> Note that M/S is not the only stereo setup. It would be good to=20
> compare
> some other field setups.
True. But as I'm a hardcore MS person, my interest is mainly to test=20
the high-end MS rigs, and since most people I work with have portable=20
field MS rigs, I thought it'd be a useful test. Also, the two XY=20
portable rigs I listed are there as well, and since the decoded MS is=20
XY, we can see how the MS image holds up against an XY image. When=20
I've done this test before, between Scheops MS and XY, we found that=20
the image is, as expected, nearly identical. If anything, we felt the=20
MS image was better.
Since very few people I know use any other stereo formats for=20
recording, I don't really have access to their mics. I have some=20
omni's, but no-one else I know does, so.
>
> It's best to get out and find a nice quiet natural site for testing. I
> use a pond at a wildlife preserve that's 30 miles south of here for a
> lot of this. You need to examine the performance of these systems=20
> in the
> type of site you wish to record.
We have a nice pond on the ranch, and should be a good test. Ducks,=20
Red-Winged Blackbirds, crows, enough stuff to get a good test. We=20
also have a massive and silent scoring stage, so I can maybe do an=20
imaging test there. Again, not sure when I'll have time to do this,=20
maybe in August.
>
> As Bernie has pointed out, at the high end there is no best mic, you
> should choose a mic at this level based on the sound you like.
Totally true. You realize it more and more when you hear these mics.=20
I remember just assuming Schoeps were the best (cause I had them). To=20
hear the Neumanns, then the MKH, you realize that they don't sound=20
all that different. Noise character is close enough, very high=20
imaging capability, it's like you're picking your favorite flavor of=20
chocolate truffles.
And I would agree, for an MS rig, it's paramount, that the Figure 8=20
and front facing mic be of the same family. I do know people who have=20
done differently, but the MKH, the Schoeps, etc, those mics are=20
designed to work together in MS setups.
Tim
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
|