Hi Rob,
Thanks for posting the new sample. It's very interesting to compare these recordings made in the same room with the same instrumentation, with the mic setup the primary variable between the two. I find this sort of listening comparison the best way for me to really learn what's going on and confirm how things work in the real world.
What are your thoughts about the differences between the two? We are entering the realm of the subjective here, where mechanics of the craft are satisfied and subtleties of artistic preference become the focus.
Well let me first explain the microphone set up this time.
The main array at about between waist and chest height, a few meters back from the violinist, and about a third the way along the piano (from the keyboard end). The mid-point of the array pointing midway between the violinist and pianist. The array consisted of a pair of CM3s, 41cm apart, and a pair of OM1s, 67cm apart. The violin is augmented by a stereo spot - the DPA 2011s in X/Y - about chest height and about a meter away from the violinist, so picking up the sound coming obliquely off the side of sound board, to get the wood / body sound of the violin as much as possible.
The difference in sound? To me the violin now has a warmer, woodier body sound to it - the thin scratchiness of the first set-up has been removed. I think the piano sounds more rounded too, and there's a nice space around the instruments - all in all a better balanced and more natural sound, closer to what the audience would have heard.
This session was actually the third (of four). I decided to use an X/Y stereo spot using the DPAs because in session 2 I used a single CM3 as a spot. It picked up too much piano (it is of course a wide cardioid), and being mono, to boost the violin (she's a quiet player, which is a key challenge in these recordings), the piano spill on the CM3 shifted the stereo image of the piano. I figured the more directional DPAs would be better in this role, and a stereo spot would give me some control over positioning its image. Personally, I think it worked.
I've certainly learned a lot in this series of recordings - your advice was truly welcomed, and it also got me reading a load of relevant threads on GearSlutz too.
What was your impression of this latest recording by comparison?
Rob