2) While the N8 was designed to work well with all standard
microphone stands, a high-quality boom stand will still make your life
a little bit easier. If you are using a boom, make sure that it is properly
balanced and that the tripod legs are positioned appropriately to
prevent tipping.
3) Ribbon microphones can withstand very high SPL (sound pressure
levels) without difficulty, but can be damaged easily by a sudden, strong
gust of air or high levels of low frequency sound waves (like from a
kick drum or bass cabinet). This can stretch the ribbon, causing the
microphone to lose sensitivity and distort its frequency response. To
avoid possible damage, follow this simple procedure when positioning
the microphone. Put the back of your hand where the mic will be; if you
can feel the motion of air on your hand, place a pop-filter between the
microphone and the source of the air turbulence. When recording kick
drums or bass guitar cabinets, angle the microphone to make sure that
no wind blasts hit the ribbon head-on.
4) Your N8 is a valuable and important investment. Like any piece of
recording equipment or musical instrument, it requires common sense
and good basic care to keep it working properly. Given simple, basic
care as described above, your new microphone will perform admirably
for decades.
{
APPLICATION ADVICE
}
Controlling Leakage
A significant and ever-present challenge in contemporary studio
recording is minimizing “bleed” (also called “leakage” or “crosstalk”)
from nearby instruments into the various microphones. The deep nulls
of bidirectional ribbon microphones provide good rejection of unwanted
sounds, which also can be beneficial in sound reinforcement situations
where feedback is always a threat. While gobos can be effective in
isolating performers from each other, they introduce their own set of
problems - not the least of which are reflections in close proximity to
the performers and/or microphones that result in comb-filter distortions.
Because gobos usually are bulky, they also inhibit the ability of the
musicians to hear and see each other easily. Such a setup requires
complex and often cumbersome headphone monitor mixes for the
musicians.
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