On Sat, 5 Jan 2008 07:39:18 -0800, Tynan AgviĐr wrote
(in article ):
Well, imaging is one thing, but spaciousness and full-frequency range
pickup are two other considerations.
Both of which good cardioids can do very well.
They can, but they generally dont do as well as omnidirectionals.In my
opinion, of course 
To each his own. There are many ways to skin a cat.
Amen. You can say that again. Dogma is deadly like, man.
Blumlein and Mittle-Siete mking are NOT the same thing.
Ja, any fool with half an idea about professional Audio, or basically
anyone that hasnt lived under a rock for the past decade knows that..To
imply that I am ignorant of this glaring fact is a bit offensive.
Didn't mean to offend. It just seemed to me like your previous statement
inferred that they were the same.
I suggest you read the Patent mentioned previously and the Book about Alan
Blumlein. His inventions were many, and extended far outside of the
technique that is his namesake.(128 Patents in all on various subjects
from Audio to Radar transmission systems) MID-SIDE miking was his
creation too. Germans did invent Jecklin Disc(OSS), which I also love,
though! See below:
"In this patent (British #394,325), Blumlein examines the physiology of
the human binaural hearing process and the spatial illusion produced by
ătwo or more loudspeakersä; describes the use of multiple
microphones÷including the crossed figure-8 (now known as the Blumlein
technique) and ****!!!Mid-Side stereo-miking method!!!!!s;**** details a
dual 45/45-degree phono cutter head for producing stereo record masters;
and proposes a means of transmitting stereo radio"
Yes, I read a book about Alan Blumlein when I was a teenager.
"Some years back I delivered a paper at the annual convention of the
Audio Engineering Society on a "Mid-Side Boundary Layer" technique I had
devised. It was an adaptation of the classic ****!!!Mid-Side" stereo
arrangement described by the great British inventor, Alan Blumlein!!!!
**** in a patent dating back to 1935 (as it happens, the year of my
birth). Blumlein proposed placing a figure-of-eight microphone sideways,
facing away from the sound source, and pairing it with a directional mike
placed midway on top of it, pointing forward at the sound source."
I didn't say that Blumlein didn't originate MS, I merely said that MS and the
miking technique that bears his name aren't the same thing.
"In the same patent of 1933, Blumlein also described a mathematical
transformation of these crossed bidirectionals, ****!!!!which he termed
the Mid/Side
technique!!!!****. Also employing the bidirectional microphone as the
essential contributor to
the stereophonic imaging, this “Side” microphone was oriented laterally,
with the null-
axis aimed directly at the sound source. The “Mid” microphone had its
principal
pickup axis aimed directly at the sound source, hence again co-aligned
with the null
axis of the bidirectional microphone."""
MID
+Side
-Side
THE MID-SIDE TECHNIQUE
Maybe that's why I'm so disappointed in many modern orchestral
recordings from Europe.
I dont like many modern recordings either. Primarily because modern
engineers are incompetent idiots with no idea of how to do their
jobs..
I'll agree with that. It's what happens when whole generations become fixated
on one music type at the expense of all others. Most modern recording
engineers are rockers. While their personal music tastes are certainly their
own business, they make it quite plain that they got into recording at least
partially to be a part of the "pop scene" and that recording pop musicians is
all that they are interested in. Not only do they know little of nothing
about other types of music, they are actually disdainfully ignorant of them,
especially those forms of music that respond well to minimalist miking
techniques that afford them little opportunity to knob twiddle.
It used to be (like in the 50's and 60's) that most recording engineers knew
how to record classical and big-band jazz, while most pop consisted of an
orchestra backing a vocalist (ala Sinatra, Como, et al). Many classical
recording engineers, such as Louis Layton at RCA, C.Robert Fine at Mercury,
and Arthur Haddy at British Decca (London Records in the USA) actually became
well-known figures in the audio world.
not because of any polar pattern use. A good engineer can work with
any polar pattern...I prefer omnis and fig 8s, but I would never say that
I dont like any recordings made with cardiods. That is bordering on
dogmatic and dangerous, and would be quite foolish to say.
I have quite a few recordings made with Omnis that are quite good. What I
said is that I wouldn't use them for an orchestral recording because I find
X-Y and M-S BETTER,
Opus 3, Waterlily, Delos, and Proprius...the final 4 as far as I am
concerned. They seem to do no wrong. Check the Opus 3 samplers and the
Proprius CANTATE DOMINO and Jazz at the Pawnshop recordings..be amazed.
I have Jazz at the pawnshop and it is VERY good. Almost palpable. My only
complaint is that there is too much ambience in the form of night-club
revelers in the recording for my tastes. I would have tried to reduce that.
OTOH, I realize that the night-club audience is part of that recording's
"schtick", but I would have done it differently.