This Standard is about positioning and operating microphones to capture sound. This is likely to be for music but can apply to other contexts.
This involves connecting and positioning microphones, maintaining required separation, checking sound quality before and during use, identifying and resolving faults with equipment or sound quality and recording positions for future use.
This standard is recording engineers, sound engineers and programmers who set up and operate microphones.
Performance Criteria
You must be able to:
connect microphones and accessories in line with safety requirements
determine appropriate placement and movement of microphones and accessories during set up and rehearsal
position microphones to ensure levels and characteristics of sound meet required standards
maintain required separation between different microphone parts
achieve a balance between practicality of working positions and expectations for sound quality that are most effective
confirm signal-processing requirements and make test recordings to ensure no audible defects are present
position microphones and other equipment to avoid impeding or endangering, contributors and colleagues
check that final microphone positions achieve best possible quality of sound within environmental constraints
use microphones to monitor sound quality throughout use
resolve faults, equipment failure and audible defects that are within your area of expertise
notify appropriate people of any problems with any faults, failures, audible defects and extraneous background sound that you cannot resolve
record positions of microphones in formats appropriate for repeated use
reset, shut down and tidy recording equipment when work is complete
comply within health and safety requirements at all times
Knowledge and Understanding
You need to know and understand:
health and safety requirements including those related to safe listening, safeguards against hearing loss and working with electrical equipment
the characteristics and applications of microphone types in use including sound signatures and quality of sound
appropriate accessories and how to use them
the characteristics of the required sound, what the sound sources are, and what changes or movements in sources may be expected
the requirements for separation between microphones when setting up around sound sources including how to position microphones around a standard drum kit
the effects of microphone placement and acoustics on sound including how the ‘sweet spot’ of instruments, tonal colour and room reflections are affected by microphone positioning and movement
how to evaluate the difference between the sounds of microphones in different positions
the differences between using microphones for outside broadcast and in a studio
how to position microphones to minimise unwanted sound or noise
the criteria used to evaluate sound
how to use microphones to monitor sound quality
when it is necessary to adjust expectations of sound quality and the parameters for doing so
compatibility issues between mono, stereo, multi-channel and multi-track in the current context
indicators of faults, failures and breakdowns, and how to control and contain them
when it is appropriate to report defects and malfunctions to other people and how to do so
CCSMT37 Set up and operate microphones
Overview
This Standard is about positioning and operating microphones to capture sound. This is likely to be for music but can apply to other contexts.
This involves connecting and positioning microphones, maintaining required separation, checking sound quality before and during use, identifying and resolving faults with equipment or sound quality and recording positions for future use.
This standard is recording engineers, sound engineers and programmers who set up and operate microphones.
Performance Criteria
You must be able to:
Knowledge and Understanding
You need to know and understand: