> Yes, it was by pure accident as I just put it on a table to record and li=
stening to it thought it sounded much better.
Philip,
I made that discovery when I was a young BBC Film Recordist. Once I couldn'=
t
get a mic out of shot on a businessman's desk, so I just laid it down - and=
it sounded better. I later did some experiments and found that a mic sounde=
d
better flat down than on a regular table stand with an out of phase bounce.=
As long as it doesn't move, it won't pick up table rumble either, but I had=
directors panicking over that. :-) I proved it by drumming my fingers on th=
e
desk or table.
I once recorded an entire dramatised dinner table scene with mics under the=
tablecloth. The artistes knew where the mics were and professionally avoide=
d
them and I got nice close sound. Otherwise I would have needed three
boomswingers and a budget for them.
I have an explanation for the "proximity effect", but I can't find any
theory or equations for it but know it works. It is similar to the
"whispering gallery" effect and involves isothermal expansion/contraction.=
David Brinicombe
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