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Re: Stereo/Binaural Mic Arrays

Subject: Re: Stereo/Binaural Mic Arrays
From: "John Hartog" <>
Date: Mon, 16 May 2005 01:38:11 -0000
Curt, you kindly wrote:
> If that great merganser recording was made with your usual 
setup, then 
> I'd say you don't think have a "hole-in-the-middle" problem. The 
> transition from left to right sounded perfectly smooth and 
seamless to 
> my ear. Incidentally, the gentle water landing was great!
> 
> You willing to describe your mic setup?

That one might have sounded smooth, but listen to this one 
(316k):

http://www.rockscallop.org/jh-050430-nodes.mp3

It seems to get loudest at two nodes that correspond the duck 
passing the axis of each mic.  It might only be coincidence: 
perhaps the bird just adjusted its flight as it passed. 

Both examples were recorded the same way -- Two NT1-A 
cardioid microphones spaced about seven inches apart angled 
out about thirty degrees and with a barrier between. The barrier 
is oval, about 13 inches tall, 10 inches deep,  2.5 inches thick, 
and made of two pieces of dense fiberglass tile covered with 
fleece and a piece of formica sandwiched between.  If this 
arrangement sounds bizarre, well maybe it is, but the parts were 
free and plus I might not really know what I am doing anyway.

Actually the microphones sounded fine without a barrier: this 
example was recorded with the NT1-As spaced four inches apart 
and angled out 90 degrees with no barrier ( the Rogue River and 
a Bullock's Oriole -706k):

http://www.rockscallop.org/ear/JH-040521-RogueRBird.mp3

One thing about using the barrier is it seems to preserve the 
stereo field independent of the angle of the microphones.  Here 
is an example using the barrier with the NT1-As both aimed 
straight forward (Pacific Chorus Frogs and a beaver -237k):

http://www.rockscallop.org/jh-050512-nt1a0deg.mp3

I guess I've gone barrier happy, because I am using barriers in 
the other two mic arrangements I currently use -- 183s using a 
tree as a barrier, and 183s in a Telinga dish with an LP 
(Beethoven Concerto N0. 3 in C Minor) as a barrier.  For the 
183s, I record with a Sony MZ-N707, and for the NT1-As I use a 
PMD-670.
-John Hartog





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________________________________________________________________________


"Microphones are not ears,
Loudspeakers are not birds,
A listening room is not nature."
Klas Strandberg
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