At 11:25 AM +0000 4/29/10, im_rawes wrote:
>
>
>I am beginner in recording natural soundscapes, and so far have been
>using an Audio Technica BP 4025 single-point stereo mic. It's easy
>to lug around and fits inside a Rode blimp. Here's a dawn chorus
>recording made last Sunday:
>
><http://www.soundsurvey.org.uk/index.php/survey/wildlife/dawn_chorus/121/8=
50/>http://www.soundsurvey.org.uk/index.php/survey/wildlife/dawn_chorus/121=
/850/
>
>(There's a funny story behind what the peacock is doing there . . .)
>
>Recently I've heard some fine recordings made using pretty expensive
>omni pairs with Jecklin and Schneider disks.
>
>I'll never be able to afford a pair of, say, Sennheiser MKH 20s, but
>could stretch one day to a pair of AT 4022s plus Jecklin/Schneider
>disk. Would there be a noticeable improvement in sound quality over
>the BP 4025 using such a set-up?
>
>Ian
>
>- -
>
>London Sound Survey
><http://www.soundsurvey.org.uk>http://www.soundsurvey.org.uk
>Supporting Deafness Research UK
><http://www.deafnessresearch.org.uk>http://www.deafnessresearch.org.uk
Hi Ian--
I like that you're considering the array and mics at the same time as you p=
lan.
Going from 16 dB(A) self-noise to 8 will be quite significant in
settings where human made sounds are minimal and you find yourself
increasing gain to articulate details on the sound horizon rather
than wanting to suppress them. In settings where the background
levels don't drop to a minimum and there's plenty of treble content,
the noise difference will be much less audible.
As a rule, X-Y is best suited for close subjects where its possible
to position the mic for the desired amount of left-right contrast and
stereo impact. That's tough to do in open spaces.
Spaced omni pairs, including the Jecklin and J/Schneider can create a
wider horizon and a stronger sense of "spaciousness." The term seems
to mean different things to different recordists ranging from a
"breathing" that happens in the lowest octaves because bass signals
are not in perfect phase to articulated reverberation and depth.
Finding a promising location with rich sound reflections and a "sweet
spot" where the reflections don't fight each other will probably have
more impact than array choice.
Dedicated recordists get used to hearing the world through certain
mics, arrays, speakers, headphones so our recommendations, though
accurate, aren't as encompassing as we hope they are. When it comes
to expensive gear decisions, I suggest taking a borrowed or rented
mics/array to a quiet place with your BP 4025 and do some listening
and recording. It comes down to tangibles. Rob D.
--
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