THE USE OF DYNAMIC AND CONDENSER MICROPHONE

WITH CARDIOID POLAR PATTERN AS AN ALTERNATIVE OF

FEBRIYANDO LIONO
Bachelor of Art
Conservatory of Music
Faculty of Pelita Harapan University
Tangerang
Indonesia
Email: [email protected]

Abstract
Designing sounds in contemporary times has been very extensive and
variety, as well as for movies, music, games, and so on. One of which is
designing underwater sounds. There are many ways to create and design this
sounds. To investigate the best way, it is necessary to research on ways to
record underwater sounds and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of
each method.
Data collection was done by using literature, case/project studies, as
well as communication techniques, namely by distributing questionnaires to
the respondents and conduct interviews to experts. The results collected from
case/project studies are analyzed and measured by using spectrogram and
spectrum analyzer for objective review. Then do analysis and validated by
distributing questionnaires to 32 respondents with four different categories
and conduct interviews to experts for subjective review.
From the results of this research, dynamic and condenser microphone
can be used as another option other than hydrophone to record underwater
sounds.

Introduction
In the manufacture of sound for a real and not fabricated, such as
movie, video clips, games, or music, underwater sounds. Often time to
a sound designer will look for ways get the sound underwater, a sound
to make the sound suitable and designer will make it more muddy,
feasible to be used, such as the bassy, and filtered, or not as clear as
sound of broken celery is often the sound that we heard in the air
associated with the sound of broken medium.
bone. But there is a condition in Historically, underwater sound
which the sound requires something pickup has been done monaurally
and by trial and error. Ron Streicher made by unseen terrors. Survival
admits to once wrapping his means the careful tracking of a liquid
cheapest dynamic microphone in constellation of alien sounds,
Saran Wrap and holding it under requiring the player to focus intently
water. Frank Serafine obtained to the point of suppressing their own
some sounds for “The Hunt for Red breathing, further reinforcing the
October” by mounting a PZM unit in sensation of claustrophic isolation.
a metal film can. He also “protected” The player aims, fires their weapon
a Shoeps microphone with a and hopes to hear the creature cry
condom and vaseline. These out in pain, but more often than not
techniques are risky and the sound they hear is their shot
unfortunately do not provide a flat disappearing uselessly into the void.
sound-pressure response Robin Arnott use Hollywood
characteristic. Even when actual movies as a reference to create the
hydrophones have been used, the underwater sounds, which are
frequency response has been less audible sounds bassy and leave only
than wide or flat, unless expensive low frequency (filtered). This
Navy calibration standard resulted in lack of audio resolution
hydrophones were chosen. (Fred G. and lack of clarity of the sound
Geil, 1992) design. To outsmart the
Other than in films, underwater shortcomings, Robin used equalizer
recording is also used in the world of to emphasize high frequencies. On
games, like a game "Deep Sea" the other hand, these sounds can be
created by Robin Arnott, a sound achieved easily by using a
designer for independent games. hydrophone.
"Deep Sea", which was produced by Based on the example of the
Wraughk, Audio Design, is a game underwater recordings above, it is
about being vulnerable. In this needed to discuss and prove that
audio-only game, players wear a hydrophones will enable the users to
mask that obscures their vision and record underwater sounds easily
takes over their hearing, plunging and achieve more accurate results.
them into a world of blackness In this research, the recording
occupied only by the sound of their results of underwater sounds using
own breathing and the rumbles hydrophone will be compared with
the recording results using dynamic the dynamic and condenser
microphone and condenser microphone will be optimized to be
microphone covered by a condom. like hydrophone recordings using
Furthermore, the recording results of sound effects in the post-production.

Objective
This study aims to optimize the recordings of dynamic and condenser
microphone to be like the recording of hydrophone by using sound effects in
the post-production.

Experimental Procedure
A video clip of ‘Shrimp vs. Crab’ from the movie “Oceans, Disneynature” is
used for the experiment. The sounds from the original video, which contains
21 different sounds of footsteps, hit, movement, and others, are listed for the
Foley recording. Those sounds will be re-recorded using hydrophone to
imitate the original sounds. After assuring that the sounds recorded are
suitable, then dynamic microphone, condenser microphone, and hydrophone
will be used to record the sounds at the same time. The sounds recorded will
be used as the experiment data.
 The underwater recording data will be analyzed by Spectrum Analyzer and
Spectrogram before undergo post-production. The post-production, using only
equalizer (EQ) and filtering will process the data of dynamic and condenser
microphone. The recordings of hydrophone will not undergo the post-
production. The aim of this process is to optimize the recordings of dynamic
and condenser microphone to be like the recording of hydrophone.

Analysis Method
The data are analyzed by using spectrum analyzer and spectrogram.
Spectrum analyzer measures the magnitude of an input signal versus
frequency within the full frequency range of the instrument. A spectrogram is a
visual representation of the spectrum of frequencies in a sound or other signal
as they vary with time or some other variable.

The first analysis is to find the differences between the recordings of

After doing the post-production, the recordings are analyzed again by using
the same method. The aim of this second analysis is to validate whether the
processes have made the recordings of dynamic and condenser microphone
graphically alike with the recordings of hydrophone.

The pictures below are an example of analysis and the graph of equalizer
used for the underwater recordings. This is the sound number 13. It is a
sound from a scene where the shrimp had a chance to attack and pushed the
crab away.
 Analysis Before Post-Production

Process of Post-Production

Analysis After Post-Production

Validation
In addition to validate the results, distributing questionnaires and interview
are used. Questionnaires are distributed to 32 respondents with 4 different
categories, which are sound design, music, cinematography, and common.
Each category contains 8 people that are trusted to have the background like
in its category. The aim of these questionnaires is to obtain objective data, in
which one’s background has influences in the assessments that they made.
There are 15 questions with a scale of one to six to be elected by the
respondents. Basically the questions asked are to choose which audio fits the
best with the visual (dynamic/condenser/hydrophone), and how similar the
audio of dynamic microphone with hydrophone and the audio of condenser
microphone with hydrophone.
 There are also two interviews to validate the results subjectively. The
interviews are conducted to Mr. Robb Nichols, who is the owner of Aquarian
Audio, and Mr. Otto Sidharta, who is a composition lecturer in Conservatory of
Music at Pelita Harapan University and has been doing underwater recording
since 1990.

Results
From the results from the questionnaires that have been obtained, the
majority chooses video with the audio of dynamic microphone. They assumed
that underwater sounds has a dominating low frequency causing is to be
bassy, muddy, and filtered. Those assessments are based on their
experiences, such as watching underwater Hollywood movies, while they are
swimming, etc. The second most common choice is video with the audio of
condenser microphone, and the least is video with the audio of hydrophone.
This result is unexpected as the instrument, which is especially made for
underwater condition, is the least chosen by the respondents.

Only a few people that choose the audio of hydrophone to be the most
suitable for the underwater video, and those people are Mr. Robb Nichols, Mr.
Otto Sidharta, and mostly respondents from the category of cinematography.
From the results of interviews with Mr. Robb Nichols and Mr. Otto Sidharta,
the audio in the video other than the hydrophones are unrealistic, sounded
heavily augmented and filtered, leaving only low frequencies.
 The results that ask the similarity between the recordings indicate that
dynamic and condenser microphone are not alike with the recordings of
hydrophone, because the percentage resemblance majority is below 50%.
However, the recordings of condenser microphone have higher percentage of
similarity than dynamic microphone.

Conclusions
1. To do underwater recording technique using dynamic and condenser
microphones, it needs a layer, which is thin, elastic, and strong such as
condom. The end of layer needs to be covered tightly so that water will
not come in through.
2. The process of post-production is unsuccessful in optimizing the
recordings of dynamic and condenser microphones to resemble
hydrophone recordings. Although it has been analyzed using Spectrum
Analyzer and Spectrogram, a recording from a microphone cannot be
made into the same or similar to other microphone recording because
every microphone has its own character and frequency response. But on
the other hand, this process has succeeded in making dramatic and
cinematic effects.
3. Dynamic and condenser microphones can be used as another option
other than hydrophone to record underwater sounds, but not making them
alike or similar.
4. There are differences in sound quality and spectral characteristics
generated by dynamic microphones, condenser microphones, and
hydrophones. Dynamic microphone tends to be dominant at low
frequencies. A condenser microphone tends to be dominant in the middle
frequencies. Hydrophone tends to be dominant in the middle frequency to
high frequency.
5. The final conclusion is made that the hydrophone is the most suitable tool
to record underwater sounds, because it is specially created for
underwater. Other than waterproof, hydrophone has an advantage of
capturing sound accurately and detailed.
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