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Re: dual omnis

Subject: Re: dual omnis
From:
Date: Thu, 20 Mar 2003 09:57:04 EST
I'm one of the NPR engineers who does field recordings for "Radio 
Expeditions".  (Yes that work gets shared by a half dozen or so of us.)

We don't have one set choice for miking of these recordings:  we do a lot of 
MS, which has great mono compatibility and localization for close to mid 
distant subjects.  But omnis come in handy in high wind situations where even 
a zeppelined MS pair will break up.  We've also done some things with ORTF 
near-coincident directionals, and occasionally with parabolas.  I've even 
done some MS ambiences with a parabolic omni mid and a fig8 mounted behind 
the dish.

For any non-coincident miking like spaced omnis, you will get comb filtering 
due to arrival time cancellations and reinforcements.  A baffle (a la Jecklin 
or Schneider) can help cut down on that.  But the width of the spacing will 
affect which frequencies get boosted and which get suppressed, so the 
decision on spacing is often a call on which coloration sounds OK.

There is no perfect miking system, particularly in the rough-and-tumble world 
of hit-and-run field recordings.  We're also often switching back and forth 
between sound gathering and close-miked interviews at a second's notice, so 
we have to have miking available to accommodate both needs.  And as often 
pointed out on this list, battery efficiency is paramount on long recording 
trips far from AC power.

But by continuing to read and participate in this list you'll get the benefit 
of the experience of a lot of dedicated biophiles who are also audiophiles! I 
enjoy and use the info I get here.

--Flawn Williams


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