Microphone positions are an important consideration to take into account when recording any sound or instrument. Factors such as location, distance and the type of microphone used will affect the sound recorded. A series of tones were recorded using two common types of microphone placed at several positions. Short sections were chosen and mathematically analysed using Fourier Analysis. These were compared with expected characteristics based upon physical aspects of the instrument and the associated acoustic properties. Results revealed that the dynamic microphone offered the most accurate representation of the source sound and that microphones placed adjacent to the instrument's lower joint gave data corresponding to existing research the most.

Second Life is an online 3D virtual environment that offers interesting potential for use in education due to its widespread availability, flexibility, and its use of standard platforms and input devices. Given a broad design brief for a nine-week masters student project of using Second Life for education, we explored a range of potential ways of using the environment, and designed and implemented a 3D turtle-graphics system. In this paper we present our findings together with a reflection on both the constraints that Second Life places on the range of educational uses worth pursuing, and the specific issues likely to be faced by researchers creating other such systems.