Topic: the Healy Method???

[rdfager]

I run my omnis Healy almost all the time, or at least whenever I can't split them wide.  I think that the results sound good when mixed with my cards but generally don't sound too good on their own.  They lack detail in the higher frequencies.  My Josephsons are bright enough so that the combination when mixed at the right ratio sounds good to my ears.  I usually mix the Healy omnis in pretty low, just enough to give a little extra punch to the bass.  I think the sound I get from Healy compliments my (pretty bright) Josephsons well.

On it's own, I greatly prefer the sound of split omnis to Healy.  However, Healy is very easy to set up, captures the low frequencies well and still provides stereo separation.

As we all know, it's all a matter of personal preferrence.  If you haven't tried it before I say give it a go.

[setboy]

I have one of my healy recordings on right now. it was my fisrt time doing it, but it sounds f'in good to my ears. But the venues sounds fucking great too.

[manitouman]

Can this be Healy be accomplished if the mics are side by side and not one on top of the other? I'm going to try it tonigh for Phish on the Rocks. I'm going to put them side by side, the rear mic on a small riser so it's taller than the mic infront of it, caps split about 8" apart.

Would that work? I can't figure out how to get them over one another with the long bodies and get about 8" separation. Ah well, just experimenting but would like a decent pull.

[Gutbucket]

Not sure I follow you.  Healy has the mics side by side, one facing left, the other right, angled 180 degrees apart.  That angle and the near-spacing give it a very wide pickup angle that de-emphasizes the center part of the image which works well on-stage. Both mics are the same distance in the forward/back dimension, what do you mean by 'rear mic'?

OK after thinking about it I think I can picture what you're doing now, Healy Method generally uses side-addressed large diaphragm mics, one next to the other facing opposite directions.  I assume you are using small diaphragm end address mics and the bodies/cables would interfere with the narrow spacing?

I could be wrong, but as I understand it part of what the Healy Method relies upon is the tendency for large diaphragm mics to become more directional at higher frequencies when set to the omni pattern. A small diaphram mic will be more omni than that may translate as less separation between channels in the higher frequencies.

How far back from the stage will you be? I'd suggest spacing the mics more and angling them less from an audience location.

[spcyrfc]

so healy is intended for LD mics?  i had no idea.

[rdfager]

I've run Healy method several times at Red Rocks.  I love the way it mixes with another pair of mics.  On it's own, I find it a little too boomy and lacking in the high end.  If I plan to use just a single pair of omnis I prefer splitting them, as I mentioned in my previous post in this thread.  Both methods can sound good or bad at Red Rocks depending on the conditions.  If the wind is strong, I tend to go with Healy because split omnis frequently have phase issues in strong winds there.

I put my Avensons end-to-end on a T bar.  They end up being a little over 8" apart, but not too much.  The stereo separation is pretty good.

Amaro, if you're interested in listening to some Healy method recordings I can put some samples up on my FTP server, along with some recordings with the same mics split.

[heyitsmejess]

healy recordings (mostly stage lip, or just infront of band)

http://www.archive.org/details/rumpkemb2008-03-28
http://www.archive.org/details/rumpkemb2008-05-15
http://www.archive.org/details/rumpkemb2008-08-16
http://www.archive.org/details/rumpkemb2009-04-18.b
http://www.archive.org/details/rumpkemb2009-06-26.stagelip.16bit

[Gutbucket]

so healy is intended for LD mics?  i had no idea.

That was the original way Dan Healy set it up, not sure if that's the 'intent' or how most here do it.

[manitouman]

Not sure I follow you.  Healy has the mics side by side, one facing left, the other right, angled 180 degrees apart.  That angle and the near-spacing give it a very wide pickup angle that de-emphasizes the center part of the image which works well on-stage. Both mics are the same distance in the forward/back dimension, what do you mean by 'rear mic'?

OK after thinking about it I think I can picture what you're doing now, Healy Method generally uses side-addressed large diaphragm mics, one next to the other facing opposite directions.  I assume you are using small diaphragm end address mics and the bodies/cables would interfere with the narrow spacing?

I could be wrong, but as I understand it part of what the Healy Method relies upon is the tendency for large diaphragm mics to become more directional at higher frequencies when set to the omni pattern. A small diaphram mic will be more omni than that may translate as less separation between channels in the higher frequencies.

How far back from the stage will you be? I'd suggest spacing the mics more and angling them less from an audience location.

That's exactly it. The cables, the mounts, the big ass Shure windscreens make it difficult with the AKG 482 bodies and caps to get a perfect separation.

So instead of this:
   ~STAGE~
O----- -----O

It looks like this:
~STAGE~
  O-----
    -----O

The second mic in the above diagram I put onto a taller riser than the one in front of it so the cable wouldn't be blocking anything. I took pictures tonight, we'll see how it turns out. Not much for wind until the second set and then there was a few gusts but not too bad.

Thanks for the info. And Bob, Barrett dropped your name when he saw what I was attempting and he said you've pulled some great show using Healy. We'll see how mine turned out.

EDIT: Listening to the first file of set one. Damn this sounds good! I may have lucked out. I'll run the same mics/configuration but through the Aerco MP-2>MTII tomorrow. Wow! A really "full" sound. Not too boomy at all and that's what I was afraid of.

[Gutbucket]

Cool. 

One thing I've noticed when spacing omnis while listening through headphones is that changing the spacing has a big effect on apparent frequency balance of the sound - at small spacings like this I notice that more than the effect on the pickup angle.  If you've got a set of decently isolating phones, give a listen while setting up to the low level music playing on the PA or the opening act while sliding the mics a bit closer and farther apart.  You can dial in the sound you want, almost like an EQ.

[page]

so healy is intended for LD mics?  i had no idea.

That was the original way Dan Healy set it up, not sure if that's the 'intent' or how most here do it.

The important bit is the side-address cause that allows for an easier setup without vertical discrepancies in addition to the horizontal ones. The LD part just naturally seems to come along for the ride, since most LDs are side-addressed. (I can't think of one that isn't...)

[Jammin72]

You're going to have a problem if you can't get your capsules aligned in the plane parallel with the stage.  This type of recording relies primarily on differences in arrival times to create the stereo image. If one capsule is in front of the other you're going to skew the image and perhaps invite some phase issues. Do what you can to get them in vertical alignment as you look down from above!

[setboy]

You're going to have a problem if you can't get your capsules aligned in the plane parallel with the stage.  This type of recording relies primarily on differences in arrival times to create the stereo image. If one capsule is in front of the other you're going to skew the image and perhaps invite some phase issues. Do what you can to get them in vertical alignment as you look down from above!

would it be a problem to have one over the other?

[Jammin72]

You're going to have a problem if you can't get your capsules aligned in the plane parallel with the stage.  This type of recording relies primarily on differences in arrival times to create the stereo image. If one capsule is in front of the other you're going to skew the image and perhaps invite some phase issues. Do what you can to get them in vertical alignment as you look down from above!

would it be a problem to have one over the other?

Nope the sound will arrive at the same time on the vertical axis in this case.

[manitouman]

That makes perfect sense actually. I'll have to figure out a way of mounting one over the other. I just didn't have time this weekend and this was just one of those "hey, why don't I try this.." moments. It sounds good via the system? So I think I just got lucky. My original intent was to get them over one another and not side by side like I had to do.

Question: If I'm outside, I wouldn't be able to keep a close separation, in this case 8" AND put on the heavy windscreens. I'd have to slide them out some more in order to get them on. I would end up with about >10" separation. Would that still be okay? Or would it be better to get some headphones and listen for position like suggested above?