Transcribe: Quality of the voice recordings for documenting it into a transcript is of paramount importance. It can be a daunting task for a transcriber to transcribe audio which has background noise or disturbances. The skills of an expert transcriber will however prevail, and in spite of the background noise, the transcripts will have the accuracy, because a professional transcriber has processed it, but the extra time taken by the transcriber will escalate the cost of the transcripts.

Therefore quality audio recordings, free from background noise or disturbances can make the task of the transcriber easier and the costs of transcriptions affordable. The recording of the audio, whether it is done outdoor or indoor has to be of the highest quality, and for that to happen the recording equipment plays an important part in generating quality audio recordings.

There are multiple brands of microphones used for recording audio such as, Audio-Technical, Sampson, Shire, and Rode, however what matters most is the ability of the microphones to reproduce the voice accurately without distortions. The microphones with a unidirectional cardioid pattern should be the ideal choice for recording Continue Reading...

Before You Buy A High End Preamp

After recording pretty much full time sense 2001, I’ve made about one hundred billion mistakes. One of the biggest mistakes of all has involved preamps. Yes, I know that just about every recording forum on the planet goes on and on and on about how important preamps are. They talk and talk and talk about the differences between one Neve 1073 clone and another Neve 1073 clone. This is all fine and dandy. If everything in your recording chain is so perfect that the difference between one 1073 clone and another 1073 clone becomes significant, than you are SMOKING!! In fact, if your chain is that good, your next recording should have no problem competing with major label recordings. You should probably look into booking major label caliber talent immediately.

The truth is there are very few singers who deserve to get to sing through a $2,000 preamp. Let me reword that a little bit. There are very few singers who will sound noticeably “better” through X preamp. A bad singer sounds bad through anything. The only time, in my opinion, a great preamp even matters is when the singers is GREAT! When I say “GREAT”, I mean that this singer sends chills down your spine. I mean you really think you’ve got something completely magical in this person and you feel lucky to record them. Few “local” singers are going to have what it takes.

If you think you are going to make up for a piss poor performer by switching to a $2,000 preamp, you are out of your mind. It’s just a volume knob!!!

My First Preamp

When I do something, I try to do it right. I always end up falling short of the goal, but that doesn’t stop me from going all out. I was reading on forums back in 2001 trying to figure out the gear I needed to start my recording rig. I stumbled on some threads about preamps. I was led to believe that if I didn’t have a great, professional preamp Continue Reading...

• affordable large diaphragm cardioid condenser
• 1.1” solid brass capsule w/ evaporated gold diaphragm
• Class A solid state electronics
• all Solaris microphones exhibit no more than +/- 1dB variation from each other
• cardioid, figure-8, and omni polar patterns

The Solaris is a large-capsule condenser microphone that sounds as good as it looks. Beneath the stylish exterior lies the best-sounding solid-state electronics available at any price. Vintage design principles merge with incredibly tight manufacturing standards to yield no more than +/-1dB of deviation across the entire 20Hz-20kHz frequency range. The industry-thinnest evaporated gold diaphragm also delivers incredible sensitivity. Multi-pattern architecture provides flexibility that makes it ideal for just about any miking situation—included capturing vocals, guitar, piano, drums and live events. It’s like having three mics in one.

Features

• 1.1-inch evaporated gold diaphragm
• ultra-sensitive 3-micron diaphragm
• large all-brass capsule
• cardioid, omni and figure-8 polar patterns
• 20Hz-20kHz frequency response
• +/- 1dB tolerance across entire frequency range
• Class A FET electronics w/ output transformer
• -10dB attenuation pad
• low frequency rolloff switch (6dB per octave @ 125Hz)
• includes shock mount and aluminum case

Specification

• frequency response: 20Hz-20kHz
• sensitivity: 16 mV/Pa (-36dBV)
• max. SPL for 0.5% THD: 130dB
• equivalent noise level: 14dB (A-weighted)
• output impedance: 200 ohms
• recommended load impedance: > 1,000 ohms
• power requirement: 48V phantom power
• connector: 3-pin male XLR
• size/weight: 8-1/4″ (h) x 3″ (w) x 2″ (d); 1.4 lbs.
• polar patterns: cardioid , omni, figure-8

Reviews

• “the Solaris is not only a great buy but also a proud addition to anyone’s recording arsenal”
• “as one of M-Audio’s first ventures into the world of microphones, the Solaris speaks to a bright future”
• “this is a tremendous mic for the money, and recordists on a budget could track almost any acoustic sound they’d ever desire simply by owning a dynamic mic and a Solaris”
• “the Solaris mics were perfect for our guitars on the acoustic tour. It’s amazing to me that M-Audio have somehow managed to incorporate a $5,000-microphone sound (comparable to any Neumann or Sony) in an affordable and accessible product! Well done”