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Author Topic: Cards or Omnis?  (Read 8898 times)

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Offline itook2much

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Re: Cards or Omnis?
« Reply #15 on: March 05, 2008, 10:38:52 PM »
It's largely a matter of personal preference IMO.

I only run omnis HRTF.  To me omnis sound more natural, chatter & all, compared to what I feel is the "sterility" of cards.  That said, I have had times that if I'd been using cards I would've had a better recording due to cutting an overabundance of "chattiness."

So, as I said, it's up to your preference.  I'd think at that distance you could use the omnis & get a great recording without much problem from chatters.
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Offline philfernandez

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Re: Cards or Omnis?
« Reply #16 on: March 09, 2008, 02:10:25 PM »
Just in case anyone was wondering - I used the omni caps for the first set.  I was a little left of center and the levels appeared to be affected by this.  The right channel was considerably hotter.  So I switched to the cards for set 2 and the levels were even.  When I got home, I do believe that the card caps worked better.  The sound is a little more defined.

The question I now have is:  Will the levels always be this unbalanced (using omnis) when not centered in the room?  It didn't sound that way in the room and it isn't obvious to the ear upon playback, but I am thinking that a good recording would never be that off.  Watching the difference on the deck face is kind of frustrating...


Offline itook2much

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Re: Cards or Omnis?
« Reply #17 on: March 09, 2008, 07:48:37 PM »
It doesn't necessarily have anything to do with omni vs. card.

Your particular pair of cardioid mics may be better matched than your particular pair of omnis.
DPA 4060 (CS HEB) > CS BB > Edirol R-09

Backups:  DPA 4060 (1/8"), SP-BMC-2, SP-SPSB-6, Sony MZ-NH1

Quote from: tomluvsgiants
rule #1 - get the show taped
rule #2 - see rule #1    >:D

Quote from: Grace Hopper
“If it's a good idea, go ahead and do it. It's much easier to apologize than it is to get permission.”

Offline DSatz

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Re: Cards or Omnis?
« Reply #18 on: March 09, 2008, 09:25:49 PM »
philf, I usually find that if the main mikes weren't in a position where they captured a pretty good acoustical balance in the first place, there's no amount of knob twiddling that can make it right afterward. If they're off by just a small amount, that usually can be touched up pretty well. But if the microphones were really in "not so good" places, then the whole premise of two-microphone stereo recording kinda breaks down.

An ordinary mismatch between two properly working microphones of the same type isn't usually a big issue, but if that's really your main problem, you can compensate by adjusting the channel balance and if necessary, a touch of EQ. If you can't, then that wasn't your problem in the first place.

On the third hand, so to speak--if that kind of compensation is really necessary for good results, I'd look to trade up to something with better production consistency! But spaced microphone pairs are less dependent on a precise match than coincident or near-coincident microphone pairs are anyway. For spaced pairs, the same sound isn't reaching both microphones at the same time, so the stereo effect depends to a great extent on which microphone the sound reaches first and by how much. With coincident or near-coincident pairs, the arrival time is the same at both microphones but the exact intensity that's picked up by each of the two microphones is the main (or only) variable that creates a difference between the channels. So the exact frequency response, sensitivity and polar response of the two microphones matters far more in close or coincident setups.

--best regards
« Last Edit: March 09, 2008, 09:30:00 PM by DSatz »
music > microphones > a recorder of some sort

Offline Tim

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Re: Cards or Omnis?
« Reply #19 on: March 10, 2008, 04:22:06 PM »
When I got home, I do believe that the card caps worked better.  The sound is a little more defined.

this sounds to me like the basic sonic signature of omni's v. cards

omni's have a laid back and natural feel to them, cards - by nature of their directionality - have a more precise sound to them

Excellent post from Mr. Satz as well
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Offline Dede2002

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Re: Cards or Omnis?
« Reply #20 on: March 10, 2008, 05:15:41 PM »
When I got home, I do believe that the card caps worked better.  The sound is a little more defined.

this sounds to me like the basic sonic signature of omni's v. cards

omni's have a laid back and natural feel to them, cards - by nature of their directionality - have a more precise sound to them

Excellent post from Mr. Satz as well

As usual ;)
Mics..........................SP-CMC-8, HLSC-1 and HLSO-MICRO
BB and Preamps........MM Micro bb / MM Custom Elite bb / Church 9100
                              
Recorders...................Tascam DR-100MKIII, Marantz PMD 620 MKII, Edirol R-09

Offline soundpro

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Re: Cards or Omnis?
« Reply #21 on: March 11, 2008, 07:52:39 PM »
Hello:

We setup a FAQ in this subject that may be of interest:

http://www.soundprofessionals.com/cgi-bin/gold/category.cgi?category=binvscardfaq

Best Regards,

Chris Carfagno
The Sound Professionals, Inc.
3444 Sylon Blvd
Hainesport NJ, 08036
800-213-3021
609-267-4400
609-267-0054 fax

 

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