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It is important to remember that a blast of air large enough to momentarily short out the capsule of a condenser microphone will almost surely be larger enough to take out the ribbon element of a ribbon microphone as ribbon mics are MUCH more sensitive to plosives than are condensers (in the sense that blasts of air can actually damage the microphone). However, if used right, a ribbon mic is a fairly classic choice for recording brass. On Tue, Sep 30, 2014 at 10:20 AM, Tom Fine <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > Brass plosives can be massive, and it is a dangerous undertaking to use > condenser mics -- especially high-sensitivity vintage European condenser > mics -- anywhere near loud brass instruments. In many-mic recordings, my > father always used ribbon mics on brass. He did some testing in the 1950s > and found that a muted trumpet could produce a blast of air that hit a U-47 > hard enough to momentarily short out the capsule. Not to mention that > vintage mics often ring, and condenser mics tend to ring in a way that > brass blasts can trigger. And, brass blasts, especially trumpets and > trombones, tend to occur within the "presence peak" frequencies of vintage > condenser mics and can thus more easily overload a mic preamp. > > -- Tom Fine > > ----- Original Message ----- From: "DAVID BURNHAM" <[log in to unmask]> > To: <[log in to unmask]> > Sent: Tuesday, September 30, 2014 11:09 AM > Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] Distortion question > > > As Lou points out, the distortion almost certainly occured in the mike >> preamp. Trumpets and Trombones, especially when muted, have a >> significantly larger positive excursion in the waveform compared to the >> negative half, perhaps as much as 20 dB, (an announcer's voice exhibits the >> same characteristic to a lesser degree). A mike, (or an ear), placed close >> to brass often just snips these spikes off but miked from a distance these >> spikes give the brass a presence which is very attractive on orchestral >> recordings, big band recordings or even jazz solo recordings. >> >> db >> >> >> On Tuesday, September 30, 2014 10:07 AM, Bruce Whisler < >> [log in to unmask]> wrote: >> >> >> >> I am working with an old tape recording that has several instances of >> distortion that sound like clipping. When I view the waveform in my DAW, I >> see two things that are puzzling: >> >> >> 1. The waveform in the distorted areas is not at a higher amplitude >> than other undistorted sections. >> >> 2. The waveform amplitude appears to be attenuated on the negative >> side of the waveform, but not on the positive side. >> >> The distorted sections usually last only about a second and do coincide >> with loud high notes from a trumpet soloist. The recordings are from live >> performances in the 1970s. >> >> Any thoughts on what I am dealing with? I have Izotope RX 3 Advanced, >> and have had little success in repairing this particular problem with the >> Declip, Decrackle, or Declick modules. I don't think there is enough tone >> left under the distortion to effectively repair it. >> >> Thanks, >> Bruce Whisler >> >> >>