I dont understand why more people dont use the vark bar...
I don't understand why so many people want to point their mics at the stacks. Colin -- +t on the mics, and not trying to call you out here in particular. I'm just too much of an image freak to want to see folks with really nice gear like DPAs run them so that the image collapses to nothing.
If you're running far back enough (or the stage has such narrowly placed stacks) that you're included angle on the mics falls below 70 degrees, you'll be getting just about nothing for a stereo soundstage. DPAs have unbelievably good off-axis response -- you'll have no problem with them even if you are "pointed" far off the stacks. With mics with such a fantastic off-axis response as DPAs, you'll pull a better tape by using a tried an true stereo mic pattern -- ortf or din for instance -- than you will if you just point the mics at the stacks. :twocents:
I agree, it looks strange to be running ORTF back in the venue and seeing your mics pointing nowhere close to the PA stacks, more like right at the side wall. But I have done this numerous times and it always sounds accurate to the way it sounded to me in that spot at the show. I usually run XY if indoors and not in the sweet spot. I am not a huge fan of XY either but it sounds decent in indoor rooms which tend to be a bit boomy in general, I have found XY has a tendency to "clean up" the sound a bit, brightening up the overall balance which can help for thumpy rock shows.
Actually, I would personally not recommend running DPA 402x pointed at the stacks as the result can be VERY bright and on the harsh side to listen to. I ran PAS (maybe ~50-60°?) for the Dead this summer at Deer Creek (halfway between SBD and back row of pavilion, 4022>V3 @ 24 bit) and it is quite harsh and hard to listen to at elevated volume levels. The DPA's have such smooth off-axis response that I think about 80° angling is about as tight as you would want to run. Plus directly on axis you have that little 15KHz bump, the audibility of which is debatable, but I think they engineered this little bump in there to achieve their extremely neutral off-axis response.
There is a pic in the rig pictures from Phish this past summer at Alpine with my mics mounted PAS, but I just searched for a while and couldn't find it, it is me clamped either to caymanreview's or johnr's stand. I probably had em' at about 70° for these shows, tapes sound ok, not as harsh as for the Dead. For these shows I aimed my mics just outside the stacks. I have to say that after a few trial runs, I really liked the simplicity of the DPA ORTF/XY holder, I didn't really like having to bring all the smaller pieces req'd to run different configs (2 CSM4000, Vark bar) plus inserting the 4022's into the CSM 4000's was more of a pain than mounting them in the ORTF/XY mount. Ok, I know it is not THAT much more gear and time, but hey, it's a moot point because I drank too much whiskey at Leftover last september and left my CSM4000's and Vark bar at the show. Well, I don't know for sure where I left them, but I sure as hell can't find em' now...
Happy taping!!
Ben