Modern Recording Techniques
Chapter 15 Tutorial: Modulation Noise
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Modulation noise is a high-frequency component that causes sonic “fuzziness” by introducing sideband frequencies that can distort the signal (Figure 15.1). This noise-based distortion is due to the magnetic and mechanical properties of the analog recording process itself, and actually increases as recorded levels rise. This noise is often higher in level than you might expect, and when combined with asperity noise (sideband frequencies that are also introduced by the analog record/playback process) can definitely play a role in what could be called the “analog sound.”
Do It Yourself Tutorial: Analog Tape Modulation and Asperity Noise
- Feed a 0-VU, 1-kHz test tone to a track on a professional analog recorder.
- Listen to the recorder’s source (input) signal through the monitors at a moderate level.
- Switch the recorder to monitor the tone from the track’s playback (tape) head. Does it sound different?
or ...
Download and/or listen to the following compression mp3 audio examples for this tutorial by clicking on the links below.
- Input_monitor.wav: 1kHz tone, listening to the recorder’s source (input) signal
- A80_tape_monitor.wav: 1kHz tone played back through a Studer A80 2tk recorder *
- 5050_tape_monitor.wav: 1kHz tone played back through an Otari 5050 2tk recorder
* The A80 (which was originally owned by Bruce Swedien) appears courtesy of Puget Sound Studios. (www.pugetsoundstudios.com)