The reproduction of natural instrumental sound begins with microphones, but the behavior of microphones cannot be separated from the acoustics of the studio. Ian Sinclair shows here the principles and practices of studio acoustics as used today.
Introduction
Over the past few years the performance, sophistication, and quality of the recording medium and ancillary hardware and technology have advanced at a considerable rate. The 50- to 60-dB dynamic range capability of conventional recording and disc technology suddenly has become 90 to 100 dB with the introduction of digital recording and the domestic digital compact disc (CD). In the foreseeable future a dynamic range of 110 dB could well become commonplace for digital mastering.
The increased dynamic range, coupled with other advances in loudspeaker and amplifier technology, now means that audio, broadcast, and hi-fi systems can offer a degree of resolution and transparency to the domestic market today that was unachievable only a few years ago, even with the best professional equipment.
The acoustic environments of the studios in which the majority of the recordings or broadcasts originate from have become correspondingly more critical and important. Recordings can no longer be made in substandard environments. Control rooms and studios exhibiting an uneven or colored acoustic response or too high a level of ambient noise, which previously could be lost or masked by traditional analogue recording process, can no longer be tolerated. The transparency of the digital or FM broadcast medium immediately highlights such deficiencies.
To many, the subject of studio acoustics is considered a black art, often surrounded by considerable hype and incomprehensible terminology. However, this is no longer the case. Today, there certainly is an element of art in achieving a desirable and a predictable acoustic environment, but it is very much based on well-established scientific principles and a comprehensive understanding of the underlying physics of room acoustics and noise control.
Studios and control rooms create a number of acoustic problems that need to be overcome. Essentially, they can be divided into two basic categories: noise control and room acoustics, with the latter including the interfacing of the monitor loudspeakers to the control room.