Well, now that I'm running the R4 in full swing, I thought four-mic configs might be a worthy topic for discussion. Let me start by saying I've learned tons from the TS Matrix PDF, which hammers through loads of matrix configs involving an AUD pair and a SBD pair of channels with all sorts of AUD combos from PA sweet spot to on-stage card configs (coincident and near-co) to on-stage omnis. I've been using and experimenting with those techniques a ton in the past few weeks, and have gotten some incredible recordings from them. However, for this specific thread, I'm (personally) more interested in discussing 4-mic configs, not 2-mics and the board.
So far I've played with four main combinations:
(1) Standard stereo pair on a stand plus one omni in the middle (two cards on my AKG bar, plus an omni on the center 5/8 thread). This is only 3-mics, but whatever...
(2) Standard card pair on a stand (XY, DIN, whatever) in PA sweet spot, plus two wide split omnis on stage on different stands
(3) Standard card pair on a stand (XY, DIN, whatever) in center on-stage, plus two wide split omnis on stage on different stands
(4) Standard card pair on a stand (XY, DIN, whatever), plus two other mics in various locations for reinforcement of weak-balanced instruments
I tape a lot of small jazz ensembles with four instruments or less, and for that, option #4 has been working out really well. I setup XY like usual, then strategically place the other mics to reinforce things I'm worried will have bad balance in the mix. For example, one venue I tape at has the piano way in the back of the band's setup with the lid facing away from the stereo pair -- it's always hard to hear and sounds kind of crappy on the tape. By putting a mic back there behind the lid (omni or card), I can totally bring in the piano like I could never do before. Also, I'm finding the XY on stage with split omnis on seperate stands several feet or more to the left and right of the XY stand gives me some great options in post (option #3). Sometimes the XY pair is plenty by itself, but it seems when I bring in even a little of the omnis, it just sweetens up the whole mix real nice. One thing I haven't done yet is just mic each player/instrument seperately with cards (let's call that option #5) -- just stick a card in front of each performer and mix/pan in post to get the stereo image -- I'll probably try that soon...
Anyway, I was curious if anyone else has played around with these or other 4-mic configs, and what your experiences have been and if you have any suggestions for me to goof around with. I was also thinking about running a variant of option #3 where I would use split cards (instead of omnis) at the sides of the stage, but I wasn't sure if that was just a stupid idea or not. Seems like that could help me with my image in post, but maybe it'd suck?
What do you think?