Here is the Strangefolk tape:
http://archive.org/details/sf2012-03-31.at4050st.flac16fListen to #10 "Westerly"... when half the crowd was singing along all around us.
This was recorded at the 127* setting, which is kind of silly for the environment, but we set it up without thinking to change it from last time. But it doesn't matter, I can fix it at home. I took the raw recording:
- converted to M/S using audacity plug in,
- add a slight low end boost to just the side channel (+2db from 40-160), a process called "shuffling".
- dropped the side channel by 3db which narrows it up when I go back to L/R. This added more punch in the center without making it overly narrow.
That may sound like a lot of work, but I've done enough mid/side mixes that I've got it down to just a few clicks. I think it's really cool that you CAN do the encode/decode thing, and works well because it was MADE with mid/side caps.
I'm happy with the result. I'm tickled pink with the overall tone. Not muddy, not too bright. Listen to the music, not the mic. There were 16 pairs of mics running at Strangefolk, Schoeps, Gefells, DPAs, and AKG's. Direct comparison of the AT with those is hard because my brain gets really wrapped around the coincident vs near-coincident thing, so it's an apples and oranges, but "it doesn't suck" in comparison.
[-- later --] Now that I've been listening to a few different sources for an hour I think I prefer the AT over any of the others. At first my brain is drawn to the detail of the others, but that's fatiguing if you put ear buds in and try to listen for an hour or two. The AT source is warm in comparison and more enjoyable to listen to.