Signal Flow and Degradation

For the first topic of discussion, I will talk about the basic needed setup, and different ways of obtaining it.

Let's talk signal flow. Obviously the main goal is to get your sound waves converted to an electrical signal, amplified enough to be able to turn it into a digital signal, where it can be mixed and processed by some software, turned back into an electrical signal, then converted to physical sound waves that can reach your ear. With no processing, you might hope that the sound waves going in sound just like the sound waves coming out. This is most likely (and my most likely I mean definitely) not the case. The trick is to know your limitations and try to use them to your advantage.

So let's look at where it can go wrong. I'm going to pretend that we are recording your vocals. The sound comes from deep in your throat and makes its way out of your mouth and into the open space of your bedroom, to be captured by a microphone. This void from your mouth to the microphone is the first cause of a bedroom sound. The actual bedroom. The way your room sounds will determine greatly how your recording will sound. You spend so much time in your room that you may not notice the horrible flutter echo caused by the closely placed parallel empty walls anymore, which is a great recipe for garbage.

Once the sound makes it from your mouth to the microphone, and from your mouth to the wall to your microphone, and from that wall to another wall and your microphone, etc. you must now convert that sound wave into an electrical signal. This is what the microphone does for you. The manner in which it is converted will make a huge difference in the quality of your electrical signal. The type of diaphragm the mic has, pattern of the mic's pickup, and the placement of the microphone all change the outcome of your signal.

So your voice has made it this far, has been converted to an electrical voltage. Now it has to make it's way down the cable where it is bombarded by noise from all sides as it races through the copper wires. Another way to garbage up your signal.

Once it makes it through the XLR cable it must go through a preamp. That microphone puts out very low voltage levels, and needs to be boosted in order to be able to convert it to a digital signal. Setting up your preamp incorrectly can cause serious degradation of your signal.

It's time to convert your analog signal to a stream of bits so that you can process, mix and whatever else you might want to pretty up your sound. Again, different analog-to-digital converters can change your sound in different ways, and knowing you're A/D specs is important.

Now we reverse the process. Send that digital bit stream to a D/A converter send it along another long copper wire, amplify your signal, and convert the oscillating voltages to a physical pressure wave.

Have you ever closed your eyes and listened to a persons recorded voice and thought that the person was actually standing there in front of you? Neither have I. Even with the best of gear, in the end, it comes out sounding like what we have become accustomed to knowing as a "recorded voice." It doesn't sound bad. It just sounds recorded, because that's what it is.

The trick is to know the difference between a "good" recorded sound, and a "bad" one, and how to avoid the "bad" sound. I want to dedicate this site to explaining how in a home studio, you can achieve that "good" sound. This is not done by buying really expensive gear (China has provided us with plenty of cheap gear that works just fine), but by knowing how to use the gear that you have. So let's go into the signal chain in more detail, talking about artistic techniques and technical details, so that you can get a pro sounding recording in your bedroom.