Sound Studio, 7th Edition

Chapter 9

Monitoring and control

 

 

 

 

Monitoring means using ears, and therefore loudspeakers (or, at a pinch, headphones) to make judgements on sound; control is the use of hands to manipulate the sound, mainly in a mixer console. This chapter describes loudspeaker layouts; the path of the analogue or digital signal through typical consoles; and touches on questions of quality, without which the more creative modification of sound is wasted.

During rehearsal, recording or broadcast, the ear should be constantly searching out faults that will mar a production. For example:

● production faults – e.g. miscast voices, poorly spoken lines, uncolloquial scripts, bad timing;

● faulty technique – poor balance and control, untidy fades and mixes, ...