Stereo Micing instruments ...when to/or not to??

[BeBop]

When do you stereo mic an instrument and why?? I understand larger instruments may need 2 mics to cover the area (marimba etc) but is there any rule of thumb for stereoing regular instruments??

Thanks,

BB

 

[Harvey Gerst]

It depends on how it's supposed to fit in the mix. You might mic a grand piano in mono if it's part of a large work and doesn't have any prominence in the pice, whereas if it's a solo piano, you'd really want it in full stereo.

 

[Shazukura]

What can I say after Harvey posted?

.....but I'll try to add something useful.

Something I'm experimenting with right now is double or triple mic'ing acoustic and percussion instruments; the catch is, I'm not particularly going for "stereo micing". For example, I might try to get two mic's on an instrument, but use different types of mics, and in different locations and angles. The result is a recording that doesn't "sit" in the middle of the mix, but for what I'm toying with right now (ambient/new age/unclassified) it's fun.

You get more richness from stereo mic'ing, so as Harvey says you want to be cautious using it in a bigger mix, but if you don't have a lot going on sonically add mic's is a great way to add character and richness to a recording.

-Shaz