B1 or C1 - Difference in cost = better quality/sound?

[DJL]

It seems that, according to the graph, transparent + color = neutral. I disagree.

I too disagree.

 

[acorec]

Sorry, I can't agree with you at all. It certainly has something to do with the way a mic sounds, particularly if the low frequency cutoff is significantly above 20 Hz, the standard threshold of low frequency perception, or significantly below 20 kHz, the upper threshold. I don't think switching in the high pass filter significantly alters the "brightness" or "darkness" of a mic. It cuts out a boomy bass.

I think the brightness or darkness is determined by the parameters in your line below:

I think it is the relationship of frequencies in those areas that determine "dark" or "bright", not the "color."

Color, to my mind, is the type of harmonics (multiples of the fundamental frequency) that a mic adds to the sound, and their relative amplitudes. This is a distortion, as in "harmonic distortion," and small amounts of certain harmonics are perceived as pleasing by humans.

Since the harmonics are probably mostly added by the way the mic's diaphragm and capsule are constructed, they likely are frequency dependent. So a low frequency sound would have different relative amounts of its harmonics versus a high frequency sound, further affecting how we perceive the "color" of the mic. This may also be why, in general, the smaller the diaphragm, the less "colored" a mic is - the larger the diaphragm, the more likely that spurious vibrations can be induced in its motion, and the larger their amplitude.

I have to add the disclaimer that this is just the way I understand it. I am not an engineer (audio or otherwise) or a physicist, so anyone with experience or education in these areas please chime in to tell me how I am misunderstanding this. I am happy to learn.

It is very hard to explain how Dot set up his chart. But, I will only try from my experience in the THX industry how this "colored" vs "brite/not bright" thing plays out. If you have a single mic with its freq chart, the freq chart gives you an idea of the intended application of the design. The term "colored" means eq. It is exactly the same thing that we do everytime we mix sound. The eq on your mixer is a color pot. Any mic is designed to intentionally add eq to make it applicable to certain sources. Now, Dot's chart is a *relational* chart that he has put together to show how "colored" or "dark/brite" a mic is in relation to each other. A measurement mic is used to record a source. The mic in question is used to record the same source. The two freq charts are superimposed onto one another and the *differences* in relation to the dead flat measurement mic are noted. If you test enough mics, it becomes an easy chore to put a relational value to the lot of them. The measurement mic is the *standard* and each mic is put on the XY chart according to the differences in the freq chart of the measurement mic and the test mic.

A dark mic will usually have a low HF rolloff and an EQ curve favoring the low end (like a kick mic). A brite mic will probably have an EQ curve favoring the high end (the "air" for vocal mics). I have tried some really dead flat mics that were brite, or dark. Both, however were really ruler flat it is just that the darker one rolled off much earlier than the briter one.

In the end, there is no such thing as "more neutral, fairly neutral etc. as you cannot judge one mic alone. Notice that anyone who has an opinion on color, dark, brite etc. is relating this to another mic. The designers of mics always use measurement mics (very expensive) to base their judgements on how they should design the EQ curve for whatever sources that the mic will see.

It should be no surprise that studio monitors have a direct parallel to mics. There are "colored" monitors that go from 30-20Khz and ones that go from 20-30Khz. There are also monitors that are ruler flat and go from 30-20Khz, 20-30Khz. The former ones are not as brite sounding as the latter ones.

 

[crazydoc]

The term "colored" means eq.

This is where we differ - to me, bright and dark are terms that describe equalization or general frequency relationships. Color describes our perception of harmonic overtones produced by the gear, that we hear in the reproduced sound. It can be produced by mics, preamps, compressors, effects, amps, speakers, etc. It can add "warmth", "iron", "tube", and other indescribable qualities that we hear.

Of course the harmonics do affect the frequency plot of the mic or other gear, but not by boosting or cutting high amplitude, wide swaths of frequencies like the lows, mids or highs, but rather at the overtones of many different frequencies, in differing amounts. Also, and this is pure conjecture on my part, I'd imagine that these harmonics' amplitudes are very low, at the sub-decible level - enough for us to perceive the "color" of the sound but not enough to really see in the frequency plot.

I'd like to hear what other folks here, such as Harvey, Dot, Marik or others with similar experience and knowledge, have to say about this.

 

[DJL]

Harvey hits on it a little in his big sticky thread... but I too would "like to hear what other folks here, such as Harvey, Dot, Marik or others with similar experience and knowledge, have to say".