was the phonautograph 11.2. When it really started 21.3. Magnetic recording 81.4. The advent of 78 rpm 91.5. The magnetic tape and the LP 151.6. 8-track cartridges, mini-cassette and Trimicron 201.7. The compact disk and the advent of digital technology 271.8. Digital technology is essential 291.9. Hard disk recorder and minidisc 361.10. Microcomputer, direct-to-disk and DAW 381.11. To conclude 42Chapter 2. The Voice 452.1. The vocal apparatus and its functioning 452.2. Voice and breath 482.3. Song and speech 492.4. Frequency, intensity and timbre 502.5. Voice and range 512.6. Voice quality 542.7. Characteristics of the vocal timbre 552.8. Conclusion 57Chapter 3. Microphones 593.1. A little history 593.2. The characteristics of a microphone 713.2.1. General characteristics 713.2.2. Specific characteristics 913.3. Microphone families 933.3.1. Microphone and transformer 943.3.2. Dynamic moving coil microphones 963.3.3. Ribbon microphones 983.3.4. Condenser microphones 1003.3.5. USB microphones 1043.4. Uses of microphones according to their directivity 1073.4.1. Omnidirectional microphones 1073.4.2. Bidirectional microphones (figure-8) 1073.4.3. Cardioid microphones 1093.5. Conclusion 110Chapter 4. The Acoustic Environment 1114.1. Location of pickup and sound isolation 1114.2 Acoustic processing 1124.2.1. State of the art 1124.2.2. Bass traps 1144.2.3. Acoustic diffusers 1234.3. Acoustic booths 1304.4. Accessories 1324.4.1. Acoustic shields 1324.4.2. Pop filters 1354.4.3. Headphones 1364.4.4. Microphone suspensions 1424.4.5. Feet, poles, and arms 1424.4.6. Bonnets 1464.5. Conclusion 148Conclusion 149Appendices 151Appendix 1. Sound Unit 153Appendix 2. Audio Connectivity 161Appendix 3. Audio Processing Plugins 171Appendix 4. Tube and JFET Microphone Amplifiers 177Appendix 5. Microphone Pairs 181Glossary 195References 203Index 213
Jean-Michel Reveillac is a Lecturer at the University of Burgundy, France, a consultant for large media companies and also runs a restoration, mixing and transcoding studio. He has been a specialist in sound processing for over 35 years.