Another area where proximity ef-
fect can be turned to an advan-
tage is to make things sound
more “real than real”. For example, many voices and certain mu-
sical instruments produce fundamental frequencies within the
bass range (below 150 Hz or so) but the fundamentals are weak.
If a microphone which has no proximity effect and a rising high
frequency response is used on an upright piano, or on a person
with a thin, weak voice, the recorded sound is likely to sound
even thinner than it was in real life. In contrast, using a micro-
phone with strong proximity effect on such sound sources could
result in a “better than real” sound since the boosted bass re-
sponse will compensate for the weak fundamentals in the sound
source. Since the fundamentals are present, but weakened, boost-
ing them by several dB will sound “natural”, even though the
sound has been “sweetened”.
Radio and television announcers have long relied on proximity ef-
fect to produce a full, rich, “authoritative” quality to their voices.
By knowing how to work with the proximity effect, the engineer
can get several useful effects without resorting to a “box”.
General Tips for Using Ribbon Microphones
Brass Instruments
and ribbon microphones go together very
well. Mic the instrument from a distance of a couple of feet, and
increase the working distance a little if several instruments are be-
ing used.
Reed Instruments
sound full and never edgy when captured with
a ribbon microphone. Normal working distances are about a foot
or two from the instrument.
14
