Where you record is hugely important - as the mics will pick up the sound of a room, hall or church, as well as the voice or instrument you want to record, even if they are placed close to the sound source.

The acoustic of a space is defined by it's reverberation. In small rooms and studios, this short reverberation should sound even across the audio spectrum. For instance, if lots of treble and mids are absorbed, and liitle or no low-mids and bass frequencies are absorbed, the room, and subsequent recordings, will sound 'boxy'. If the room is too reverberant, recordings will sound 'roomy' - a sound reserved for bad recordings . . . and drama - where the effect can be wanted for realism.

With a larger acoustic space, such as a hall or church, the different rates of treble, mid-range and bass absorption, just gives character, rather than problems, as in small rooms. With these bigger spaces, recording the acoustic accurately is just as important as recording the performers - as with classical and choral music, brass bands, singer-songwriters, and some jazz and blues.