^[EDIT] Ok, I went back and reviewed our conversation
a page or so back (last July) where you mention that the JVC's are shotguns, so those must be the pair clamped below the mic bar, and discuss your mixing method. Got it. Those shotguns look wider than 6" though. Are you measuring from the diaphragm position? Can be tricky on a shotgun as the diaphragm is located in front of the amplifier body, but at the rear of the interference tube, behind the slots, or rather, just ahead of the rear vents which may be the last couple slots or a separate set spaced a bit behind the slots in the tube. The vertical distance between the X/Y pair and the clamped shotguns may help reduce the combing problem, or may just shift it around in frequency.
In that post you also say-
Ideally I should be running a super or hyper in that X-Y configuration, but I would rather run those narrower patterns as the near spaced pair directly at the stacks. They just soak up direct signal in that configuration. I think the cards would pick up way too much from the sides spread out wide like that.
First part of this rings true to me. I find I'm gravitating toward pointing the ~2' spaced supercards (which are currently at +/-45 degrees ) more toward the stacks when recording from farther away than I'd like or in a reverberant room, because like you say they just soak up direct signal in that configuration and almost provide a zoom-in effect, but want to increase spacing of that pair when I do so to compensate for the narrowed angle. Moving from OMT4 to OMT6 with that directional pair between the wide omnis and center coincident pair takes some pressure off the coincident pair providing most of the clarity and presence, so somewhat wider pattern Mid or X/Y pattern and angle can work.
Second part doesn't ring with me. Picking up more from the sides is all about pattern and the angle between the mics. Spacing the same cardioids wider won't pickup more from the sides, but angling them wider will.
