Underscoring
his lifelong philosophy -“The Music Always Comes
First!” - Ron
Streicher has created a series of audio production
seminars. These tutorials offer you the opportunity to
share the knowledge, experience, and unique solutions he
has garnered during more than four decades providing audio
services for many of the world’s greatest musical artists
and organizations.
Seminar titles include:
• Microphone Technology
• Microphone Pragmatics
• Microphones: The Physics, Metaphysics, and Philosophy
• A Practical Guide to Ribbon Microphones
• Stereophonic Techniques
• Early Stereo — A Retrospective
• Critical Listening: Perception and the Audio Environment
• A Critical Listening Experiment: A-X-B Comparison
• Live “Hands-on” Recording Workshops
• Electrical Hook-up of Computer and A/V Systems
• How to Prepare a Presentation
Ron has presented seminars to Recording
Studies programs at colleges and universities, meetings of
the Audio Engineering Society, and other technical
organizations throughout the US, Canada, Europe, and
Australia.
“I would be
happy to visit your facilities and spend some time with
you. I invite you to call me to discuss how I can help you
and your program.”
Microphone
Technology How do
microphones work? What differentiates one operating type of
transducer from another? How and why do they sound
different? What are polar patterns, and how do they affect
the way a microphone responds to sound? What is “proximity
effect” and why do some mics exhibit more of it than
others? What’s the truth about capsule size — does it
really matter? These are just a few of the topics covered
in this in-depth seminar on Microphone Technology.
Microphone Pragmatics
This
seminar won’t tell you where
to put a
microphone in front of a performer or ensemble, but it will
tell you how
to put
it there effectively and efficiently. The world of
microphone hardware can be very confusing, but it is
important to know what is the best to mount your precious
microphone safely and get it where you want it. Among the
topics covered in this hands-on workshop are shockmounts,
stereo bars and similar devices, mounting hardware,
popscreens and windscreens, and special mic-stand
configurations. Various techniques for rigging microphones
also will be shown. To top it off, the proper way to coil a
microphone cable will be demonstrated — with audience
participation. Learn all the practical aspects of using
microphones that they don’t tell you at school or in the
text books.
Microphones: The Physics, Metaphysics,
and Philosophy Before
you can place the first microphone in the studio, you need
to develop a clear understanding of the sound that you want
to emanate from the loudspeakers when the project is
finished. To do this, you need to determine what are the
elements that are essential for creating the “sonic
illusion,” and then decide how to balance the often
conflicting elements and competing demands of
technology vs.
art. Microphone techniques — although critical — are only a
part of this process. Equally important are the criteria
for monitoring and evaluating the results. Using recorded
examples and practical demonstrations, the various aspects
of this creative process are developed and brought into
focus.
A Practical Guide to Ribbon
Microphones Although
they were among the first studio-quality microphones and
remained favorites of recording artists and engineers until
the mid-1960s, ribbon microphones fell into the shadow of
the European condensers for the latter part of the
20th
Century.
In the last few years, refurbished originals and new
recreations of the classics from RCA as well as models from
new manufacturers have generated a renaissance of ribbon
technology and popularity. This lecture discusses how these
microphones work and why their unique properties have made
them so highly desirable.
Stereophonic Techniques
What is
stereo? Why and how do we hear with spatial acuity? How can
we realistically capture and reproduce the stereo
soundfield with just two microphones and two loudspeakers?
These are but a few of the questions discussed in this
in-depth seminar. The session begins with a discussion and
demonstration of how the human ear-brain hearing system
works. This is followed by a historical overview of the
development stereophonic recording. The main body of the
session presents a comprehensive analysis of the various
common stereophonic microphone configurations, and
concludes with numerous recorded examples for evaluation
and comparison of the techniques discussed.
Early Stereo — A
Retrospective The
first documented experiments in “stereo” were conducted in
1881. Why, then, was it not until the mid 1950s that stereo
entered the commercial consumer marketplace? What were the
two very different approaches to stereo that were being
developed simultaneously and independently on opposite
sides of the Atlantic Ocean? The work of the three most
significant pioneers in the development of stereophonic
sound (Clement Ader, Alan Blumlein, and Harvey Fletcher)
will be presented, complete with recorded examples
originating in the early 1930s. A surprise guest, critical
to the commercial realization of stereophonic sound, also
will make a recorded appearance.
Critical
Listening: Perception and the Audio Environment
This
seminar is a day-long analysis of the listening process,
focusing on the relationships between the physical elements
of sound propagation — frequency, intensity, and spectrum —
and their perceptual counterparts — pitch, loudness, and
timbre.
The analysis and discussion of the human hearing system
includes demonstrations of many of the physiological and
psychoacoustic phenomena which cause us to perceive sounds
in a manner not simply related to their physical stimulus.
Considerable attention is given to the important
characteristics of sound propagation and the hearing system
that affect the perception and enjoyment of music. Special
emphasis also is given to the factors that can result in
hearing damage or loss.
The lecture employs numerous visual and sonic
demonstrations, and includes excerpts from materials
prepared by the Acoustical Society of America, Dr. Diana
Deutsch, F. Alton Everest, and others.
A Critical Listening Experiment: A-X-B
Comparison Audio
engineers and laymen alike often have to undergo comparison
listening sessions — whether purchasing a new pair of
loudspeakers or headphones, deciding what microphone to put
in front of the singer, or evaluating which recording
technique sounds best in any given situation. The most
exhausting and stressful of these experiences, however, can
be the “comparison listening test” often imposed by audio
sales people (or others with a commercial interest to
promote) to get you to select one piece of equipment over
another. Come and learn how to listen critically and
fairly.
Live “Hands-on” Recording
Workshops Whenever
a musical ensemble and appropriate performance and
recording facilities are available, I also can conduct a
“hands-on” recording session workshop using the given
equipment and facilities.
Preferably, the ensemble should be acoustical
instruments
and music (classical, opera, jazz, folk, or ethnic) and
sufficiently rehearsed that they can perform well together
without need for additional rehearsal time in the “studio.”
This session will involve the participants in all aspects
of the recording process: determining the
manner
of the
recording; selection of microphones and other equipment;
setup of the recording venue; microphone rigging and
placement; cable management; signal flow and the recording
process; proper logsheets and other documentation; striking
the session; etc.
An appropriate amount of time should be allocated for these
sessions, and this will depend on the scale of the project
and the desires of the participants. At least a half-day
should be considered as a minimum.
Appropriate recording facilities must be available: a
studio or appropriate performance space for the musicians;
a control room (or appropriate space) for the recording
equipment; an adequate selection of microphones; microphone
stands, mounting and rigging hardware (if/as needed), and
cables; and an appropriate complement of recording
equipment — mixing console, recording devices, monitors,
communications, etc.
Electrical
Hook-up of Computer and A/V Systems Computer
systems (or any complex audio/video system) are comprised
of a number of components, all of which require AC
mains
power to
operate. Connecting all of these components together often
can be a rather daunting experience — particularly when an
electrical fault could mean not only the loss of a piece of
equipment but also, and more seriously, the loss of that
project you have been working on for the past six months.
The worst case, of course, is the risk of fire or personal
injury. Proper electrical hook-up, grounding, and safety
are just some of the concerns covered in this session.
Devices for protection against interference and noise in
the AC power line, brown-outs, and black-outs also will be
discussed. The session concludes with a brief discussion of
electrical products and techniques for international
travel.
How
to Prepare a Presentation Whether
a student or professional, whatever your field of interest,
at some time you may be called-upon to give a presentation
—it may be about your work, your hobbies, your travels, or
whatever. When that time comes, knowing how to prepare and
deliver an effective presentation will save you the
embarrassment of standing in front of your audience and
fumbling with your script, the slides, or even the simple
basics of organizing your materials effectively.
This seminar will not tell you how to organize your
thoughts, but it will help you to understand how to put
them together into a meaningful and carefully crafted
computer-aided slide show. Although this presentation
specifically focuses on the tools found in the KEYNOTE
application by Apple, similar principles and techniques are
applicable to Microsoft’s Powerpoint.
Many of the various aspects of creating a good presentation
are covered: proper use of fonts, slide builds and
transitions, special effects, drawing tools, creating and
importing graphics, and using audio tracks.
Special
attention also is given to the practical aspects of
presenting the lecture: what equipment and are accessories
needed, setup and testing of all facilities, effective
layout of the room, etc.
