Crown 35246 User guide

126676-1
7/00
Crown International, Inc
P.O. Box 1000, Elkhart, Indiana 46515-1000
[phone] Fax [phone]
www.crownaudio.com
© 2000 Crown International, All rights
reserved PZM®, PCC®, SASS®and
DIFFEROID®,areregisteredtrademarksof
CrownInternational,Inc.Alsoexported
as Amcron®

SECTIONONE
MicrophoneTechniqueBasics3
Howto:
Reducereverberation3
Reducebackgroundnoiseandleakage3
Reducephasecancellationsbetweentwomics4
Reducephasecancellationsfromsurfacereflections4
Reducehandlingnoise4
Reduceproximityeffect4
Achieveanaturaltonequality4
Achieveabrighttonequality4
Achieveagoodbalance5
SECTIONTWO
NotesonCrownMicModels
CM-200A5
CM-7005
CM-1505
GLM-1005
PZM-6D5
PZM-30D5
SASS5
SECTIONTHREE
SpecificApplications5-10

INTRODUCTION
Inthisguideyou’llfindsuggestionsonusingCrown
microphonestorecordmusiceffectively.Whetheryou
runalargeprofessionalfacility,or a projectstudio,
you’llfindusefultipshere.We’llcoversomebasicsof
miking,Crownmicmodelsforstudiouse,and
specificapplications.
AtCrownwe’vedesignedseveralmicsspecificallyfor
studioapplications.Allthesemicswerefield-testedin
studios.Somewereapprovedasis;otherswere
enhancedwithsuggestedimprovements.Weknow
you’lllikehowtheysound,andwillappreciatetheir
value.
MICROPHONE
TECHNIQUEBASICS
Howtoreducereverberation
Reverberationissometimeslooselycalled“room
acoustics”or“ambience.”Itisapatternofsound
reflectionsoffthewalls,ceiling,andfloor.Forex-
ample,reverberationisthesoundyouhearjustafter
youshoutinanemptygymnasium.Toomuchrever-
berationinarecordingcanmaketherecorded
instrumentsounddistantormuddy.Toreduce
reverberation:
•Placethemicclosertothesoundsource.
•Pickupelectricinstrumentswithdirectboxesor
cables.
•Usearoomorstudiowithdeadacoustics.Thewalls,
ceiling,andfloorshouldbecoveredwithasound-
absorbingmaterial.
•Usedirectionalmicrophones.Hypercardioidand
supercardioidpatternsrejectreverb morethan
cardioid.Cardioidandbidirectionalpatternsreject
reverb equallywell.Cardioidrejectsreverb more
thantheomnidirectionalpatternatthesame
distance:
Omnidirectional0.0dB
Cardioid-4.8dB
Bidirectional-4.8dB
Supercardioid-5.7dB
Hypercardioid-6.0dB
Howtoreducebackgroundnoise
•Stopthenoiseatitssource:turnoffappliancesand
airconditioning;waitfor airplanestopass;closeand
sealdoorsandwindows;useaquietroom.
•Mikeclosewithdirectionalmics.
•Pickupelectricinstrumentswithdirectboxesor
cables.
•Aimthenullofthepolarpatternattheoffending
noisesource.Thenullistheangleoff-axiswherethe
micisleastsensitive.Differentpolarpatternshave
nullsatdifferentangles.Shownbelowarethenull
anglesforvariouspolar patterns(Figure1):
Cardioid180degrees
Supercardioid125degrees
Hypercardioid110degrees
Bidirectional90degrees
3
Howtoreduceleakage
Leakage (also called bleed orspill) is the overlap of
sound from one instrumentinto another instrument’s
microphone.For example,if you’re miking drums and
piano eachwithitsown microphone,any drum sound
picked up by the piano mic is leakage.To reduce
leakage:
• Mike close with directional microphones.
•When recording,overdub instruments one at a time
oneach track of a multitrack recorder.
• Pick up electric instruments with direct boxes or
cables.
• Use a room or studio withdead acoustics.The walls,
ceiling,and floor should becovered with sound
absorbingmaterial.
•Aim the null of the polar pattern at the undesired
sound source.For example,suppose you’re miking
two adjacenttom-toms with two hypercardioid mics.
The null of the hypercardioid is 110 degrees off-axis.
Angleeach mic so that its null aimsat the adjacent
tom-tom.

Howtoreducephasecancellations
betweentwomics
Iftwomicrophonespickupthesamesoundsourceat
differentdistancesandtheirsignalsarefedtothe
samechannel,thismightcausephasecancellations.
Thesearepeaksanddipsinthefrequencyresponse
causedbyvariousfrequenciescombiningout-of-
phase.Theresultisacolored,filteredtonequality.
Toreducephasecancellationsbetweentwomicro-
phones:
•Mikeclose.
•Spreadinstrumentsfartherapart.
•Followthe3to1rule:Thedistancebetweenmics
shouldbeatleastthreetimesthemic-to-sound
distance.Forexample,iftwomicrophonesare each1
footfromtheirsoundsources,themicsshouldbeat
least3feetaparttopreventphasecancellations
(Figure2).
Howtoreducephasecancellations
fromsurfacereflections
Sometimesyoumustplaceamicrophonenear a hard
reflectivesurface.Situationswherethismightoccur
arerecordingdrama,musicals,oropera withthe
microphonesnearthestagefloor,recordingapiano
withthemicneartheraisedlid,orrecordingan
instrumentsurroundedbyreflectivebaffles.
AsdescribedintheCrownBoundaryMicApplication
Guide,thesesituationscancausephasecancellations
whichgiveastrangetonequality.Solvetheproblem
byusingCrownPZMorPCCmicrophonesmounted
tothepianolid,wall,floor,orotherlargeflatsurface.
Howtoreducehandlingandstand
noise
•UseanomnidirectionalmicrophonesuchasaGLM-
100,CM-150,oranyPZM.
•Useadirectionalmicrophonewhichisrelatively
insensitivetohandlingnoise,suchastheCM-200A
orCM-700.
•Useadirectionalmicrophonewithaninternalshock
mount.
•Useashock-mountstandadapteronamicstand,
suchastheCMSM.
•Placethemicstandonfoamorsponges.
Howtoreduceproximityeffect
Proximityeffectisthebassboostyouhearwhenyou
mikeclosewithadirectionalmicrophone.Thecloser
themicistothesoundsource,themorebassyouhear.
Toreduceproximityeffect:
•Useanomnidirectionalmicrophone.
•Turndowntheexcessbasswithyourmixer’sEQ.
Howtoachieveanatural
tonequality
•Useamicrophonewithaflatfrequencyresponse,
suchas:CM-700,CM-150,GLM-100,oraPZM-
30DorPZM-6Dsetto“flat”response.
•Movethemicarounduntilyoufindaspotwherethe
monitoredsoundisnatural.
•Placethemicrophonesasfarfromthesoundsource
asthesourceisbig.Forexample,thesoundboard of
aguitarisabout18incheslong.Placethemicatleast
18inchesawaytopickupallthepartsoftheguitar
aboutequally.
•Ifyoumustmikeclosetoreducefeedbackorleakage,
useyourmixer’sEQtorestoreanaturaltonal
balance.
Howtoachieveabrighttone
quality
A“bright”sound iscrisp,clear,trebley,and articulate.
To achieve a bright sound,use a microphone with a
risinghigh-frequencyresponse,such as a Crown
4

CM-200A,oraPZM-30D/PZM-6Dsetto“rising”
response.Also,movethemicarounduntilyoufinda
spotwherethemonitoredsoundisbright.
Howtoachieveagoodbalance
Agoodbalanceisagoodloudnessrelationshipamong
instrumentsandvoiceinamix.Whenthebalanceis
good,noinstrumentistooloudortoosoft.Toachieve
agoodbalancewhenrecordingalargeensemblewith
oneortwomicrophones:
•Moveinstrumentsthatare tooquietclosertothe
mics,andviceversa.
•Placethemic(s)farenoughawaysothatyoudon’t
emphasizetheinstrumentsinthecenterofthe
ensemble.
•Ifyou’reusingtwomicstorecordstereo,adjustthe
microphoneanglingorspacingforagoodbalance.If
youhear a holeinthemiddlewhenusingwidely
spacedmics,addathirdmicinthecenter,pannedto
thecenter.
•Ifasoloistisperforminginfrontofanorchestra,
raiseorlowertheorchestra’smicstandtovarythe
balancebetweensoloistandorchestra.
NOTESONCROWN
MICROPHONEMODELS
CM-200A
TheCM-200Aisahandheldcondensermicrophone
withasmooth,articulatesoundquality.It’sgreatfor
drums,guitaramps,andsingingguitarists.Becauseof
itscardioidpickuppattern,theCM-200Arejects
soundsapproachingtherearofthemicrophone.
CM-700
TheCM-700isasuperb,cardioidcondensermicfor
proorsemi-prorecordingandhigh-qualitysound
reinforcement.Ruggedenoughfortheroad,the
CM-700worksequallywellforpopular music(multi-
miking)orclassicalmusic(stereoandspot-miking).
TheCM-700hasaclear,naturalsound.Self-noiseis
verylow,andthemiccanhandleextremelyloud
soundswithoutdistortion.Abassroll-offswitch,pop
filterandwindscreenareincluded.
CM-150
TheCM-150isa1⁄2-inchdiameter,omnidirectional
electret-condensermicrophone.Ithasaveryflat
responsefrom20Hzto20kHz,soitsoundsaccurate
andnatural.Itpreservesthedelicatetimbreofacous-
ticinstrumentsyetcanreproduceallthepowerofa
pipeorgan.
GLM-100
Thisminiatureomnimicoffersallthequalityand
wide-rangeresponseoflargerstudiomicrophones.
SincetheGLMissmall,itcanbeattachedtoinstru-
mentstoimproveisolationandrejectoff-micsound.
PZM-6D
ThePZM-6DisaPressureZoneMicrophone.When
suspendedoveranorchestraonaclear panel,the
PZMpracticallydisappears.Itsminiature,perma-
nentlyattachedcablealsoreducesvisualclutter.
ThePZM-6Dhasaswitchable,dualfrequencyre-
sponse:risingorflat.The“rising”positionadds
brilliance.Thismakesitusefulwherevercrispattackis
desired,suchasonpercussion,drumsorpiano.The
usercangetabrightsoundwithoutboostinghigh
frequenciesontherecordingconsole;thebenefitis
lowernoise.The“flat”positionprovidesasmooth,flat
highfrequencyresponsefornaturalsoundreproduc-
tion.
LikeotherPressureZoneMicrophones,thePZM-6D
usesthePressure RecordingProcessinwhicha
miniaturecondensermiccapsuleismountedvery
closetoasound-reflectingplateorboundary.The
capsuleisinthe“Pressure Zone”wheresoundcoming
directlyfromthesoundsourcecombinesinphase
withsoundreflectedofftheboundary.Thebenefits
areawide,smoothfrequencyresponsefreeofphase
interference,excellentclarityand“reach,”ahemi-
sphericalpolarpatternanduncoloredoff-axisre-
sponse.
PZM-30D
SameasthePZM-6Dbutlarger.Itacceptsarugged
detachablecable.
SASS-PMKII
TheSASS-P MKIIisastereomicrophoneusingPZM
technology.Theunitmakesexcellentstereorecord-
ings,hasanaturaltonalbalance,ismono-compatible
andeasytouse,andcostslessthanthecompetition.It
comeswithacarryingcaseandafulllineofaccesso-
ries.ModelSASS-P HCisthemicaloneandcostsless.
SPECIFICAPPLICATIONS
This section suggests some ways to place Crown
microphones to record various musicalinstruments.
These are just starting points to reduce the time
5

spentexperimenting.Theyworkwellinmanycases,
butifyoudon’tliketheresults,feelfreetochangethe
microphoneoritsplacement.
Ifpickupofroomreverberation,leakage,orfeedback
isexcessive,placethemiccloserthanrecommended
below,androlloffthebassifnecessaryatyourmixer
toobtainanaturaltimbre.
Forexample,supposeyou’remikingafolksinger
playingaguitar.Ifyouwanttocontrolthebalance
betweenvoiceandguitarwithmixer volumecontrols,
youmustmikethesingerandguitar upcloseto
isolatetheirsounds.Thisplacementoftenresultsina
bassytonequality.Soyou’llhavetorolloffsomebass
atyourmixeruntilthesoundisnatural.
Manyofthetechniquessuggestedhereapplywhen
theinstrumentorvoiceisrecordedalone,asfor an
overdub.
Vocal
•PlaceaCM-700,CM-150,orGLM-1008inches
awayateyeheighttoavoidbreathpops.Usethe
foampopfilter.
•Torecordasinger/guitarist,mikethesingerwitha
CM-200Aupclose.Usethefoampopfilter.Put
anothermicontheguitar,aimingdownawayfrom
themouth.Orrecord theguitarfirst,thenoverdub
thevocalwithaCM-700.
•PlaceaCM-700,CM-150,orGLM-1006to12inches
fromwherethefingerboardjoinsthebody(Figure
3).Forstereo,addanothermicthesamedistance
fromthebridge.
6
Acousticguitar
•AttachaGLM-100totheguitarsoundboard,
halfwaybetweenthebridgeandthesoundhole,
nearthelowEstring(Figure 3).
Sax
•PlaceaCM-700,CM-150,orGLM-10018inches
away,afewinchesabovethebell,toward theplayer’s
rightside(Figure 4).
Electricguitarorbass
RecordedDirect:
•For a cleansound,plugtheguitarintoadirectbox
andfromthereintoamixermicinput.For a distorted
sound,plugintoaguitarsignalprocessor,thenintoa
mixerlineinput.
Electricguitaramp
•PlaceaCM-200A1to12inchesfromthecenterofone
ofthespeakercones.Formorebass,placethemicclose.
Forthebrightesttone,placethemicnearthecenterof
thespeakercone.Foramellowertone,placethemic
neartheedgeofthespeakercone(Figure5).
•TapethecableofaGLM-100tothegrilleclothin
frontofaspeakercone.Amicplacementatthe
centeroftheconesoundsbright;aplacementnear
theedgeoftheconesoundsmoremellow.

Drumset(Figure6)
TomsandSnare
•PlaceaCM-200AorCM-700about1inchabovethe
head,1to2inchesinfromtherim,angleddown
about45°.Ifthedrumringstoomuch,tapesome
gauzeorafoldedhandkerchieftothehead,oruse
dampingrings.
Cymbals
•UseoneortwoboomstandswithCM-700,GLM-
100,CM-150,SASS-P MKII,orPZM-30Dmics2to
3feetoverthecymbals.
High-Hat
•PlaceaCM-700withlow-endrolloff8inchesabove
theoutsideedgeaimingdown.
KickDrum
•Removethefrontheadanddampthekick-drum
headwithapilloworblanket.DropaGLM-100
throughtheventholesothatithangsinsidethe
drumafewinchesinfrontofthebeater.Useawood
beateror boost2to5kHzformoreattackorclick.
CutafewdBaround400Hztoremovethe“papery”
sound.
•HangaPZM-30Dbyitscablesothattheplateis
parallelwiththedrumhead.Tapethecabletothe
shellinsideontop.Placethemicafewinchesfrom
thebeaterhead.
•TryaCM-700insidenearthebeater head.
ThreeMicrophones(Figure7):
•TapeorcliponeGLM-100totherimofthesnare
drum.ThisGLMpicksupthehi-hat,snare,leftrack
tom,andcymbals.Tapeorclipanother GLMnearthe
rightracktomandthefloortoms.ThisGLMpicksup
therightracktom,floortom,andcymbals.Experi-
mentwithplacementtoachieveagoodbalance.You
maywanttoboostthebassandtrebleslightly.Put
anotherGLMor PZMinthekickdrum.
7
TwoMicrophones(Figure8):
• Clip one GLM-100 to the snare drum rim,and
position the mic in the center of the set,about 4
inches above the snare drum.With a little bass and
treble boost,the sound is surprisingly good for such
a simple setup.Put another GLM or PZM in the kick
drum.
• Tape a PZM-30D or PZM-6D to the drummer’s
chest.It will pick up the set as the drummerhears it.
Boost 6 dB at 80 Hz.Put another PZM or GLM-100
in the kick drum.

Percussion
•PlaceaCM-700,CM-150,orGLM-100about1foot
away.
•TapeaPZMonthemusician’sshirt.
Ambience
•PlaceoneortwoPZMsonadistantwall,oronthe
control-roomwindow.
Grandpiano
•Raisethelid.TapeaGLM-100,PZM-6D,orPZM-
30Dtotheundersideofthelidinthemiddle.For
stereo,usetwooverthebassandtreblestrings
UprightPiano
•Removethepanelinfrontoftheplayertoexposethe
strings.Placetwomics(CM-200A,CM-700,GLM-
100,orCM-150)overthebassandtreblestrings
(Figure10AorB).
•Facethesoundboardtoward theroom(notnexttoa
wall).Mikethesoundboard afewinchesfromthe
bassandtreblestrings(Figure 10-C).
XylophoneandMarimba
•PlacetwoCM-700s,CM-150s,orGLM-100s18
inchesabovetheinstrumentand2feetapart.
Banjo
• Clipa GLM-UM universal mountto abanjo tension
rod,and position aGLM-100 1 inch from the head,
2 inches from the rim (Figure 11).
• Place a CM-700,CM-150,or GLM-100 12 inches
from the drum head.
(Figure 9-A).If youneed more isolation,close the
lid.Boost a fewdB at10 kHz for clarity.
• Raise or remove the lid.Place twoCM-700s,
CM-150s,or GLM-100s eight inches over the bass
and treble strings,8-inches horizontally from the
hammers (Figure 9-B).Boost a few dB at 10 kHz for
clarity.
• Remove the lid.Place two GLM-100s or CM-150’s
about 12 inches apart,angled 90° apart,18 inches
over the soundboard and 10 inches horizontally
from the hammers.Boost a few dB at 10 kHz for
clarity.
8

Brass
•PlaceaCM-700,CM-150orGLM-100afewfeetout
front.Micon-axistothebellfor a bright,edgytone;
micoff-axistothebellforamellower tone(Figure
12).
•TapeaPZM-6DorPZM-30Dtothewallor tothe
control-roomwindow.
Woodwinds
•PlaceaCM-700,CM-150orGLM-100about12
inchesfromthetoneholes.
Flute
•PlaceaCM-700,CM-150,orGLM-100halfway
betweenthemouthpieceandthetoneholesabout6
to12inchesaway.
HammeredDulcimer
•PlaceaCM-700,GLM-100,orCM-150about12
inchesaboveandinfrontofthecenterofthetop
edge.
Harmonica
•PlaceaCM-700,GLM-100,orCM-1501footaway.
Harp
•AimaCM-700orCM-150atthesoundboard about
18inchesaway.
Violin
•PlaceaCM-700,CM-150,orGM-1002feetoverthe
top.
•For a fiddleplayerwhosings,tryaCM-200Aat
mouth-heightandhorizontal.
Mandolin,Bouzouki,Dobro,
orLapDulcimer
•PlaceaCM-700,GLM-100orCM-15012inches
away.
AcousticBass
•For a naturalsound,placeaCM-150,GLM-100,or
CM-700onaboomafewinchestoafewfeetout
front,evenwiththebridgeonthesidetowardtheG
(top)string.
•TapeaGLM-100tothebridge.
•For a full,deeptone,tapeaGLM-100nearanf-hole.
•Forisolation,placeaCM-200Anear thef-holeand
rolloffexcessbass.
9
Orchestra,Band,Choir,Organ,or
Classical-MusicSoloist(Figure13)
• Hangor place two CM-150 or CM-700 mics about
10 feet apart,14 feet above the floor,and 5 to 20 feet
in front of the front-row musicians.Adjust height
and distance fordesired sound.
• Usinga stereo mic adapter,hang or place two
CM-700mics ina coincidentornear coincident
arrangement.Place the pair about 14 feet above
the floor and 5 to 20 feet in front of the front-row
musicians.Also trythe SASS-P MKII in this
position.

10
PZMWedge(Figure14)
•MountaPZMmicrophone6inchesfromtheedgeof
a2-footsquarepanel.MountanotherPZMsimilarly
onanotherpanel.Tapetogether thepaneledges
nearestthemicrophones,forminga“V.”Aimthe
pointofthe“V”atthecenterofthesoundsource.
Anglethepanelsabout70degreesapart.This
assemblyiscalledaPZMwedge.Putthewedge
whereyouwouldputastereomic.
Theatre,Drama,
Opera,orMusicals(Figure15)
Recording/Reinforcement:
• Use PCC-160s onthe stage floor about 1 or 2 feet
from the edge of the stage.
For more information,contact Technical Services
Department at Crown International,1718West
Mishawaka Road,Elkhart,IN 46517 or phone
[phone] or 1-800-342-6939.Visit our
website at www.crownaudio.com.

11