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Re: Surround Sound / Wildlife Recordings

Subject: Re: Surround Sound / Wildlife Recordings
From: "Bernie Krause" bigchirp1
Date: Thu Aug 26, 2010 3:46 pm ((PDT))
No contest, Marcus. I humbly concede knowing full well that careful
calibration is always seminal to the process. While many systems will
work, the best format is that recommended by the ambisonics folks.

Bernie

On Aug 26, 2010, at 3:30 PM, Marcus Buick wrote:

>     [Four 4060s aligned in a tetrahedral pattern will provide the
> basis for
> ambisonic surround  ~Bernie]
>
>
> My greatest respect goes out to one of (in not the) finest nature
> recordist
> ever.  Please allow me to contest you on this one, Bernie.
>
> From my understanding of ambisonics in studying Michael Gerzon=92s
> http://www.audiosignal.co.uk/Gerzon%20archive.html work though the
> years is that
> the four capsules in the tetrahedral array are not only aligned
> symmetrically,
> but electronically as well.  This electronic calibration gives the
> four
> diaphragms four distinct pickup patterns:
>
> 1).  Top/Bottom figure-8
> 2).  Left/Right figure-8
> 3).  Front/Rear figure-8
> 4).  Omni for pressure
>
> The 4060 is an omni mic, and without the proper electronics, four
> omni=92s that
> close to one another will create and image rife with time-alignment
> issues,
> phantom reflections, and an overall muddiness that is not akin to the
> point-source algorithm Michael so beautifully describes.  I own
> eight 4060=92s,
> and would gladly reconfigure four of them for ambisonic use, if only
> I could
> figure out how to do so.
>
> ~Marcus
>
>
>
>
> ________________________________
> From: Bernie Krause <>
> To: 
> Sent: Thu, August 26, 2010 7:51:14 AM
> Subject: Re: [Nature Recordists] Re: Surround Sound / Wildlife
> Recordings
>
>
> Four 4060s aligned in a tetrahedral pattern will provide the basis for
> ambisonic surround that can be delivered by anything from 3 to over
> 150 channels. And, yes, the surround provided by an MKH 30 and two 40s
> facing opposite directions (used by Martyn, Chris Watson, and a few
> others) provides a wonderful double MS result that can likewise be re-
> programmed in an ambisonic configuration. The beauty of the double MS
> configuration is that only three channels are needed.
>
> Bernie
>
> On Aug 26, 2010, at 6:48 AM, Martyn Stewart wrote:
>
>> I actually had a chance to use the DPA surround setup on a project
>> and was very impressed with them. I'm told they are the same
>> capsules as the 4060's. I use normally 2 MKH 40 back to back with 1
>> MKH-30 effectively.
>>
>> Martyn
>>
>> Martyn Stewart
>> .........................................
>> www.naturesound.org
>> www.soundofcritters.com
>> .........................................
>> 425-898-0462
>>
>>
>> Sent from my iPad
>>
>> On Aug 26, 2010, at 6:19 AM, clay <> wrote:
>>
>>> On Thu, Aug 26, 2010 at 8:29 AM, corticalsongs <
>>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> Any thoughts on using surround sound for wildlife? Are the mic
>>>>> specs
>>>> suited to wildlife?
>>>>
>>>> I would say that all you need is 4 mics to start. As far as I can
>>>> tell the
>>>> fancy surround mics are all pretty noisy right now, perhaps thier
>>>> intended
>>>> use was the concert hall or foley stage. If you are recording a
>>>> jungle at
>>>> night, they would be fine, but as Dan pointed out, they are
>>>> probably too
>>>> noisy for most quiet places in North America.
>>>>
>>>> David
>>>>
>>>> __._,_.
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> I was thinking three mics would work, if one were Figure-8, plus
>>> front and
>>> rear facing cardiods?
>>>
>>>
>>> There is something called a Tetramic that might be useful, but still
>>> relatively noisy.
>>>
>>> http://www.core-sound.com/TetraMic/1.php
>>>
>>> clay
>>>
>>
>>
>> ------------------------------------
>>
>> "While a picture is worth a thousand words, a
>> sound is worth a thousand pictures." R. Murray Schafer via Bernie
>> Krause
>> Yahoo! Groups Links
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
> Wild Sanctuary
> POB 536
> Glen Ellen, CA 95442
> 707-996-6677
> http://www.wildsanctuary.com
> 
> Google Earth zooms: http://earth.wildsanctuary.com
> SKYPE: biophony
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------
>
> "While a picture is worth a thousand words, a
> sound is worth a thousand pictures." R. Murray Schafer via Bernie
> Krause
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>

Wild Sanctuary
POB 536
Glen Ellen, CA 95442
707-996-6677
http://www.wildsanctuary.com

Google Earth zooms: http://earth.wildsanctuary.com
SKYPE: biophony










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