Multimedia in Digital Audio
Workstations
Multimedia is
text, graphics, video, animation, audio and other media that can be used to
help an organization efficiently and effectively achieve its goals [4]. Today’s
DAW software offers many advantages over traditional Analogue recording
techniques. The graphics generated by the DAW act as a visual guide to
correctly identifying issues in recordings that could only be identified
previously by listening. An engineer’s ear is still the most valuable tool, but
the graphics allow precise measurement of time down to the millisecond as well
as frequency identification (both can be measured by ear, but are subject to
human error). As with DSS, DAW do not
take the place of decision maker, but rather offer resources that will enable
the user to make the best choices to complete the objective, in this case, a
quality recording.
A common issue with recording is phase coherence. Phase is the relationship of two or more
signals coming from microphones on the same sound source [1]. It is common recording practice to use
multiple microphones for a single instrument to get the best sound. If the two
recordings are out of phase, the result when the two recordings are combined is
a bad sound that can cancel each other out.
This occurs when microphone A receives the signal at the +peak of the
wave form and microphone B receives the signal at the –peak of the wave form,
when combined the two waves cancel each other out and produce an output of
zero. The DAW produces a graphical representation
of the two waves that allows the engineer to move one of the signals so that
the two waveforms are aligned producing a phase coherent recording.
Another extremely useful tool in
recording and especially mixing is a frequency analyzer. Frequency analyzers are usually offered as a
plugin for DAWs and take the Audio file and display the frequencies that are
being played. An experienced Audio Engineer can accurately identify
frequencies, but it can be a very difficult skill to acquire. New engineers are
usually able to identify problem frequencies to a degree, but with the help of
an analyzer, can pinpoint exactly where the problem lies. Also some frequencies
are difficult to hear, but are necessary for the overall mix of sound. 20-40 Hz
are felt more than heard, and as we age, the ability to hear high frequency
greatly diminishes. It’s fairly common for people who are over 25 years of
age to not be able to hear above 15kHz [2]. So the use of frequency analyzers are valuable
for the fact that, We can’t
always hear what’s down there, but with the right tools, we can see it [3].
In closing, multimedia in DAW offers a means to
measure sound in a visual format, giving the engineer another point of
reference while editing and mixing.
4.Textbook, page 334
