Post by stuzzo on Apr 21, 2023 4:26:12 GMT 12
I finally asked the AI one of life’s truly big questions:
“Why is sibilance largely unnoticeable in live human speech but becomes a quality issue in recorded speech and music.”
“Sibilance refers to the hissing or rushing sound that occurs when a person produces sounds like "s," "z," "sh," "ch," and "j." These sounds are produced by a stream of air passing through a narrow opening between the tongue and teeth or the lips.
In live human speech, sibilance is usually not very noticeable because the sound is not amplified or processed in any way. The human ear is designed to process sounds in real-time, and the brain is very good at filtering out extraneous noise and focusing on the primary source of sound, which is usually the speaker's voice.
However, in recorded speech and music, sibilance can become a quality issue because the sound is often amplified and processed using various electronic devices, such as microphones, mixers, and speakers. These devices can enhance the sibilant frequencies and make them more prominent, causing them to sound harsh and unpleasant.
Additionally, some recording techniques, such as close-miking, can result in an exaggerated sibilance effect. Close-miking involves placing the microphone very close to the speaker's mouth, which can capture a lot of the sibilant frequencies and make them more prominent in the recording.
Therefore, in recorded speech and music, it's important to carefully manage sibilance to prevent it from becoming a quality issue. This can be done using various techniques such as proper microphone placement, equalization, and de-essing.”
So miking records sibilance at levels that seem unnatural to us but it begs the question, “why hasn’t sibilance from an amplified speaker dispersed in the same way as natural speech?”. The answer given summarised as:
“…. the lack of reflections and the concentrated, directional nature of the sound waves from an amplified speaker, along with the closer proximity of the listener, can all contribute to the sibilant frequencies being less dispersed and more noticeable than they would be in a natural listening environment.”
Sounds reasonable to me.
“Why is sibilance largely unnoticeable in live human speech but becomes a quality issue in recorded speech and music.”
“Sibilance refers to the hissing or rushing sound that occurs when a person produces sounds like "s," "z," "sh," "ch," and "j." These sounds are produced by a stream of air passing through a narrow opening between the tongue and teeth or the lips.
In live human speech, sibilance is usually not very noticeable because the sound is not amplified or processed in any way. The human ear is designed to process sounds in real-time, and the brain is very good at filtering out extraneous noise and focusing on the primary source of sound, which is usually the speaker's voice.
However, in recorded speech and music, sibilance can become a quality issue because the sound is often amplified and processed using various electronic devices, such as microphones, mixers, and speakers. These devices can enhance the sibilant frequencies and make them more prominent, causing them to sound harsh and unpleasant.
Additionally, some recording techniques, such as close-miking, can result in an exaggerated sibilance effect. Close-miking involves placing the microphone very close to the speaker's mouth, which can capture a lot of the sibilant frequencies and make them more prominent in the recording.
Therefore, in recorded speech and music, it's important to carefully manage sibilance to prevent it from becoming a quality issue. This can be done using various techniques such as proper microphone placement, equalization, and de-essing.”
So miking records sibilance at levels that seem unnatural to us but it begs the question, “why hasn’t sibilance from an amplified speaker dispersed in the same way as natural speech?”. The answer given summarised as:
“…. the lack of reflections and the concentrated, directional nature of the sound waves from an amplified speaker, along with the closer proximity of the listener, can all contribute to the sibilant frequencies being less dispersed and more noticeable than they would be in a natural listening environment.”
Sounds reasonable to me.