[BC] mike processors

[Glen Kippel]

On 12/29/06, Tom Taggart <tpt at eurekanet.com> wrote:
>
> The subject came up again in house:
>
> 1. Experiences with the Aircrp 500PH?
>
> 2.  A cheapie short term solution: DBX 286A?  Comments?


------------------

The former yes, the latter, no.

I have used the 500PH for over 14 years.  It's a decent box.  For most
applications I see no advantage in having a mic processor with parametric
EQ.  Why pay for something that you don't really need?

The de-esser is broadband (like most processors), so if someone whistles, it
will punch a hole in the audio.  I much prefer the Valley
People/International processor in this regard, as it only attenuates the
problem frequency band.  If you are micing someone who whistles when they
talk, it may be better to switch off the de-esser and solve the problem some
other way.

As with any processor, you don't want to overdo it.  Start with a good mic
and ever-so-gently make changes.  That's a better approach than trying to
fix the sound of an el-cheapo mic.  I find that with an RE-20 everything is
set pretty much flat, except for just a bit of boost on the HF.  On an AKG
HSC171, I boost the bottom end a bit and put the top on flat.  For an AKG
C-4500B, either set the mic on flat and roll off the low end with the
processor or use the mic's HPF and put the processor on flat, whichever
sounds best to you.

Remember that your monitor speakers aren't flat, so it likely would be
necessary to listen on a number of different audio output transducers to
determine EQ settings which work well on pretty much everything.

I find that 10-12 dB of expansion is OK -- if you try for 30 dB, the change
in background is much more noticeable.  Of course, in a proper studio with
20 dBA ambient noise, you may be able to ignore the previous sentence.

You probably don't want to use more than 10 dB of compression, unless you
are trying to achieve a special effect.  I prefer to turn off the
compressor, talk into the mic and then crank in just enough compression that
the indicator comes on a bit on my loudest syllables.

The above comments probably could apply to any mic processor.  Don't use
more processing than is absolutely necessary.