The document summarizes the results of analyzing audio recordings from two different locations - a quiet courtyard and a noisy cafeteria - using an H2 microphone. In the courtyard, background noise was minimal and mainly included birdsong, with sounds clearer closer to the microphone. In the cafeteria, there were many contrasting low and high frequency sounds from students, chairs, kitchen equipment. Close sounds were clearer but far sounds could not be differentiated as well due to the busy environment. Interference was picked up including microphone movement and banging.

1. Location recording analysis
My location is quiet and contains what you expect to find in the typical
courtyard, objects such as benches, signs, bushes, buildings. The odd person
walks past every now and then and yet it still manages to stay a quiet, peaceful
place where students can study or just chill out in between lessons or sit with
friends at lunch and chat.
The background noise is minimal but you can hear the birds which creates a
peaceful and relaxing atmosphere. Every now and then you hear a passing
conversation. Even so the noise level is at a minimum as it’s not a busy place in
the college, even during lunchtimes it’s still a quiet place.
Although I didn’t get much contrast between high and low frequency sounds we
did manage to capture both high and low frequency. During this recording it was
evident that high frequency sounds would record clearer than low frequency
sounds.
I found that sounds nearer the microphone were clearer and easily heard, where
as my recordings further away were not so clear and difficult to hear. The sounds
further away were lower in frequency, but this did not mean the closer the sound
to higher the frequency.
As the environment I was in was a quiet and peaceful place there wasn’t much
that distracted you from the dialogue. The occasional passing person would
distract you but not enough that you would miss sufficient to lose you trail of
thought.
When holding the H2 I didn’t notice any wind noise, but I was using a sleeve
which covers the microphone and appears to reduce this noise level. What I did
notice was a mechanical sounding noise when moving the microphone. There
was also a lot of banging about when changing hand,s despite the ease in
handling the equipment. I was surprised that so much interference was picked up
on the recording.
The courtyard is surrounded by buildings which I believe had an effect on the
noise. This can be considered as both a disadvantage due to the echoes picked up
or an advantage as sound was clearer and easier for the H2 microphone to pick
up as the sound was not lost due to the open space.
The headphones that came along with the H2 microphone were very useful as
you could hear the recording in the same quality as you would hear on the
finished project / recording. They were also useful to eliminate other noises that

2. I could hear but the H2 microphone couldn’t capture. It was interesting to be
able to make a comparison between the different levels of sensitivity between my
ears and the H2 microphone.
My second location was in a loud and noisy place. Noise from students
socialising, movement of chairs, tables, etc and vending machines and kitchen
equipment clanking and banging were all audible.
It is again a place students can chill out with friends and have fun between
lessons and at break times.
The background noise in the canteen is a lot different to the noise in the
courtyard. The canteen in full of loud students enjoying their social interactions
during their study period. The canteen is full of a lot of different noises
including low frequency sounds, like voices and crashing in the kitchen and high
frequency sounds like chairs screeching across the floor.
The close sounds are again a lot clearer. As it is a loud and crowded area you
can pick up on a lot of contrasting sounds, in the recording you couldn’t
differentiate the far away sounds from the nearer sounds as well as you could in
the courtyard recording. Because the recording was too busy, meaning there was
a lot going on all at once.
I found the chairs being dragged across the floor most distracting of all the
noises as it took my attention away from the dialogue and I missed some of the
information. For other people I can see that the people talking in the background
may well be a distraction.
As we were indoors I didn’t hear any wind with the H2 microphone but again
there was a lot of banging about with the microphone which is very distracting
as a listener.
The sounding is a lot clearer being inside instead of outside and we are
surrounded by walls.
If I were a professional I would use a larger microphone as I prefer the diegetic
sound as it sounds more natural when recording in an outside space. I would also
have the microphone at an appropriate distance from the speaker’s mouth so you
get a natural volume of sound rather that a distorted sound level.