Contents -- Introduction -- Chapter 1 The Development of the Microphone -- Bell and the Telephone -- Microphones Grow Up -- The Quest for Better Sound -- Edison and the Vacuum Tube Amplifier -- Twentieth-Century Developments -- Microphones Today -- Chapter 2 Microphone Types, Patterns, and Uses -- Three Types of Transducers -- Moving-Coil or Dynamic Microphones -- Ribbon Microphones -- Condenser Microphones -- Pickup Patterns -- Omni or Non-Directional -- Figure Eight or Bidirectional -- Cardioid or Unidirectional Microphones -- The Right Microphone for Every Job -- Physical Law #1: The Smaller, the Brighter -- Physical Law #2: The Bigger, the Slower -- Microphones and Transient Response -- Off-Axis Coloration -- Sensitivity and the Proximity Effect -- Spec Sheets -- Storing Microphones -- Chapter 3 Understanding Sound and Hearing -- How Sound Works -- Sound Waves -- Speed of Sound and Wavelength -- Harmonics and Overtones -- Measuring Amplitude: The Decibel -- Envelopes -- Having Great Ears -- Anatomy of the Ear -- Hearing Ranges -- What Is Flat? -- Hearing Damage -- Hearing Delay and Directionality -- Masking -- Windows of Uncertainty -- Chapter 4 Polarity, Phase Cancellation, and Reverb -- Polarity -- Verifying Correct Polarity -- Polarity Reversal Switches -- Acoustic Phase Cancellation (or Comb Filtering) -- A Multiple-Mic Problem -- Testing for Comb Filtering -- Echoes and Reverberations -- Pre-Delay -- Chapter 5 Impedance and Balance -- High and Low Impedance -- Balanced and Unbalanced Connections -- Connecting Low-Z Mics to High-Z Preamps -- Phantom-Powered Mics and Balanced Systems -- Chapter 6 Hum 101, DIs, and Related Transducers -- Hummmmm…and Fixing It -- Dangers of Lifting Ground -- Eliminating Other Noise (Electromagnetic and Computer Signals) -- Direct Boxes -- Wireless Microphones -- Guitar Pickups -- Types of Pickups.

Contact Pickups -- Chapter 7 Accessories and Necessary Hardware -- Microphone Pads -- Where's the Pad? -- Microphone Stands -- Windscreens -- Shock Mounts and Floor Vibration -- Gobos -- Piano Bags -- Chapter 8 Stereo Microphone Techniques -- Why Stereo Miking? -- XY Coincident Placement -- ORTF -- Jecklin Disk Technique -- Blumlein Pair -- AB Technique -- Decca Tree -- The MS (Mid-Side) Technique -- A Dummy Head -- Chapter 9 The Recording Session -- Studio Floor Plan -- Larger Studio -- Smaller Studio -- The Session -- Stands, Lighting, and Seating -- Positioning and Leakage -- Laying Cable -- Studio Sound Check -- Headphones (Cans) -- Click Tracks and Scratch Tracks -- Chapter 10 Miking Drums -- Where to Put the Drums -- Setting Up the Mics -- Mono Recording -- Stereo Recording -- Glyn Johns and Recorderman -- Multitrack Recording -- Latin Percussion -- Getting Sounds -- Adjusting Drum Levels -- Gating Drums -- Chapter 11 Miking the Guitar and a Bit on Bass -- Acoustic Guitar -- Electric Guitars -- Playing from the Control Room -- Big Sound from Small Packages -- A Bit on the Bass... -- Chapter 12 Miking Piano -- Recording Piano -- Piano in a Rhythm Session -- Grand Piano -- Upright Acoustic Piano -- Chapter 13 Miking Solo Acoustic Instruments and Vocals -- Taking a Solo -- Background Vocals (BG Vocs) -- Lead Vocals -- The Singer's Position/The Stand's Placement -- Other Considerations -- Chapter 14 Miking Classical Acoustic Sections -- Space and Setup -- Space -- Setup -- Mics and Mic Placement -- Strings -- Horns -- Orchestral Percussion -- Choirs -- How Many Microphones Does It Take to Record an Orchestra? -- It's a Wrap -- Appendix A: Compressors and Limiters: A Brief Overview -- External Threshold -- Appendix B: An EQ Primer -- Basic Rules -- Finding What You're Looking For -- Bumping Your Head at 10,000 Cycles.

Punch, Bottom, Mids, Presence, Tops, and Brilliance -- EQ Terms and Tools -- Types of Equalizers -- Index -- A -- B -- C -- D -- E -- F -- G -- H -- I -- J -- K -- L -- M -- N -- O -- P -- R -- S -- T -- U -- V -- W -- X -- Y.