Mid/Side

PaulBrewer

Does anyone record M/S ?

What do you use it for ?

studiorat

Choirs!!!

PaulBrewer

and why over XY etc ?

Width control ?

krd

Explain?..........Si vous plait

krd

Paul, when's you're next gig - in Dublin - preferably in a place where the drinks are not too expensive, and the door isn't too hard (I had trouble over Christmas - I have one of those faces)

Could you do LoveCats....For me.......I think it's fun piece for a bass player...

madtheory

I used to do a lot of XY until I explored other spaced pair options. Decca tree sounds a lot better to me on big groups such as choirs. But I am not averse to using MS processing on any stereo signal for width adjustment and other craziness.

if6was9

I use it on drum room from time to time. I like it, having the control over the width of it in the mix is great.

madtheory

http://www.bluecataudio.com/Vault/Doc/MidSideProcessing.pdf

TroutMask

all the time: choirs! I use it in conjunction with other techniques - ORTF, e.g.

studiorat

PaulBrewer wrote: »

and why over XY etc ?

Width control ?

A little bit of width control. But I find the XY rig too detailed, you start to pick out voices within the choir itself. And the spaced set-ups too diffuse.

I was reading about a "Faulkner - phased array" recently using two AB bi-directional microphones, the jist of it being you can get far enough back to get a good blend but not get too much ambience. You also get a better bass response than a Decca set-up because the microphones are closer to the floor.

http://www.sengpielaudio.com/TonyFaulknerPhasedArray06.htm

I'll try it out in a week or two and let you know...

madtheory

Would love to hear about the Faulkner, never tried it. Haven't (knowingly) heard his recordings either.

powerplant

I like M/S on acoustic guitar. Decca Tree on choirs sounds great!

frobisher

I used to back when I was in studios that had mics with variable polarity. But I've never actually felt the need for it since. Although I've considered that if I bought another LDC I'd get an AKG 414 so I could do it. For no reason other than why not. I've always been an XY fan.

SonasRec

I'm recording solo harp all of this week.

I'm recording mid-side & XY, i'll decide later which pair to use. M/S setup is neumann km84(M) & AT4050 (S). XY is a stereo pair of km184's.

To my ears, the M/S setup has a much more interesting stereo image, & I like the security of knowing it'll collapse into mono with no problems. The ability to change the stereo image on mixdown is also a big advantage. The only downside is that the side mic has to be cranked to get enough level & even though the mic and pre (GML) are quiet, I have the gain up so high, there is a lot of noise on that channel.

The XY is kinda flat sounding in comparison but very usable.

I've also put a dpa4061 omni in the soundboard & it sounds very focused & has more low end info. I might use a little of it if i need more body.

frobisher

SonasRec wrote: »

I'm recording solo harp all of this week.

I'm recording mid-side & XY, i'll decide later which pair to use. M/S setup is neumann km84(M) & AT4050 (S). XY is a stereo pair of km184's.

To my ears, the M/S setup has a much more interesting stereo image, & I like the security of knowing it'll collapse into mono with no problems. The ability to change the stereo image on mixdown is also a big advantage. The only downside is that the side mic has to be cranked to get enough level & even though the mic and pre (GML) are quiet, I have the gain up so high, there is a lot of noise on that channel.

The XY is kinda flat sounding in comparison but very usable.

I've also put a dpa4061 omni in the soundboard & it sounds very focused & has more low end info. I might use a little of it if i need more body.

I think anyone listening in mono deserves hell.

TroutMask

all mixes should be tested for mono compatibility: it's the rules. Also, good mono is a thing of joy: I've a Leak Varislope/TL 12 going through a Leak Sandwich - mmm, lovely mono!

TroutMask

yo, while we're on the subject of Decca Tree: what are ye're preferred bars for DT? I'm thinkin' of going Grace, mainly because i already have a Grace bar and have plenty of the fixin's.

And..... where do ye source cases for microphone bars? I'm thinking those stiff charcoal-coloured AV-type cases would be perfect, but where to buy?

I have a stand trunk already, i just need something to protect the bars & parts when I load them in this larger flightcase.

madtheory

Wish I had a proper stereo bar. The Grace appears to be super duper. Hope to get one in this year...

studiorat

Grace make cases for their bars. If money was no object I'd love to have the DPA 5.1 rig, with the DT on the front and two surround bars.

Until then I'll put up with K&M stereo bars and their big orchestral stands.

frobisher

TroutMask wrote: »

all mixes should be tested for mono compatibility: it's the rules. Also, good mono is a thing of joy: I've a Leak Varislope/TL 12 going through a Leak Sandwich - mmm, lovely mono!

The first thing that ever gave me a tech-audio eargasm was when I was a kid I'd spend whole evenings hitting the stereo/mono button on a big old ghetto blaster. I couldn't believe the sound with the stereo button in. Mono...... nah :cool:

madtheory

I had a badly wired set of headphones as a kid, which fed you the sides signal to both ears. Used to listen to whole albums that way. Great fun.