Fireworks Audio at DVinfo.net

George Tasick · April 14th, 2008, 09:13 AM

I was just wondering if there were any audio engineers out there who could give me some input on how to record audio that is at extremely high levels?

Specifically fireworks which spike into the range of 160-180 decibels at the moment a shell breaks.

The equipment needed would also have to automatically adjust for lower sound levels once the initial spike dissipates. The setup would have to be able to pick up the rest of the range of noises like echoes, less intense secondary effects and ambient noises. The microphone would also need to hear a very wide range of sounds to pick up the shrill whistles and low booming thuds of the fireworks.

I would have to imagine that there’s some sort of mixer/recorder with a very quick AGC that can keep up with the rapid changes of a fireworks display without getting overloaded. And a microphone that could handle those spikes without peaking while simultaneously handling the range of noises that fireworks produce.

I've tried several setups but they all seem to be unable to properly capture the "bigness" of fireworks.

And now that I’m writing this down I’m noticing that there is probably no single magic microphone that can do all of this.

Any input would be appreciated.

Josh Chesarek · April 14th, 2008, 09:27 AM

Not sure if its the right way but I have used two mics on my XH-A1, I set one up for the loud sounds and the other for the quiet sounds. In post I mixed them together for the complete sound.

Jimmy Tuffrey · April 14th, 2008, 09:27 AM

Good old SM58 should do it. For level issues you could run two tracks at different recording levels and have a load more headroom in one track for the quiet sections. A simple y cable will do it for plugging the mic into both channels. Dynamic mic's are a good safe bet for fireworks, Concorde etc..

April 14th, 2008, 09:13 AM	#1
George Tasick Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Zelienople, PA Posts: 86	Fireworks Audio I was just wondering if there were any audio engineers out there who could give me some input on how to record audio that is at extremely high levels? Specifically fireworks which spike into the range of 160-180 decibels at the moment a shell breaks. The equipment needed would also have to automatically adjust for lower sound levels once the initial spike dissipates. The setup would have to be able to pick up the rest of the range of noises like echoes, less intense secondary effects and ambient noises. The microphone would also need to hear a very wide range of sounds to pick up the shrill whistles and low booming thuds of the fireworks. I would have to imagine that there’s some sort of mixer/recorder with a very quick AGC that can keep up with the rapid changes of a fireworks display without getting overloaded. And a microphone that could handle those spikes without peaking while simultaneously handling the range of noises that fireworks produce. I've tried several setups but they all seem to be unable to properly capture the "bigness" of fireworks. And now that I’m writing this down I’m noticing that there is probably no single magic microphone that can do all of this. Any input would be appreciated.

April 14th, 2008, 09:27 AM	#2
Josh Chesarek Major Player Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Winter Park, FL Posts: 978	Not sure if its the right way but I have used two mics on my XH-A1, I set one up for the loud sounds and the other for the quiet sounds. In post I mixed them together for the complete sound. __________________ Simple Thought Productions - Life @ 30,000 Words per second

April 14th, 2008, 09:27 AM	#3
Jimmy Tuffrey Major Player Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Bristol U.K. Posts: 244	Good old SM58 should do it. For level issues you could run two tracks at different recording levels and have a load more headroom in one track for the quiet sections. A simple y cable will do it for plugging the mic into both channels. Dynamic mic's are a good safe bet for fireworks, Concorde etc..