Topic: Placement question - how/whether to adjust orientation if you're LOC/ROC?

[acidjack]

When you cannot be dead center-- and especially if you're pretty far LOC or ROC, do you do any of the following:

1. adjust the angle of one mic (i.e., uneven pattern) such as trimming in the mic closest to the wall?
2. adjust the orientation of a fixed pattern (e.g., DIN) toward the sound source (so the mics remain in that pattern but are more evenly pointed at music)

or

3. just point straight ahead as if you're DFC?

I've generally either done 1 or 3, but I've probably done all three at some point.  I can't say I have any way to really compare results, if I even really remember what I did on any particular occasion.  I'm also not a huge stickler for patterns and lean more toward the "what sounds the best/aim at the music" method as a default, but I would be curious what the "orthodox" best way to handle this is.  It seems to me that if you're, for instance, near a wall on one side, it does not make sense to have one mic pointing toward music, and one mic mostly pointing at a wall, as you would pick up tons of reflections in one channel. 

[mattmiller]

#2.

[Belexes]

I like #2. I keep the config and aim for the source.

[datbrad]

Also #2

I aim the "center" of the pattern at the "center" of the stage from the perspective I am facing. Even though the mic facing the more distant stack is not as close to on axis with it as the mic facing the closer stack, it's just an auditory trick on the mics. The mic facing the more distant stack is actually getting most of it's sound from the closer stack in a near coincident arrangement, so by aiming at the center of the stage from your point of perspective allows some difference in time stereo to create separation without it sounding like you are off center with regards to the PA stack.

[mattmiller]

If you're so far LOC or ROC that you're near the wall, I would think that #3 would be a good way to capture the ambiance of the wall reflections in that channel.

[acidjack]

^^^ Yes, I personally haven't left it aimed straight at a wall when that close to one, but I have seen it done. It didn't make sense to me at all.

[Gutbucket]

Instead of setting up the mics with reference to the the visual center of things, try listening with eyes closed to determine the acoustic center and using that direction as the center line for whatever config you deem appropriate.  Sometimes those those two directions can be very different.. and sometimes the difference is not obvious until you close your eyes and really concentrate on the sound.  Sight clues can easily influence how we percieve sound and can be quite deceiving.

Also keep in mind that there are situations where the sound is much better off-center for a number of reasons so an off-center position may be preferable to dead center.

[datbrad]

Whenever I am close to a side wall with one stack directly lined up in front of me, I also avoid traditional stereo patterns that would capture extreme reflection from the closer side wall. Over the years, I have found a neat trick. I run A-B at about 20cm spacing, but I point both parallel spaced mics at the center of the stage, rather than straight at the stack I am facing. Again, it's an aural trick. Each mic is getting the majority of it's sound from the stack in front, but with the off angle of both mics and the spacing between them it seems to emulate a bit more of a sense of soundstage due to the slight difference in time created, as well as grabbing a tad more of the signal from the more distant stack. Simply pointing both mics straight ahead usually sounds like a basic stack tape with no real imaging because in addition to no difference in intensity, there is almost no difference in time between the caps.

This technique does not apply to situations where you are very close and also far to one side, and then just pointing both mics straight at the one stack in front of you is normally the best way to go, in my experience.

[page]

Mix of 1 and 2.