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Re: Stereo techniques for outdoor soundscapes

Subject: Re: Stereo techniques for outdoor soundscapes
From: "Matt Blaze" matthew.blaze
Date: Mon Jul 6, 2009 9:16 am ((PDT))
Richard,

Thanks for your comments, and I readily concede the point that
we're comparing mics as much as stereo configurations here.

I may play with >2 mic configurations at some point, but
I feel a bit lost as to what I'm doing outdoors in a broad
soundscape environment.  Does anyone here regularly use,
say, a Decca tree outdoors?  I'd be very curious as to their
experiences.

As for preferring the Sennheiser sound:
To be fair, the Senn mics I used are a factor of at least
10 more expensive than the cheap Audio-Technicas with which I
compared them...

The Woods Jecklin clip used a factory matched pair of MKH-8020s
(small, smooth, and very spendy omnis), which I think compare
quite favorably to the MKH-800s in omni mode.

Best

-matt



--- In  "Richard L. Hess" <> wrot=
e:
>
> Hi, Matt,
>
> Those are amazing examples, but I must say it only reinforces why I'm
> a Euro-mic-snob <sigh>.
>
> The Sennheisers are so much more open and also have a more extended
> low end than the other three mics that one cannot do justice to the
> different techniques as the mics are so different.
>
> If you ever have a chance to borrow a pair of DPA omnis, I would be
> curious how you think they might work with or without the Jecklin
> disk--or use the Sennheisers in omni mode, but multi-pattern mics
> tend to be a little less smooth in polar response than a dedicated omni.
>
> You're doing a lot of good research. For drama, I'm wondering if you
> would consider -- especially with the 302 -- a 3-channel stereo effect.
>
> I have a 195x tape done in 3 channel of a steam train that used a U47
> in the centre and two Altec lipstick mics on either side and the
> separation was something like 50 feet (or however long the mic cables wer=
e).
>
> You can really feel the train go through, especially when I output it
> to 3C LCR.
>
> the SF water has incredible bass on the Sennheiser pair.
>
> I would think, actually, you're evaluating different mics here more
> than different techniques <sigh>.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Richard
>
>
>
> At 06:38 PM 2009-07-05, you wrote:
> >First of all, please forgive me for barging in; I've long enjoyed and
> >learned a lot from from this terrific list, but have only rarely
> >actually posted here.
> >
> >Anyway, one of the challenges for me in learning to record good
> >stereo images of outdoor soundscapes has been the relative lack of
> >controlled examples of different miking techniques recorded
> >simultaneously from the same position.  There are some amazing
> >outdoor nature recordings available here and elsewhere, but people
> >tend to distribute only their best results, and keep to themselves
> >the duds recorded along the way.  For the listener, that's surely for
> >the best, of course, but it means that there are lamentably few
> >examples of the same sources recorded simultaneously with different
> >(and documented) techniques from which to learn and compare.
> >
> >So I've slowly been experimenting with different  techniques by
> >making simultaneous recordings in different outdoor environments and
> >of different kinds of subjects.  The effort is paying off well for
> >me, and perhaps others can benefit from my failures (and occasional
> >successes).  So I've collected and posted a few examples on a web
> >page, which I will try to update with new recordings from time to
> >time.  Most of the recordings are decidedly unspectacular,
> >intended primarily to expose the similarities and differences of
> >the images produced by different mic configurations when used
> >outdoors.  Mostly, through, I hope to encourage others to do the
> >same;  my individual effort is really quite pale in the grand
> >scheme of things, limited as it is by my talent, equipment, and
> >rapidly diminishing inclination to carry lots of stuff with me.
> >
> >My sample clips, for what they're worth, can be found at
> >http://www.crypto.com/audio/soundscapes/ .
> >
> >-matt
> >
> >mab blogs at http://www.crypto.com/blog/
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >------------------------------------
> >
> >"While a picture is worth a thousand words, a
> >sound is worth a thousand pictures." R. Murray Schafer via Bernie Krause
> >Yahoo! Groups Links
> >
> >
> >
> Richard L. Hess                   
> Aurora, Ontario, Canada       http://www.richardhess.com/
> Detailed contact information: http://www.richardhess.com/tape/contact.htm
>

mab blogs at http://www.crypto.com/blog/








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