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Author Topic: Card+Omnis from the lawn  (Read 15038 times)

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Offline rocksuitcase

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Re: Card+Omnis from the lawn
« Reply #15 on: April 22, 2016, 10:58:37 AM »
You can probably get a few inches additional spacing on each side for the omnis by pointing them directly out to either side and pushing the mic bodies out as far out as you can in the mounting clips, as long as they are still securely held.  The mic bodies then extend beyond the length of the bar with the capsules at the outermost limit.

And, being omnis, they don't need to be pointed at the stage/stacks.......won't I lose some top end? Or probably not enough to matter?

I'll be doing this a lot this summer. Might be time to invest in another stand. Or a really wide bar:)
This is the Manfrotto we own. At $80.99 it looks to be $20 less than when I bought it: (for the Nak's you'll need something like this, for lighter weight mics, you can always do a telescoping bar like Gutbucket uses.)
http://www.fullcompass.com/prod/165942-Manfrotto-154B
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/503258-REG/Manfrotto_154B_154_Triple_Microphone_Holder.html
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Online Gutbucket

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Re: Card+Omnis from the lawn
« Reply #16 on: April 22, 2016, 11:06:18 AM »
Probably not enough to matter, especially in combination with whatever you are also running in the center.  Mixed with the center mic(s) it may actually be a slight advantage to have them pointed away from each other (bit more level difference, opening up the center for the other mics), and not at the stacks, but again, it's probably not significant enough to matter much or worry about.
musical volition > vibrations > voltages > numeric values > voltages > vibrations> virtual teleportation time-machine experience
Better recording made easy - >>Improved PAS table<< | Made excellent- >>click here to download the Oddball Microphone Technique illustrated PDF booklet<< (note: This is a 1st draft, now several years old and in need of revision!  Stay tuned)

Offline Limit35

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Re: Card+Omnis from the lawn
« Reply #17 on: April 22, 2016, 09:06:28 PM »

What kind of angle are you guys using in x/y? I am wondering when further back would it be beneficial or matter to close up the angle below 90* to get a more narrow field and let the omnis do their thing? Obviously 60-90* may not yield a useful recording on its own and the center card can be used, just curious how narrow and wide x/y fits into the pair.

I'm just trying to wrap my head around the possibilities here. With summer coming up and plenty of music, I really look forward to playing around with these 3 and 4 mic setups.

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Re: Card+Omnis from the lawn
« Reply #18 on: April 22, 2016, 09:10:56 PM »
^^ That will be another good comparison for you.

Listened to on their own, I usually prefer near-spaced stereo configurations like DIN/PAS over X/Y.  But in combination with the omnis, I prefer X/Y in the center over a near-spaced config.  In addition X/Y is Mid/Side tweakable without weirdness, so the center of the image can be dialed in optimally if you care to make the effort to adjust that.  Near-spaced configs are Mid/Side tweakable too (any stereo recording is) but the bit of time/phase difference which makes them sound better in isolation can do some weird things if you shift the M/S ratio by more than a little.

By M/S tweakable, you are just referring to how much of the image is brought up into the mix?

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Re: Card+Omnis from the lawn
« Reply #19 on: April 22, 2016, 09:57:40 PM »

What kind of angle are you guys using in x/y? I am wondering when further back would it be beneficial or matter to close up the angle below 90* to get a more narrow field and let the omnis do their thing? Obviously 60-90* may not yield a useful recording on its own and the center card can be used, just curious how narrow and wide x/y fits into the pair.

I'm just trying to wrap my head around the possibilities here. With summer coming up and plenty of music, I really look forward to playing around with these 3 and 4 mic setups.
I defer to Gutbucket here, but I'd say the closer to the source 110, farther away 90. anything less than 90 isn't worth it. IF you are super close to the stacks, you can try 110 NORTF (spaced 17 cm) or stay with X-Y 110.
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Re: Card+Omnis from the lawn
« Reply #20 on: April 25, 2016, 12:53:22 PM »
^^ That will be another good comparison for you.

Listened to on their own, I usually prefer near-spaced stereo configurations like DIN/PAS over X/Y.  But in combination with the omnis, I prefer X/Y in the center over a near-spaced config.  In addition X/Y is Mid/Side tweakable without weirdness, so the center of the image can be dialed in optimally if you care to make the effort to adjust that.  Near-spaced configs are Mid/Side tweakable too (any stereo recording is) but the bit of time/phase difference which makes them sound better in isolation can do some weird things if you shift the M/S ratio by more than a little.

By M/S tweakable, you are just referring to how much of the image is brought up into the mix?

I'm referring to re-adjusting the Mid/Side ratio of the stereo X/Y recording. 

When recording using an X/Y microphone setup, one doesn't need to do any conversion to listen to Left/Right stereo directly.  Most recordists simply use that direct output and call it a day. Essentially the ratio Mid to Side in the the resulting stereo recording is determined by the X/Y angle between the mics.

When recording using a Mid/Side microphone setup, you need to convert the Mid/Side stereo info to Left/Right stereo info at some point, and the ratio of Mid to Side can be adjusted to preference when doing that.  One can use equal amounts of Mid and Side, more Mid than Side, more Side than Mid.. whichever sounds and works best.  Using all Mid and no Side produces a monophonic output with no stereo width information.

Now here's the thing- once recorded, X/Y and Mid/Side are interchangeable.  You can re-adjust the ratio of Mid to Side in an X/Y recording in the same way that you do with a Mid/Side recording.  Essentially, that allows you to re-adjust the "virtual angle" between the two X/Y microphones after the recording has been made.  To do that you convert the X/Y recording to Mid/Side, make whatever Mid/Side manipulations you want - in this case changing the amount of Mid verses the amount of Side* - then convert back to Left/Right stereo again.

Just like converting Mid/Side to Left/Right, that can be done via routing on a mixer (hardware or software) but is easiest using a simple Mid/Side plugin, most of which are free.  Some Mid/Side plugins include the option to use two Mid/Side conversions in series, with adjustment of the ratio between the two.  That way the input can be L/R stereo, a change can be made to the Mid/Side ratio, and the output is L/R again with the ratio adjusted.  The Voxengo MSED plugin has the option to work that way and is a free download- http://www.voxengo.com/product/msed/ (Disclaimer- I've no association with Voxengo, but I do use this and some of their other plugins and like them)


*In addition to making simple Mid/Side ratio adjustments, you can also make other manipulations before converting back to Left/Right stereo.  By EQing the mid and side differently you can manipulate both stereo width by frequency and the tone of the center of the stereo image verses the outer edges of the stereo image.  By altering the dynamics of one verses the other, you can manipulate the stereo width by level and the dynamics of the center of the stereo image verses the outer edges of the stereo image.  That kind of more advanced Mid/Side manipulation is a common mastering technique.
« Last Edit: July 29, 2016, 09:36:00 AM by Gutbucket »
musical volition > vibrations > voltages > numeric values > voltages > vibrations> virtual teleportation time-machine experience
Better recording made easy - >>Improved PAS table<< | Made excellent- >>click here to download the Oddball Microphone Technique illustrated PDF booklet<< (note: This is a 1st draft, now several years old and in need of revision!  Stay tuned)

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Re: Card+Omnis from the lawn
« Reply #21 on: April 25, 2016, 01:43:53 PM »

What kind of angle are you guys using in x/y? I am wondering when further back would it be beneficial or matter to close up the angle below 90* to get a more narrow field and let the omnis do their thing? Obviously 60-90* may not yield a useful recording on its own and the center card can be used, just curious how narrow and wide x/y fits into the pair.

I'm just trying to wrap my head around the possibilities here. With summer coming up and plenty of music, I really look forward to playing around with these 3 and 4 mic setups.
I defer to Gutbucket here, but I'd say the closer to the source 110, farther away 90. anything less than 90 isn't worth it. IF you are super close to the stacks, you can try 110 NORTF (spaced 17 cm) or stay with X-Y 110.

Ordinarily I'd not choose to run cardioids X/Y by themselves for an AUD recording.  Instead, I'd run a near-spaced cardioid configuration. 

If I were to run X/Y on it's own, I prefer supercards, hypercards, or 8's, but if running X/Y cardioids by themselves I'd probably use a rather wide angle like 120 degrees between microphones to achieve a more satisfactory stereo image.  If I didn't want the mics angled that wide, I'd space them apart more, but then that would no longer be X/Y.

In this situation however, the X/Y isn't intended to be used by itself, but intended to work as a team along with the wide omnis.  Combined with the omnis, we don't need to try and achieve sufficient stereo width from the X/Y pair alone.  I actually want the X/Y cards to be more monoish and forward/center focused and less angle between microphones is appropriate.  How much less?  Instead of choosing an X/Y angle which best optimizes stereo image and width, I'd choose an angle that best optimizes forward focus and collection of direct arriving sound with optimum clarity- I'd point them directly at the stacks- PAS.

X/Y PAS is probably going to call for a rather minimal angle between mics, usually significantly less than 90 degrees.  In isolation, the X/Y recording will sound center heavy and not have much stereo spread.  But it is probably going to work best in combination with the omnis- providing good clear forward focus with just enough stereo width to smoothly fill the center of the stereo image between the omnis.  A bit of stereo width helps keep everything that is being contributed by the X/Y pair from being simply clumped together dead center like a single forward-facing center mic would do, but it doesn’t need to spread fully out to the sides like it would without help from the omnis.

Aside- This is why 4 channel AUD mic setups which combine two stereo configurations that are each designed to work optimally on their own, will often produce less than optimal results.  Each pair needs to contribute something different from the other so they don’t conflict with each other.   Optimally configured for use in combination with each other, the X/Y or M/S pair in the center needs be significantly narrower than if it was to be used by itself, and the omnis should be a bit wider than one would want for them if used on their own.  That's the logical extension of the idea to optimize the combination of the two pairs.  So strive for that if possible, but no big deal if not- like if you can't space that far).

I think I mentioned previously that I've been playing around with a Mid/Side pair in the center between omnis.  When listened to by itself in isolation, that M/S pair sounds best with plenty of Side in used in the Mid/Side to Left/Right conversion.  Let's say it sounds best with a 50%/50% Mid/Side ratio or even more Side than Mid.  When used in combination with the omnis, I’ll first determe a good level balance between the omnis and the Mid microphone (using 100% Mid and no Side).  That’s exactly the same as if recording using just three mics- the two omnis plus the center Mid mic.  Then, with both the omnis and center all playing back, I'll begin to play around with the Mid/Side ratio of the center pair, adjusting the ratio it until I find the smoothest imaging across the playback soundstage, where the center is still clear and direct, but evenly blends into Left and Right with more distinct image placement just off center and half-left/half-right.  That may be a Mid/Side ratio closer to a ~90%/~10%.  Mostly Mid, with just a touch of side. 

So a narrow X/Y angle is equivalent to using more Mid and less Side.  Point At Stacks X/Y with a narrow angle is going to be Mid heavy with little Side information to begin with, and will focus on other qualities which are desirable in the center (the clarity of direct sound from the stage and PA), while still getting sufficient Side information to provide a bit of width and work well in combination with the omni pair.  The Mid/Side ratio can be always be adjusted further either way as needed, but PAS X/Y already gets us closer to the ideal, and may be close enough for those who don’t want to go to the trouble to adjust it.

If you are tweaking the Mid/side ratio of the X/Y pair, I suggest setting the ratio to 100% Mid while finding your initial balance adjustments between the omnis and center.  Once you have a balance you like, then play with the Mid/Side balance of the center pair by bringing in more Side.  You may want to go back and forth a bit to find the best balance between the center level and center Mid/Side ratio.

This kind of flexibility after recording is partly what makes these techniques so useful. 
« Last Edit: July 29, 2016, 09:46:04 AM by Gutbucket »
musical volition > vibrations > voltages > numeric values > voltages > vibrations> virtual teleportation time-machine experience
Better recording made easy - >>Improved PAS table<< | Made excellent- >>click here to download the Oddball Microphone Technique illustrated PDF booklet<< (note: This is a 1st draft, now several years old and in need of revision!  Stay tuned)

Offline rocksuitcase

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Re: Card+Omnis from the lawn
« Reply #22 on: April 25, 2016, 02:09:59 PM »
^^^^^^
glad I said to defer to you! So, to be more specific about the X-Y angle while running the Omni XY four mics: even if the PAS is a 45 degree angle, go for it? Secondly, what if you are on the lawn of an amphitheater with only the outside repeaters, aim at them or just do a narrow 45-60 degree XY for the middle?
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Re: Card+Omnis from the lawn
« Reply #23 on: April 25, 2016, 03:53:20 PM »
Yep, I'd have no problem at all with a 45 degree X/Y angle if the plan was to mix that with the wide omni pair, and in fact I'd probably find such a narrow angle preferable, for more reasons than "being closer to what we want without having to re-adjust things later" as described above.  I'll try and explain-

When changing the X/Y angle (either physically during setup, or virtually by adjusting the M?S ratio) we're also changing the combined pickup pattern of the pair. I mentioned above how re-adjusting the mid/side ratio changes the "virtual angle" between the X/Y microphones.  Well, unless you are using figure 8 mics in X/Y (or using the Mid/Side equivalent to that with a figure-8 Mid), that re-adjustment also changes the virtual polar patterns simultaneously along with the virtual microphone angle.  Virtual angle and virtual pattern are linked.

The combined pickup pattern of the pair is the Mid signal.  You can derive Mid from X/Y easily.  Simply sum the Left and Right channels together.  You then have all Mid and no Side.  If you sum a 90 degree X/Y pair of cardioids together you don't end up with a single forward facing cardioid, you end up with a single forward facing sub-cardioid.  Think about it this way- if you sum two coincidentally arranged cardioids which have a 180 degree angle between them, each facing the opposite direction, you produce a virtual omnidirectional pickup pattern (which is how microphones with electrically switchable patterns produce their omni pattern output).  If you sum two coincident cardioids which have no angle between them and are both facing the same direction, you produce a cardioid pattern with twice the sensitivity of either mic alone, but the same cardioid shape sensitivity pattern.  For angles in between zero and 180 degrees, the combined pickup pattern morphs through the sub-cardioid shaped patterns which lie between cardioid and omni.

If one goal is to maximize pickup of direct stage and PA sound and minimize pickup of reverberance and environmental audience noise in the center microphone pair, then we probably want a rather directional forward facing mic in the center. But a wide X/Y angle makes for a rather wide virtual Mid pickup pattern, the most directional it is able get (using no Side at all) is only as tight as the two mic patterns summed together.  So by using less angle between the X/Y pair, we immediately tighten up the Mid pattern if we do nothing else, and we gain a range of adjustment which includes a greater exclusion of room and audience sound at the combined (Mid) end of the available adjustment range if we want to tweak things.

Using supercards for the X/Y pair (or as the Mid microphone) is another way to tighten up the Mid sum.  That works the same way, but then the range of pattern is between something closer to a single forward facing cardioid (100% Mid) and a single sideways facing 8 (100% side).  Rocksuitcase- your use of a shotgun Mid pushes that to it's logical extreme.
musical volition > vibrations > voltages > numeric values > voltages > vibrations> virtual teleportation time-machine experience
Better recording made easy - >>Improved PAS table<< | Made excellent- >>click here to download the Oddball Microphone Technique illustrated PDF booklet<< (note: This is a 1st draft, now several years old and in need of revision!  Stay tuned)

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Re: Card+Omnis from the lawn
« Reply #24 on: April 25, 2016, 04:38:05 PM »
Secondly, what if you are on the lawn of an amphitheater with only the outside repeaters, aim at them or just do a narrow 45-60 degree XY for the middle?

Hmm, hard to say.  Let's see..

I'd probably treat it like an off-center situation, trying best I could to ignore what my eyes are telling me and point the array as if I were blind, using only my directional hearing sense.  I'd rotate the primary axis of the entire array (that is both the omnis and center pair together, the primary axis being perpendicular to the line between omnis) to face directly towards the apparent acoustic center determined by listening, even if it looked like it was pointing off at some weird angle.  I'd then try and determine which direction(s) the clearest direct sound was coming from.  If the whole array ends up pointing at a repeater stack, and that repeater stack is the closest source of clean, direct sound, then I'd use a pretty narrow X/Y.   

If I were positioned midway between repeater stacks, and the apparent center was in the center between them, I'd point the entire array at that apparent acoustic center, and angle the X/Y pair wider so that they faced the repeater stacks more or less directly.  The two X/Y mics will focus on as much direct sound as possible individually, and if their included angle is very wide, their sum will form something like a very wide cardioid shape.. which is appropriate in that case, as the most direct sound is arriving from off to either side, producing a phantom image center somewhere closer to the middle.   If using supercards, you can still angle them upwards towards the repeaters to help limit pickup of audience noise even if the horizontal angle between them is rather wide.

Basically- Point the array at the apparent acoustic center and angle the directional center pair to point at the close sources of clear direct sound.
« Last Edit: April 25, 2016, 04:44:26 PM by Gutbucket »
musical volition > vibrations > voltages > numeric values > voltages > vibrations> virtual teleportation time-machine experience
Better recording made easy - >>Improved PAS table<< | Made excellent- >>click here to download the Oddball Microphone Technique illustrated PDF booklet<< (note: This is a 1st draft, now several years old and in need of revision!  Stay tuned)

Offline Limit35

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Re: Card+Omnis from the lawn
« Reply #25 on: April 25, 2016, 07:23:50 PM »

Thanks Gutbucket.  I had a 'feeling' of what I wanted to do but was not quite sure why exactly I wanted to do it, if that makes any sense.  I've never run X/Y before but, it makes sense from the location I will be in with a smaller angle.  However, with my limited recording experience and knowledge it is just guess work.  The explanation really clears things up.

As far as treating X/Y like M/S, that is totally new to me and need to research this more. I want the end result to be well blended, as it will be when I am there, so tuning the X/Y pair with omnis seems like the way to go for me.  It seems like a lot post work but I would think the end result would be worth it.  I really like the flexibility of this option a lot more over just the omni-card-omni setup. 

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Re: Card+Omnis from the lawn
« Reply #26 on: April 26, 2016, 09:15:53 AM »
Glad to help.

Try both in similar situations but different times to begin to determine if it's worth it to you to use the X/Y pair in the center instead of a single cardioid, along with the associated extra options that makes possible.  Keep in mind that you don't have to make any mid/side adjustment to the X/Y pair, especially if the angle is rather narrow.  In that case you're only balancing the levels of each pair individually first, then finding the appropriate mix level of the two pairs, which is pretty much the same as balancing the levels of the omni pair and then finding the appropriate mix level of the omnis and the single cardioid.  But sometimes having extra options can be as much a curse as a blessing and simpler can work out best.
musical volition > vibrations > voltages > numeric values > voltages > vibrations> virtual teleportation time-machine experience
Better recording made easy - >>Improved PAS table<< | Made excellent- >>click here to download the Oddball Microphone Technique illustrated PDF booklet<< (note: This is a 1st draft, now several years old and in need of revision!  Stay tuned)

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Re: Card+Omnis from the lawn
« Reply #27 on: July 29, 2016, 01:30:58 AM »

I would like to say thanks for all the input in this thread. I decided I am going to run 853s and X-Xs on outriggers tomorrow and see how it sounds, maybe switch to x/y on the next night. I feel on the lawn a 4033 clamped off the stand with a small footprint to dig into the turf a bit is too unstable. So I came up with a similar result as above with 853 cards or hypers on 8438's front and back with another perpendicular Tbar and funky mounted telescopic outriggers (1.4m). I kinda looked at what I had and went with it. I played around with it and the X-X/card option seems pretty bassy and dark so perhaps I will try hypers and see how that goes in the first set at least.

What I was really surprised about was the control of space with the mix. The front hyper was mono of course, dialing in the back gave an 'expanded mono' since that mic was picking up room reverberation, both being enter mixed. Bringing in the split omnis was really nice, I was home 'PA' testing but the thickening on the four channels was nice to hear.  Not the PAS/DIN/NOS/AB I am used to, crowd sound will be icing on that for sure.

I was also surprised to see moving the stand around the room and panning how insanely directional the rig is. With the center card of course it is, but I am not used to that, so some thinking will be involved on the best rough angle before swinging that spread around to stage or stacks or somewhere in between.  I didn't really understand what the whole 'using your ears' concept until I panned the rig and heard  how radical the changes were. I've tweaked spacing or moved a little but never had the whole sound scape change, it makes sense though... 4 mics, a lot of different sound coming in.  It does seems like a fun rig. I figure there are going to be some good mics out there so I might as well have some fun and do something different and learn some things. I can always download a good pull or recreate a surround sound experience to relive the day if nothing else.

Thanks again, I've been re-reading this thread for awhile and hitting the archived ones to figure this situation all out. I'll let you all know how it went.


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Re: Card+Omnis from the lawn
« Reply #28 on: July 29, 2016, 08:58:49 AM »
Limit35- We just finished 3 Phish and 3 days of Greyfox Bluegrass running split omnis (AKG ck22's) with a combo of inside mics (ck61 card, ck8 short shot, c414 fig 8, c414 cards- 414's in MS.)
It is fun AND the listening experience is different. instead of "in your face" directional sounds like ck61 cards PAS, it is much more spacious with a wider soundstage and to my ears more "realistic" in many ways.
Now, mixing the sets can be a challenge and oddly enough I've already found from mixing Greyfox sets that even with the same mic setups, I've put different amounts of Omnis vs center forward vs center rear. with some mixes, I've eliminated the rear channel all together, and with others, I've left it in without any reduction of level.
Like you said, experiment with the center channels if you can and you will have  a bunch of different sounds to mix together.
Have fun!    :headphones:
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Re: Card+Omnis from the lawn
« Reply #29 on: July 29, 2016, 10:28:04 AM »
I'm so glad you guys are having fun and getting good results with these techniques.  I've been posting about this stuff for years and although others seemed interested in the threads I was starting to think nobody was interested in actually giving this stuff a try.

What I was really surprised about was the control of space with the mix. The front hyper was mono of course, dialing in the back gave an 'expanded mono' since that mic was picking up room reverberation, both being enter mixed. Bringing in the split omnis was really nice, I was home 'PA' testing but the thickening on the four channels was nice to hear.  Not the PAS/DIN/NOS/AB I am used to, crowd sound will be icing on that for sure.

It is fun AND the listening experience is different. instead of "in your face" directional sounds like ck61 cards PAS, it is much more spacious with a wider soundstage and to my ears more "realistic" in many ways.

Quote
Now, mixing the sets can be a challenge and oddly enough I've already found from mixing Greyfox sets that even with the same mic setups, I've put different amounts of Omnis vs center forward vs center rear. with some mixes, I've eliminated the rear channel all together, and with others, I've left it in without any reduction of level.
Like you said, experiment with the center channels if you can and you will have  a bunch of different sounds to mix together.
Have fun!    :headphones:

For me, this is what makes this kind of approach so powerful- we gain a huge amount of creative control over the final results, and can choose how we want things to sound.  We can focus on different aspect as we see fit and then dial it just right to make the best of them- More dry and direct or more open and spacious? More solid center or more stereo width?  More enthusiastic audience reaction from all around enveloping the listener or less ambience and a more upfront forward focused presentation?    What ends up being the best subjective choice for one set may be very different from what we end up with for another set.   

Although this stuff can be more complicated than just running two mics in a standard mic config, it actually makes producing a really good recording less reliant on making a good and often simply 'lucky' educated guess at setup time, and we are no longer simply stuck with what we happen to get.

musical volition > vibrations > voltages > numeric values > voltages > vibrations> virtual teleportation time-machine experience
Better recording made easy - >>Improved PAS table<< | Made excellent- >>click here to download the Oddball Microphone Technique illustrated PDF booklet<< (note: This is a 1st draft, now several years old and in need of revision!  Stay tuned)

 

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