<<I haven't had much experience using m/s yet, but I'm
wondering if m/s might sometimes create a rift between stereo and mono
dimensions yielding straight-on sounds that appear as if on a separate
plane, because the L/R at straight ahead are essentially phase
canceled leaving only the original m channel at this position.>>
It's not the L/R that is phase cancelled, it is the L+R and L-R which
is cancelled. This is width information, but not the actual stereo
field, which is a composite of the width & mono information.
<< Could
it be possible that the central mono and the surrounding stereo might
not be meshing perfectly?>>
One of the advantages of MS, when done properly, is that they DO mesh
perfectly. By done properly I mean having the Mid & Side elements in
the same vertical plane. This will yield a phase coherent stereo
which is identical to XY, i.e. amplitude differentiation without
phase or time differentiation between channels. Whether this is
preferable to near-coincident or spaced pair is another discussion
altogether.
<<Or am I way off with this idea?>>
Well, some of the cheap Sony MS mics place the side element behind
the mid element, in other words, not in the same vertical plane, with
a resulting loss of proper mono summing. Maybe this is what you're
thinking of?
Scott Fraser
|