For many of my field recordings I've been using a mid-side configuration, with a KM84 as mid and an MKH 30 as side.

With the mics in a stereo Rycote, it works very nicely when I'm recording something like Tibetan rituals outdoors.

But when I'm recording a Himalayan folk group with vocal soloist, the KM84 is just too literal and unsexy.

So I'm considering alternatives for my next jaunt (hopefully to SikkI'm in Autumn '04) health and money permitting.

If the upcoming Stephen Paul-designed mic from Studio Projects is up to snuff I'm hoping it will prove to be a euphonic mid mic, making the vocalist much more enjoyable.

One possibility is to combine it with the MKH 30 as side, recording the two tracks to the upcoming Sound Devices 2-track HD recorder.

Another possibility is to combine the Stephen Paul mic as the mid in a 3-mic array as a sort of modified Decca Tree, with the pair of KM84s in more or less ORTF position. For the recorder, the upcoming Sound Devices 4-track recorder.

Thoughts, anyone?

Salutations, DAvid L