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Convention Paper

Microphone Comparison: Spectral Feature Mapping for Snare Drum Recording

Authors: Cheshire, Matthew; Stables, Ryan; Hockman, Jason

AES Convention 147 · Paper 10263 · October 2019

Abstract

Microphones are known to exhibit sonic differences and microphone selection is integral in achieving desired tonal qualities of recordings. In this paper an initial multi-stimuli listening test is used to categorize microphones based on user preference when recording snare drums. A spectral modification technique is then applied to recordings made with a microphone from the least preferred category, such that they take on the frequency characteristics of recordings from the most preferred category. To assess the success of the audio transformation, a second experiment is undertaken with expert listeners to gauge pre- and post-transformation preferences. Results indicate spectral transformation dramatically improves listener preference for recordings from the least preferred category, placing them on par with those of the most preferred.

Details

Published in
AES Convention 147
AES Convention
147
Paper number
10263
Publication date
October 6, 2019
Session subject
Recording, Production, and Live Sound
Affiliation
Birmingham City University, Birmingham, UK (See document for exact affiliation information.)
Type
Convention Paper