Triggered by a recent buying of the Sennheiser MD441-U, I was wondering how hypercardioid
mikes in general are suited when used further away from the sound source.
Because of the possibly more coloured off-axis response, I'd figure these hypercard.-types
are suited less to be used as say, drum overheads or for example as room mics on amps.
(Anyone using a pair of '441-mics as drum overheads perhaps ?)
Apart from the less natural capturing of sounds coming from aside, I can also imagine it'd give too much of a looking-glass sound (zooming in too specific on certain part of a drumkit)/
Please correct me if I'm thinking in the wrong direction. And likely different hypercard.mics will differ.
Thanks,
Peter
Comments
Thanks Kurt for the info & suggestions. Yep, a pair of omni's
Thanks Kurt for the info & suggestions.
Yep, a pair of omni's is on my wishlist.
Perhaps will try first with a cheapish pair
of LD condensers with switchable patterns.
I also saw those upcoming mics of brand B. with replaceable capsules... ('B5', 0.71" diaphr.)
(BTW, excuse me for being on the cheap side here - it's for DIY bandrecordings in out not-bad-sounding rehearsal space. If we need to record stuff really good we'll go to a studio anyway)
This is not to say don't use hyper cardioid mics but just to throw the information in the ring so that all are aware of the effects. Bottom line is, as always, if it sounds good, do it!
I feel I better not get me that second MD441 - especially with the above words about omni's I'd
better go for an omni pair here. Will try the single MD441 of course, should at least know how good/bad it is in this application.
About proximity: does anybody know from which distance is the proximity effect of the MD441 'gone' ? I assume it's from about the 'usual' 12", but the MD441-info I have doesn't
mention a specific distance. BTW, is the neutral distance for no proxim. larger in general for hypercard. mics ? (when compared to card.)
Thanks !
Peter
Peter, In general terms (not written in stone) the ideal is to
Peter,
In general terms (not written in stone) the ideal is to use omni directional mics for recording purposes. This of course, requires an excellent sounding recording room with plenty of space and isolation, so over the years recordists have developed close micing techniques using cardioid pattern mics to deal with less than desirable sounding rooms and lack of separation (among other reasons). Hyper cardioid mics can exhibit comb filtering effects at times. This problem is often negated when they are used in close micing situations but then you have to deal with proximity effects which are even greater with hyper cardioids. If you were to use only hyper cardioids for 24 tracks, you might begin to hear some undesirable side effects.
This is not to say don't use hyper cardioid mics but just to throw the information in the ring so that all are aware of the effects. Bottom line is, as always, if it sounds good, do it!