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ScotlandMusic TechnologyQuick questions
Developing Music Technology Skills
Quick questions on Audio capture (microphones, placement, gain) - SQA Higher Music Technology skill
5short Q&A pairs drawn directly from our worked dot-point answer. For full context and worked exam questions, read the parent dot-point page.
What are polar patterns?Show answer
A microphone's polar pattern is the shape of its sensitivity to sound from different directions. The three to know are:
What is gain staging?Show answer
Gain staging is setting the input level correctly. Two problems sit at the extremes. Too much gain causes clipping: the signal exceeds 0 dBFS (the digital maximum), the waveform is flattened, and the sound distorts harshly. This cannot be repaired later, so it must be avoided at capture.
What is q1?Show answer
Why would you choose a dynamic microphone over a condenser for a snare drum? [2 marks]
What is q2?Show answer
What is the proximity effect, and how can it be used? [2 marks]
What is q3?Show answer
What does "headroom" mean and why does a recordist leave it? [2 marks]
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