Chapter 6 Vocab

Hey this post is a review of chapter 6 vocab. I will post the term along with the definition and a picture.

Audio Mixer: A piece of equipment that takes the sounds from a variety of sources, such as mics, a CD player, or tape player, and combines them into a single sound signal that is sent to the recorder.

Automatic Gain Control (AGC): A circuit found on most consumer video cameras that controls the audio level during the recording process.

Background Sound: Type of environmental sound that is not the focus of or most important sound in a shot.

Boom: A pole that is held over the set with a microphone attached to the end of the pole.

Boundary Mic: A microphone used to pick up a sound on a stage or in a large room and is most commonly a condenser type. Boundary mics are usually placed on a table, floor, or wall to “hear” the sound that is reflected off hard surfaces.

Cardioid Mic: A mic with a pick-up pattern that captures sound from primarily one direction. Also called a uni-directional mic or directional mic.

Condenser Mic: A type of mic that requires an external power supply (usually a battery) to operate. The generating element is a thin piece of metal foil or coated film. Also called an electret condenser mic.

Diaphragm: A thin surface inside the mic that vibrates when hit by sound waves in the air and creates an electrical signal.

Directional Mic: A mic with a pick-up pattern that captures sound from primarily one direction. Also called a uni-directional mic or cardioid mic.

Dynamic Mic: A very rugged type of mic that has good sound reproduction ability. The generating element is a diaphragm that vibrates a small coil that is housed in a magnetic field.

Electret Condenser Mic: A type of mic that requires an external power supply (usually a battery) to operate. The generating element is a thin piece of metal foil or coated film. Also called an condenser mic.

Feedback: A high-pitched squeal that occurs when a microphone picks up the sound coming from a speaker that is carrying that microphone’s signal.

Fishpole Boom: Type of boom that must be physically held over the heads of talent.

Generating Element: A thin surface inside the mic that vibrates when hit by sound waves in the air and creates an electrical signal. Also called a diaphragm.

Hand-held Mic: A mic that is designed to be held in the hand, rather than placed on a boom or clipped to clothing. Also called a stick mic.

High Impedance (HiZ): A type of mic that is typically inexpensive, low-quality, and cannot tolerate cable lengths longer than 8′.

Hypercardioid Mic: A directional mic with a narrower and longer pick-up pattern than a cardioid mic.

Lapel Mic: The smallest type of mic that can be worn by talent and is attached to clothing at or near the breastbone with a small clip or pin. Sometimes referred to as a lav.

Lav Mic: The smallest type of mic that can be worn by talent and is attached to clothing at or near the breastbone with a small clip or pin. Sometimes referred to as a lapel mic.

Line Level: The level of audio between pieces of audio equipment. For example, the level of audio going from the output of a CD player to the input on an amplifier.

Low Impedance (LoZ): A type of mic that is costly, high-quality, and can tolerate long cable lengths.

Mic Level: The level of audio that comes from a microphone. It is designed to be sent to the “mic in” on a recorder or mixer.

Mic Mixer: A piece of equipment that combines only the microphone signals into a single sound signal.

Microphone: The piece of equipment that picks up sounds in the air and sends them to the mixer or recorder.

Natural Sound (Nat Sound): sound): Environmental sound that enhances a story and is important to the shot.

Off-camera Narration: Program narration provided by talent that is heard, but not seen by the viewer. Also called voiceover (VO).

Omni-directional Mic: A mic with a pick-up pattern that captures sound from nearly every direction equally well.

On-camera Narration: Program narration provided by on-screen talent (seen by the camera).

Parabolic Reflector Mic: A very sensitive mic that looks like a satellite dish with handles and is designed to pick up sounds at a distance.

Pickup Pattern: A term that describes how well a mic hears sounds from various directions.

Pop Filter: A barrier made of shaped wire covered with a piece of nylon that is placed between a sensitive mic and the talent to avoid damage to the diaphragm of the mic.

Potentiometer (pot): A knob or a slider control that regulates the strength a signal.

Power Level: The audio level from the output on an amplifier to the speaker.

Ribbon Mic: mic: The most sensitive type of mic used in television. A thin ribbon of metal surrounded by a magnetic field serves as the generating element.

Room Tone: The sound present in a room or at a location before human occupation.

Shotgun Mic: A directional mic with an extremely narrow pick-up pattern.

Stick Mic: A mic that is designed to be held in the hand, rather than placed on a boom or clipped to clothing. Also called a hand-held mic.

Supercardioid Mic: A directional mic with a narrower pick-up pattern than a hypercardioid mic.

Uni-directional Mic: A mic with a pick-up pattern that captures sound from primarily one direction. Also called a cardioid mic.

Voiceover (VO): Voiceover; a type of story that incorporates B-roll video rolled-in from the control room, in addition to the script read by the anchor.

Voice Track: The audio portion of a program created through dialogue or narration.

VU Meter: A meter on either an audio or mic mixer that indicates signal strength. The audio portion of a program created through dialogue or narration.

Wireless Mic: A mic that uses a short cable to connect the mic to a radio transmitter with an antenna, or the transmitter may be built into the mic itself. The transmitter wirelessly sends the signal to the receiver, which sends the mic signal through a short cable to the recorder.