Samson MTR101 Owner's Manual

Contents

Samson MTR101 Owner's Manual Manual pdf 6 page image

6In order to maximize the quality of the sound you are capturing, you must paycareful attention to the placement of your MTR101 and how it is positioned forthe instrument or vocalist. The MTR101 is a unidirectional microphone, so itexhibits a phenomenon known as “proximity effect” which is a resulting change inthe frequency response of a microphone based on the position of the microphonecapsule relative to the sound source. In order to get the best frequency response,start by pointing the microphone directly on axis with the sound source. You canchange the sound characteristics that the microphone picks up by changing theposition of the microphone. Rotating the microphone away (off-axis) from thesound source will decrease the sensitivity to higher frequencies. Experimentationand experience is the best way to find out what sounds best for your recordings.Below are some tips for when setting up and using your MTR101 in typical ap-plications.VocalsPosition the microphone directly infront of the artist so that the micro-phone grille is between 6 and 24inches away. The closer the vocalistmoves to the microphone, the morethe bass or low response increases.As the vocalist moves away fromthe microphone, the tone becomesmore natural as the low frequencyrolls off. To achieve the fullestsound, the vocalist should aim themicrophone center line towards their mouth. If some consonants such as ‘P’ and‘S’ seem to jump up in level, rotate the microphone a little bit away from the art-ist so that sound arrives at the microphone slightly off-center. If space allows, it ispreferable to prevent these peaks through the use of an external pop filter like theMPF1 pop filter. If recording a group of singers, ensure that they position them-selves around the front of the microphone close to one another.Acoustic GuitarThere are a variety of ways that the MTR101 can be used to mike an acousticguitar. Optimal microphone placement will depend on the type of instrument, andwhat kind of sound you’re looking to capture. It may be necessary to experimentwith various positions to achieve full and balanced tone. When miking a stan-dard steel string acoustic, it is suggested that you begin with the microphone ata distance of 6–12 inches from the sound hole, positioned slightly off-axis, andpointing towards the edge of the fingerboard. From this position, moving the mi-crophone towards the sound hole will cause the mic to capture more low frequen-cies. If, instead, you wish to capture more high-end, or to remove any unwantedbooming sound, move the microphone toward the fingerboard. Unlike a steelstring acoustic guitar, the sound of a nylon string acoustic guitar that is played byMicrophone Placement