Stereo miking is a great way to increase the sense of depth in a. The following illustration shows a top view of a typical spacedpair. Reliable stereo microphone techniques ensure that your work sounds immersive on good headphones and ideal stereo systems, while remaining coherent and powerful in mono, and everywhere else. Popular microphone techniques for vocals, guitars and drums. Because rock musicians and producers hold great store in the creation of entirely artificial synthetic sound worlds, a multi microphone technique is preferred. The only way to mimic stereo sound, then, is to have both a left and right source. Beginning with essential audio theory, then discussing the desirable characteristics of good sound and the elements of a good stereo recording, the book covers microphones, mono and stereo mic techniques, the effect of the recording space or room, and large classical and jazz ensemble recording. With the xy technique, each of the two microphones captures sound directly in front of. There are many stereo dual and triple mic techniques that place the microphones close together at varying angles which give slightly different results. By placing a pair of cardioid microphones at an angle to each other, and as close aspossible without the tips touching, a very realistic stereo image of the guitar can be captured. Spacedpair stereo miking involves placing two microphones at a distance in front of the instruments that you want to record and at a distance from one another. For quick reference no fba reseller fulfillment by amazon on amazon is authorized. Stereo applications to achieve sound scaping and increase depth of field require stereo application for almost every instrument or section of instruments. If youre recording an acoustic guitar in stereo always think about phase.
The sound is dry, no effects no eq, no compressor, no reverb. C ommonly known as a jecklin disk or the modified schneider disk, when properly applied, a baffled pair may be much closer together than a regular ab stereo pair. An excellent book examining the pros and cons of different microphone techniques is the new stereo soundbook by ron streicher and f. This new edition features, more on microphone arrays and wireless microphones. This is usually achieved by using two or more independent audio channels through a configuration of two or more loudspeakers or stereo headphones in such a way as to create the impression of sound heard from various directions, as in natural hearing. Section one microphone techniques here is a very basic, general procedure to keep in mind when miking something that makes sound. See applications of blumlein shuffling to stereo microphone techniques, m. One of the most popular specialised microphone techniques is the stereo microphone technique. Bruce bartlett, author recording music on location, second edition 2 people found this helpful. The included audio cd demonstrates topics throughout the book. When you record using the xy technique, keep these points in mind.
There are no rules or limitations when using the stereo microphone technique. Midside microphone recording is hardly a new concept. There are many stereo dual and triple mic techniques that place the microphones close together at. Polish your skills for recording surround sound by following the written and audio examples of different miking techniques. The new stereo soundbook third edition released august 2006 by ron streicher and f. The ms microphone recording technique is used extensively in broadcast, largely because. Stereo miking techniques can replicate the itds and iids that occur naturally.
Because rock musicians and producers hold great store in the creation of entirely artificial synthetic sound worlds, a multimicrophone technique is preferred. There are advantages and disadvantages to consider as an audio engineer when placing microphones. The basics of stereo microphone techniques as we mentioned earlier, we hear sounds in stereo thanks to our left and right ears. Dec 11, 2008 stereo applications to achieve sound scaping and increase depth of field require stereo application for almost every instrument or section of instruments. This new edition features more on microphone arrays and wireless microphones, new material on digital models. Stereophonic sound or, more commonly, stereo, is a method of sound reproduction that creates an illusion of multidirectional audible perspective. The dynamic microphone just doesnt have the full frequency range nor the transient response needed for an accurate reproduction in most of these cases. This books fourteen chapters explore the auditory and technical processes by which the stereo illusion is perceived, recorded, and. The late john eargle went into some detail in his book the microphone book, about how ortf has a very accurate stereo image. Blumlein patented the technique in 1933 and used it on some of the earliest stereophonic recordings.
Technics sh8017 stereo radio graphic eq equalizer 7 band 2 channel tape select. It was devised by emi engineer alan blumlein, an early pioneer of stereophonic and surround sound. However, allinone microphones like these lock a field recordist into capturing sound effects at a fixed width. How can a field recordist gather twochannel, stereo recordings. A visual guide to stereo recording creative field recording. The microphone book is the only guide you will ever need to the latest in microphone technology, application and technique. Mic it microphones, microphone techniques, and their. On location recording techniques oreilly online learning.
Buy recording music on location 2 by bruce bartlett, jenny bartlett isbn. Following this, some fundamentals of microphones, instruments, and acoustics are presented. Recording and sound reinforcement engineers at all levels of expertise will find the microphone book an invaluable resource for learning the why as well as the how of choosing a microphone for any situation. Here are six stereo miking techniques you can try out today. Other concepts such as auditory spaciousness, coloration, as well as the listening environment and the optimization of same also are examined. Buy stereo microphone techniques 1 by bruce bartlett isbn. Page 1 page 2 page 3 page 4 getting to know your yeti page 5 mute buttonstatus light page 6 getting started with yeti page 7 page 8 windows xp page 9 page 10 applemacintosh osx 10.
The 7 best stereo microphones for multipurpose recording. Microphone techniques here is a very basic, general procedure to keep in mind when miking something that makes sound. The mono signals from each microphone are assigned to the left and right channels of a stereo track to create a sense of width in the recording. To buy the book from which this article came as a paper or as a kindle book go here stereo microphone techniques. Well start with the basics and then move to some more exciting options. In this post we will look at the various types of common stereo mic techniques, how. Microphone technique is largely a matter of personal taste. Part onetracking in stereo takes a look at the microphone basics as well as. Stereo miking is a great way to increase the sense of depth in a mix, giving that more quality sound. The xy technique is easy to set up and results in a decent sound, so. The xy stereo mic approach uses two matched microphones placed close together. Since stereo microphone techniques are used to capture an acoustic, live or full sound the use of condensers is encouraged. Stereo microphone techniques in a previous post we discussed the fundamental differences between recording audio in mono or stereo, and how each method may be better suited to certain scenarios.
Eargles microphone book is the only guide you will ever need for the latest in microphone technology, application and technique. One of the most popular specialized microphone techniques is the stereo microphone technique i. Stereo miking is a great way to increase the sense of depth in your recording of an instrument. Although stereo microphone techniques is out of print, the exact same information is in my book recording music on location.
Youll also need microphone cables, a mic stand or two and some mounting hardware. Sep 11, 2014 stereo microphone techniques stereo sound reproduction sounds more natural to us than mono does ambient stereomiking tends to capture the natural characteristics of an instrument better than close monomiking it conveys localisation leftright placement in the stereo field and, in comparison to mono, superior depth of field the. Those with coincident spacing have their diaphragms vertically in line. Instead of a leftright setup, this configuration has one unidirectional mic with a cardioid polar pattern on top of a bidirectional mic with a figure8 polar pattern. Popular microphone techniques for vocals, guitars and. The stereo image the placement of the instruments in the sonic environment isnt as wide or realistic as it is in real life. Article explaining the uses and set up of stereo microphone techniques for singing ensembles and soloists by bruce bartlett at using microphones a basic guide to using microphones from audio technica which includes the differences between various types of microphones and the advantages of important microphone features and a brief guide. Most stereo recording techniques use cardioid or directional microphones although omni or nondirectional models are used sometimes too. In other words, the audio must be recorded by two microphones. Here are the perceptual results of common stereo miking techniques. Recording the acoustic guitar and stereo can very satisfying in ear candy in a mix, providinga lush deep sound field.
The new stereo soundbook third edition released august 2006. They also matter when you have more channels to work with. This approach can work well if you record an ensemble that takes up a lot of room. Models such as the rode nt4 or sanken css5 capture stereo recordings in one tidy package. I think i had an earlier version of modern recording techniques, another of bruces books when i took a. Spaced pair stereo microphone considerations dummies. Stereo microphone techniques stereo sound reproduction sounds more natural to us than mono does ambient stereomiking tends to capture the natural characteristics of an instrument better than close monomiking it conveys localisation leftright placement in the stereo field and, in comparison to mono, superior depth of field the.
Alton everest since it was first published in 1991, the new stereo soundbook has gained recognition as an industrystandard reference and textbook for audio and recording professionals, students, and layenthusiasts. He points out that you can use portable stereo recorders or even ipads and iphones too. Gerzon, journal of the audio engineering society, vol. These and other microphone systems are detailed in the book stereo microphone techniques by bruce bartlett 1991, focal press. If you can find a cheap used copy get it or find it at the local library. If you want more low end, bring the mic closer to the guitar or switch polar patterns. In this post we will look at the various types of common stereo mic techniques, how they vary from eachother and what types of microphones you will. Stereo microphone techniques by bruce bartlett and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Creative solutions to such matters as stereo sound staging, perspective, and balance are also covered in detail. A practical guide to stereo recording, covering background theory, specific examples, applications and hardware, including an uptodate listing of stereo microphones and accessories. Nov 12, 2012 eargles microphone book is the only guide you will ever need for the latest in microphone technology, application and technique. I find that placing the wa87 microphone directly in front of the sound hole exacerbates this issue.
Various stereo microphone techniques also are described. Stereo recording is a technique involving the use of two microphones to simultaneously record one instrument. Beginning with essential audio theory, then discussing the desirable characteristics of good sound and the elements of a good stereo recording, the book covers. Mar, 2018 of all the stereo microphone techniques mentioned thus far, the midside stereo position might be the black sheep. Legendary engineer frank filipetti thinks of his grammywinning surround mixes as a series of. The list is up to date only for the date selection from on location recording techniques book. This is a very good and is recommended by shure as an excellent source on stereo microphone techniques. One thing to be careful of in stereo recording is phase cancellation.