> > So in summary a parabolic, split mic, no barrier arrangement
can
> >out reach a parabolic using a stereo barrier with near spaced
mics.
> Reach is one of my goals but I also want a more natural
> recording.
I too have been experimenting with stereo 183s in a dish.
First I mounted them spaced about 1" without a barrier, and It
actually seemed to produce ok stereo for the subjects (frogs). I
posted a clip, and Walt suggested the effect might be more
panned mono than stereo, and I think Dan Dugan suggested the
background sounds were essentially mono. I listened to it again
and noticed the stereo field for the subjects seemed wider than
for the background - kind of inside out.
Another thing that makes me suspicious about that method is: I
was playing with a Telinga dish by reflecting light onto a piece of
paper ( a not very scientific experiment,) and I noticed that the
focus (at least for the light from that lamp) was not very
symmetrical - rather twisted and distorted.
I switched to a very simple barrier of mounting the 183s on a
tube - again spaced about one inch. This method seems to
work ok, the subjects sound nice and the background sounds
wider. The only thing is the background sounds get flip-flopped.
I think this is because a sound from one side, let's say the right,
reflects off the opposite side of the dish and into microphone on
the left.
Here's a of example using this method (Northern Shovelers - I've
posted this once before - 940k):
http://www.rockscallop.org/JH_Shovelers.mp3
I wanted a system that kept the entire stereo image intact without
a flip-flop so I decided to use a barrier large enough to block the
sounds from one side from reflecting off the opposite side. I
decide on using an old LP, because it is thin, fairly dense, and
rigid and about the size I was thinking of. It seems to work well,
preserving a wide background image while highlighting the
subject, as in this recording (Western Meadowlark - I've posted
this once before - 940k):
http://www.rockscallop.org/JH_050226_WMeadowlark.mp3
This method is also useful for isolating multiple subjects as in
this recording of two frogs (Pacific Chorus Frogs - New - 163k)
http://www.rockscallop.org/jh-183pblp-050430-pcfrogs.mp3
All that being said, I mostly use my 183s without a dish using a
tree as a barrier. I got the "tree binaural" idea from someone at a
Nature Sounds Society workshop.
-John Hartog
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