From: "digidandy" <>
> However, one thing I don=B4t understand about binaurals...can they be use=
d to=3D
> make normal
> stereo recordings?
>
> I don=B4t want to limit myself to "headphones recordings", so full stereo=
com=3D
> patibility is
> required.
>
"binaurals", in this case, is just two omni mics that are small enough
to be head worn. There is nothing special about the mics. Worn near or
in the ear canals they will record binaural, which is a special type of
stereo that's intended to have no overlap in sound path between pickup
and playback, to reproduce the soundpath of being there, thus the
headphone requirement to prevent crosstalk. Worn farther away from the
ears they are really just spaced omni's with or without a central
barrier depending on placement. That's stereo, though the quality of the
stereo will vary depending on the placement. To preserve the relative
locations of sound sources in the field well requires careful placement.
Few of the folks using the small stealth mics use that much care. They
seem happy with just the 3D effect of some kind.
The limitation on the stealth type binaurals is cord length. If the two
mics use a single common cord with just a short Y length then you can't
separate them very far. The other limitation for spaced stereo is that
they are omni's. Omni pattern will only give you stereo if they are
separated by a fair amount, or if a central barrier of some kind is used.
Note that the sound professionals binaurals do have available other
polar pattern capsules at added cost. A pair of cardioid capsules would
give more stereo options. I don't know if any others do that.
If you want to get into accurate stereo I'd recommend the book -
The New Stereo Soundbook
http://www.stereosoundbook.com/
Note the modified SASS I use have omni mics, and are considered
quasi-binaural. They provide a binaural sound while still working well
with speakers. So you can have both. The mics are head spaced, with a
central barrier, and are also acting as boundary mics.
Walt
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