[Frank Stearns]

"Gary Eickmeier" writes:


snips

The problem I have discovered is from the miking technique (MS) rather than
the mikes or moving the mikes or my perspective. I will demonstrate as soon
as I can upload some files, but the idea is the Fig 8 pattern that I have
been using has a channel reversal in the rear and some strange left channel
problems that are probably associated with that and the decoding process.

Yes, there are limits to MS, as I've noted before. What do you think you've
discovered?

BTW, forgot to mention earlier as a possible source of irritation when doing MS: By
no means are all figure 8 microphones created equally. Polar response -- and even
the actual output volume -- might be different between the front and rear lobes of
the same fig 8 mic! (In fact, with some of the Royer ribbons, the company warns
about a different output level between front and rear.)

Thus, it's bad enough when the response between the M and S microphones are off
(either due to different mic types or due to poor off-axis response of the S mic
even if the same model as M), but then you discover issues with an asymmetrical
response between S+ and S-!

Ouch.

About the only way I'd go back to MS would be with the Schoeps or Neumann MS rigs --
both (IRCC) well north of US$5000 by the time you got done. I can get a better sound
for well less than half that investment using omnis.

Interestingly, the advanced (or maybe it was a 3rd party custom) Schoeps MS rig at
one time included a third mic -- an omni -- to compensate for the overall
less-than-adequate LF response of the directional microphones used for the main M-S.
They even included some sort of crossover network to blend the LF omni with the mid,
if I remember correctly. That rig was very expensive.)

Frank
Mobile Audio

--