Unfiltered Thoughts

2022.07.09 – 0555 – Mic Muck-Ups Solved!: Popping PsPlosives (or: ‘pops’)This is the name for the small blast of air that hits the microphone when someone says words starting with the letter ‘p’. Put your hand in front of your mouth and say: “Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers / A peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked” or “Peter Rabbit’s burrow”. Microphones are sensitive to these sounds in a similar way and the rush of air can cause a distortion of the sounds to the listener either live or on a recording. (You’ll remember we looked at plosives and how they are formed way back, in the section on diction.)
It is difficult to fix this kind of distortion in a recording, but you could try reducing the level of that millisecond, removing it altogether or (like several of these problems) running that section of audio through an audio production program such as https://www.izotope.com/   You can cut the chances of this happening in the first place by: ·     Wear headphones so you know it is happening and you can take steps to stop it·     Saying such sounds a little more softly·     Backing away from the microphone·     Turning the microphone at an angle so you are not speaking directly into it ·     And having a ‘pop shield’ in front of the mic - whether one of gauze attached to the outside of the mic, or foam slipped over the mic’s head. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2022.07.08 – 0554 – Mic Muck-Ups Solved!: Off-Mic AudioOff mic audioIf your voice is off-mic, it will sound thin, muffled and distant. Move closer to the mic, speaking more clearly across its top (not directly into it, and so avoid ‘plosives’) and with better level-monitoring. Choosing a different type of microphone with an alternative pickup range may also be the answer. Wear headphones so you can monitor the recording as you make it. Sometimes altering the EQ (equalisation) on the voice may help solve part of the problem in ‘post’ (post-production) – but as always prevention is easier than cure! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2022.07.07 – 0553 – Mic Muck-Ups Solved!: Mouth NoiseMouth noiseWe all have this to some extent, the sound of too much saliva in the mouth, or too little! The sound someone may make as they open their mouth to speak, or move their tongue and lips to form the words, can create an unpleasant noise. Some of this is caused by nerves and not enough saliva to lubricate the mouth, or by eating something recently which can cause too much! The creamy taste of chocolate can cause someone to speak less ‘cleanly’. Tips: drink water rather than coffee; some presenters will brush their teeth immediately before a show to reduce the chances of ‘lip-smack’; move the mic to be off to one side may also help in the recording. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2022.07.06 – 0552 – Mic Muck-Ups Solved!: Interference and HumInterference and humThis is another kind of distortion, usually from external factors such as air-con units, mobile phone signals (not phones ringing, but when a phone is searching for a carrier), fluorescent or neon lights, computer monitors, fridges, electrical cables and so on. Move away from them or turn them off if possible, put cell-phones into ‘airplane’ mode and uncoil cables. The interference may also be caused by one of the cables you are using, perhaps connecting your mic and the recorder, in which case get it checked out soon in case of a potential fire or electric shock. Hums or buzzes caused by these issues are usually throughout a recording so even more problematic to fix than the others listed here, but you may be able to isolate a second or two of the hum by itself and then instruct an audio program to remove that frequency throughout the recording (although doing this will also remove that frequency from audio that you do not wish to affect). One more thing: some types of electrical hum will not be heard as you monitor a recording but only when you listen back. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2022.07.05 – 0551 – Mic Muck-Ups Solved!: HissHiss (or: ‘static’)This is usually caused when levels are set incorrectly during the recording and so the mic is picking up and boosting the ambient noise of an almost-silent room. It may also be down to a poor-quality microphone or one that has been damaged, or if the mic/line setting on a recorder (or on a connection built into the lead) is set incorrectly – in which case choose the alternate switch. The good news is that this kind of interference is easier to fix in most audio editing programs than some of the others listed here. Isolate a small part of the recording that is only hiss (and not speech or any other noise) and the program will then be able to remove that frequency from the rest of your interview. Remember to do this with the raw material, or you will have to repeat the process for every single edited section! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2022.07.04 – 0550 – Mic Muck-Ups Solved!: EchosEchoIt’s not quite the same echo as you get when talking in a tunnel or cave, where your sound comes back a split second later, but it’s the same principle: the sound of a voice is reflected off rather than absorbed by the environment in which you are making the recording. This ‘colours’ the voice and makes it sound thin – great if you want to paint a picture of being in a huge empty warehouse but less good if you are not. In fact, that’s a good point, the larger and emptier a room, the greater the problem may be. A good pre-recording check is to clap your hands once and hear what sound you hear – but remember, the mic will pick up noise in a different way from your ears will, as your brain will help compensate for some of the potential distortion. A smaller room, one with carpets and curtains or lots of different edges to break up the soundwaves as they move around the room, will reduce the echo effect as the waves won’t return to the mic at the same time.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2022.07.03 – 0549 – Mic Muck-Ups Solved!: Recording DistortionDistortion (or: ‘clipping’, ‘overmodding’)When the equipment is set at too high a level for the incoming audio, the resulting recording is distorted. It is ‘overflowing’ with the sound it is being asked to process. On a level or meter, the needle will barely move from the far-right hand side or lights will be fully-lit in the red. Set the level lower (give it some more ‘headroom’) so the levels can move more comfortably. Keep an eye on levels during a recording and change them as necessary, or simply move the mic further from the source of the loudness: your mouth. Distortion in a recording is usually not fixable – unlike low-level recordings which can be boosted.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2022.07.02 – 0548 – Mic Muck-Ups Solved!: Clicks Clicks Seemingly inexplicable clicks and bumps on a recording can often be traced to handling noise from the microphone.  In a studio put the mic on mount and simply don’t touch it.
Hand-held mics should be gripped firmly but not tightly and fingers should be kept still, as any movement can often be picked up as handling noise. So if you have a ring on your microphone hand, remove it, as mics are particularly susceptible to the small scraping sounds that a ring might make. Also remove any bracelets. Take up any excess slack in the mic cable by looping it around your hand.  Some outdoor mic can be fitted with an extra handle (a pistol grip) to reduce handling noise. Clicks or bumps on the recording can also be caused by the lead going into the mic – or the recording unit - being bumped against another object (such as furniture), or if the connections (where the lead goes into the mic or into the recorder) is knocked or pulled. It is difficult to edit these noises out as they are often within the recording. 
Advanced studio sound problems(From: Broadcast Journalism: Techniques of Radio and Television News (Stewart, Alexander; Routledge 2021) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2022.07.01 – 0547 – Listen Out For These Common Microphone Muck-UpsAUDIO TROUBLESHOOTING Basic studio sound problems

• Forgetting to put the mic on or turn it on – even pros very occasionally omit to attach a lapel mic to themselves or start talking before they have faded their mic up.[1]
• Forgetting to take it off or turn it off – or walking away from a set and forgetting that people can still hear you, or leaving a mic ‘live’ in the studio and your words still being heard by a production team, or broadcast to listeners.[2],[3],[4]
• The mic picking up sound that it’s not meant to – drumming fingers on a desk, the rustle of a script, the jangling of the presenter’s bangle, a mobile phone ringing in the studio, perhaps because the ‘pickup area’ of that particular microphone has been ignored or misunderstood
• The mic not picking up the sound it should – as a presenter moves away from it (or conversely, picking up a sudden and unplanned burst of sound or increase in volume as they move closer or suddenly cough or laugh), or perhaps because the ‘pickup area’ of that particular microphone has been ignored or misunderstood, or a lapel mic being incorrectly positioned.

 Do not touch the mic when you are speaking. Although you may be able to get away with moving a mic arm while on air, touching the stand, or mic itself (easily to do when wearing a lapel mic) will invariably result in a loud sound being broadcast or recorded. The sound is usually reduced with the use of a ‘shock mount’ the ‘cat’s cradle’ of strings that hold the mic in suspension and position and absorbs any movement that it feels. But the rule of thumb: set it and forget it.
[1] In 2016 this BBC Breakfast presenter forgot to wear his microphone https://www.thesun.co.uk/tvandshowbiz/1780291/blunder-on-bbc-breakfast-as-presenter-forgets-to-wear-his-microphone/  [2] In 2010 the then UK PM Gordon Brown was caught on mic calling Rochdale pensioner Gillian Duffy "bigoted", when he didn’t realise his microphone had been left attached and ‘live’. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEReCN9gO14 [3] As David Cameron announced his resignation date as British Prime Minister in 2016, he walked away from the podium singing a song before walking inside number 10 Downing Street, forgetting his mic was still on. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Gz6mZYxS0A [4] And this TV host in New Zealand left his microphone on while taking a toilet break and it was broadcast live on TV. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3759338/Wee-having-technical-problems-moment-breakfast-host-heard-urinating-live-TV-forgot-mic-leaving-air-presenter-looking-awkward.html Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2022.06.30 – 0546 – Noise-Gates and DuckingNoise gating controls the loudness at which a sound will be picked up or recorded. If it’s too low a level, it simply will not be allowed to pass through the ‘gate’, which stops background noise such as traffic sounds from being heard. It’s what’s used in Automatic Level Control systems that we looked at earlier. Ducking controls the volume of one sound compared to another, so say a your mic channel takes  precedence over that of a guest or music. Ducking won’t eliminate the other sound but it allows the dominant source to better cut through.  These settings in a radio studio may be set up for everyone, or there maybe a ‘keycard’ system which allows the system to recognise you and adapt the settings to your particular tone and timbre, that will have been set up in advance with the help of an engineer. It is unlikely that you will be given free reign of the panel to alter the settings yourself.  In a recording booth the sound engineer will adjust levels live as you record and also in post-production as part of the overall mix of the audio – together with say a music bed, effects, or jingle.  (The above adapted from: https://rode.com/en/about/news-info/how-to-get-the-best-audio-quality-out-of-your-podcast. More at: https://promixacademy.com/course/understanding-audio-essentials-eq-compression-delay-and-reverb/ @promixacademy ) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.