Marc,
A question since you have so much knowledge on the subject. which would be prefferable to the ear:
1. A matrix made with a very high end digital delay in a 2 mic/sbd mix (nothing terribly fancy)
or
2. A "matrix" made with an aud recording and a patch off the board post mixed through software? Would doing this negate the fq issue faced without the digidelay unit?
Jonny
Hi Jonny and All,
I prefer to be able to keep the recordings separate (ie. at least in archived form). Then, when you combine them, you can always undo your steps.
With an inline delay making a single two channel recording, you only get one shot and without a audio measurement system (SmaartLive, SIM II, others...), you will not be able to set the delay with great accuracy nor make changes as the show goes on.
By having two discrete recordings and mixing them with software, you can stop, re-align, and continue as much as necessary. Since the speed of sound in air changes with temperature and humidity, delay times do need to be changed (usually only about 1-2mS per hour of audio).
While there are varying methods for signal alignment, in software, you can make a cut in the space between a couple songs (on the board recording since its speed is constant) as compared to the changing ambient recording and moving that segment until it aligns nicely with the other recording. This is more visual or graphic in nature. The other way is to add delay through an effects send or insert in the software mixer. The latter does not provide the visual benefit of the first.
With software, you can align visually by looking for impulses like a kick or snare drum which causes a dynamic peak above the majority of the recording. Everything will seem perfect for three of four songs, and after a while, kick drums will start sounding mushy and impulses will no longer be visibly aligned. This is where it becomes necessary to make further offsets.
Happy Recording,
Marc