Microphone selection is an imperative part of vocal recording, as it is one of the first variables the engineer can utilise to alter the timbre of the recordings. In this paper, the role that microphone selection has on listeners’ perception of quality as it pertains to female R&B vocal recording is investigated. Seven microphones were used to capture four female R&B vocalists, and the subjective quality of the recordings were then scored by 17 trained audio engineers. Findings suggest that no single optimal microphone can be found for all female R&B voices, although several microphones were found to be statistically higher rated than others on a singer-by-singer basis, suggesting that microphone selection is highly singer dependent. Additionally, two microphones showed phrase dependent results, indicating other factors also contribute to subjective preference of microphones.
https://www.aes.org/e-lib/browse.cfm?elib=22260
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