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Stereo Mic Setups

Subject: Stereo Mic Setups
From: inetd_conf
Date: Fri Dec 23, 2016 11:51 pm ((PST))
To answer Peter's questions about the tangents I went off on while trying t=
o come up with a stereo micing technique that sounds as good as an SASS but=
 packs smaller:


 What started all this was a trip to Edinburgh this past June. I was there =
for a conference, not for field recording, but I figured I'd bring my gear =
in case opportunity arose. I packed my sound bag, my camera bag, a tripod, =
and carved out half the space in my suitcase for my SASS. Mine's built of r=
elatively thin plywood, so it's more fragile than the one Vicki made out of=
 foam. I had to dedicate even more space to pad it in my bag so it wouldn't=
 be destroyed by baggage handlers. When I arrived in Edinburgh, I learned m=
y bag had been sent somewhere else. I spent a fretful night imagining splin=
tered wood mixed in with my clothes, but when I was reunited with it the ne=
xt day I was overjoyed to learn it had arrived in one piece. (Well... two. =
I'd disassembled the nose for transport.)


 I had a terrible time recording while I was there, and finally resorted to=
 opening my hotel window to record the Edinburgh night life. Only problem w=
as the window only opened so far. I couldn't fit the SASS out the window! I=
 wound up using spaced omnis (aka EM-172 lavalier mics) I draped out on my =
window sill. Not perfect, but I got decent sound.


 But after all the hassle of transporting my SASS and never once using it, =
I was pretty motivated to come up with something better.


 To date I've tried:
 - SASS (my baseline)
 - spaced omnis (the same EM-172 lav mics)

 - Olson Wing (again, same EM-172 lav mics)
 - ORTF (EM-184 lav mics on a homemade mic bar)
 - XY (similar setup to the ORTF)
 - M-S (three matched TSB-165A capsules with dual Alice boards - more on th=
is later)


 Tests I still want to run:
 - Tree ears (thanks for the reminder, Peter)
 - Brinbox (just ran into this again about a week ago)
 - OSS (Jecklin disc)


 Of these, the Brinbox really isn't all that portable unless I make it so i=
t breaks down easily into 12"x12" panels. The Jecklin disc would be slightl=
y more portable, but still bulky. The rest are all smaller than the SASS. T=
he smallest would have to be the spaced omnis or tree ears. Same mics, just=
 a different arrangement. These saved me in Edinburgh.


 By far the easiest to set up is the M-S. Everything lives in one mic body =
and uses a 5-pin XLR cable to bring the signals out to the recorder. I've p=
robably spent more time than I should've trying to get this to work just be=
cause it's so convenient to use. Stereo on a stick.


 I've posted some of my tests on Soundcloud, but not all of them. Here are =
a couple:


 SASS vs. Olson Wing via coqui frogs and insects:
 https://soundcloud.com/tnbenedict/sass-vs-olson-wing-coqui-frogs-and-insec=
ts https://soundcloud.com/tnbenedict/sass-vs-olson-wing-coqui-frogs-and-ins=
ects



 I had wind protection on the SASS and not on the Olson Wing. The tonality =
is a little mismatched, even though the two used the same capsules. I think=
 the wind protection on my SASS is pretty transparent, but I can't know for=
 sure if that's what caused the tonal differences. To my ear the stereo ima=
ge is comparable on both of them. I repeated this test with ocean waves, th=
is time with wind protection on both rigs, and the Olson Wing sounded a lit=
tle harsh. I think it's better matched to birds, frogs, and insects. (I can=
 post that comparison if anyone wants to hear it.)


 SASS vs. ORTF via coqui frogs and cattle reverb:
 https://soundcloud.com/tnbenedict/sass-vs-ortf-via-coqui-frogs-insects-cat=
tle-and-reverb https://soundcloud.com/tnbenedict/sass-vs-ortf-via-coqui-fro=
gs-insects-cattle-and-reverb



 Kind of a fun night. I didn't know there were cows just beyond the edge of=
 the eucalyptus forest where I was recording. I did this as a drop-and-reco=
ver, so I wasn't even aware of the cows until I listened to the recording a=
fterward. It was raining, so not ideal, but you can get an idea of the diff=
erence in stereo imaging between the two.


 SASS vs. M-S via ocean waves:
 https://soundcloud.com/tnbenedict/kiholo-bay-sass-vs-m-s https://soundclou=
d.com/tnbenedict/kiholo-bay-sass-vs-m-s



 The mics in this test are wildly different. The SASS has Primo EM-172 caps=
ules in it. The Mid-Side mic followed a build by Jules Ryckenbusch, and use=
s Transsound TSB-165A capsules and Alice circuitry. Ignore the tonal differ=
ences for the purposes of this test. To my ear the M-S mic doesn't create t=
he sense of space the SASS does. This is with the M-S dialed to around 30/7=
0, favoring the side mic.


 More recently I've been testing some changes to the Alice mics. These are =
two sets of tests, one with coqui frogs and insects, and the other with oce=
an waves. Both of these are mono recordings:


 https://soundcloud.com/tnbenedict/alice-hf-eq-vs-alice-stock-coqui-frogs-a=
nd-insects https://soundcloud.com/tnbenedict/alice-hf-eq-vs-alice-stock-coq=
ui-frogs-and-insects

 https://soundcloud.com/tnbenedict/c-a-c-b-c-d-a1-b1-a2-b2-a3-b3 https://so=
undcloud.com/tnbenedict/c-a-c-b-c-d-a1-b1-a2-b2-a3-b3



 The first one is a pretty straightforward A-B test between an Alice with a=
n EQ mod to tame the high frequency end and an unmodified Alice.


 The second one is a bit of a mess. It's a test of the EM-172, an Alice wit=
h the EQ mod, an unmodified Alice, and the EM-184 I've been using for ORTF =
and XY. The first half of the test pairs each of the other mics against the=
 EM-172. The last half pairs the two Alice mics together for three differen=
t sounds.


 I think the modified Alice brings its sound more in line with that of the =
EM-172, albeit with a little less low-end. I just finished modifying the Mi=
d-Side mic I built, and I plan to get out with it again later in the week t=
o see if this helps it compete with the SASS. (Yeah, I really am fixated on=
 making this thing work.)


 Peter, I probably won't have a chance to get out again for the next severa=
l days, but I'd be happy to try EM-172 tree ears against my SASS. I'll try =
to find a tree around 5-6" in diameter if that works.


 If there are any other tests you think I could run with the gear I have, p=
lease let me know. I'd be happy to do them.


 Tom








"While a picture is worth a thousand words, a
sound is worth a thousand pictures." R. Murray Schafer via Bernie Krause.



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