I no that a spaced pair of cardiod mics is not what you want for your mains but it you had to do it that way where would be the best placement for mics for a small string orchestra maybe 40 members. I would normally place my mains about 10-12 feet up, two feet in back of conductor. Mics at 35 degree angle down and out. This is very bad sounding to bright and harsh. I was thinking would it help smooth out the sound if I lowered the mains to about 8 feet high maybe 6 feet in back of conductor and much less of an angle, more straight with the mics. Trying to get less high end and a more natural room sound with what I have. Should I pull the mics further back. I know buy new mics, I have one AT4050 but the other will not be here for a couple months, money reasons. :D
Comments
I would beware that when you have two cardiod unbaffled mics at
I would beware that when you have two cardiod unbaffled mics at that small of an angle, your sound approaches the "dual mono with phase problems" kind of sound... When you open up the angle of the mics (ie X-Y at 90 degrees or ORTF at 110 degrees), you end up with a overlap of the pickup patterns of each mic that helps create a good stereo image.
--Ben
from : [[url=http://[/URL]="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ORTF"]W
from : [[url=http://[/URL]="http://en.wikipedia…"]Wikipedia[/]="http://en.wikipedia…"]Wikipedia[/]
Office de Radiodiffusion Télévision Française
The Office de Radiodiffusion-Télévision Française (ORTF) was the national agency charged, between 1964 and 1974, with providing public radio and television in France.
ORTF stereo microphone system
Around the year 1960 sound engineers of the French broadcast (ORTF) found by a number of practical attempts a stereo main microphone system, which results in a quite even distribution of the phantom sources (hearing event direction) on the stereo loudspeaker base, with two small cardiod characteristic microphones, recording angle of the microphone system of ± 48° = 96°.
This system got empirical an axle angle of α = ± 55° = 110° and a microphone distance (microphone basis) of a = 17 cm.
Here are frequency-independent level differences effective and time of arrival differences working together in the same direction as interchannel signals (loudspeaker signals). The engineers did not want to think of a human ear distance, because a useful microphone system for a set of stereo loudspeakers should be developed. This recording technology is called mixed stereo or equivalence stereo. Usually this special microphone system must be built up from two single small diaphragm microphones. One should not use double diaphragm microphones because of the produced unbalanced directional characteristics and the larger phase responses. Even if it appears advisable to experiment with the two parameters axle angle and microphone basis to which there are practical microphone mounting devices, a firmly installed ORTF microphone set is available.
/ptr
A little orchestral music OK, I record as part of my job. I a
A little orchestral music
OK, I record as part of my job. I am no studio pro by any means.
Here are a couple of snips of pieces I recorded of our local symphony.
http://www.recordingproject.com/bbs/viewtopic.php?t=12927
http://www.recordingproject.com/bbs/viewtopic.php?t=13031
Remember--these are MP3's so they lose out in the transformation.
They were recorded with an ORTF pair of wide condensers. I think they came out pretty good considering the low cost of the mics.
I for one am wondering why you cannot use your cardioids in a mo
I for one am wondering why you cannot use your cardioids in a more conventional manner-- ORTF, NOS, etc.
Your instincts on the sound you are getting are good. Don't forget your friend "Mr EQ" either.
Rich