Microphone theory question

dgatwood

dgatwood

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I've been pondering the problems of mid-side miking. Pretty much anything decent will make you do without lunch for a year, and you're left with a bunch of under-$100 electret condensers that I'd expect to hiss like a rattler protecting its nest, judging from the reviews.

Then the thought of X/Y miking crossed my mind, but there are disadvantages there for solo instruments. Almost every article I've read seems to say that M/S does a better job in those cases because it isn't solely registering the primary sound off-axis like an X/Y cofiguration.

So I was wondering what would happen if someone built a hybrid stereo mic design with three standard cardioid condenser capsules---maybe call it X/Y/Z stereo or something. Two mics point across each other (coincident X/Y) with a third, identical "Z" capsule pointing straight forward. That way you'd get the advantage of M/S in terms of the clarity in the center, while avoiding the nightmares that seem to be inherent in designing a good figure-8 capsule.

You'd still be able to represent it as a M/S signal if desired (M=Z, S=X-Y... or maybe Y-X...), but it seems like it could probably be built for a lot less money than a decent M/S stereo mic. And since everything would be (roughly) coincident, I'd expect excellent mono compatibility.

Has anyone ever tried such a mic arrangement? Did it work? Any thoughts?
 
That is exactly what M/S micing is. One kind of figure 8 is essentially two cardioids. And yes, it is possible, and you can get good results. Good thinking.
Using two cards brings up it's own problems, such as they have to match really well to cancel in mono. According to those who know, ribbons make the best figure 8s.

Read the thread at the top of the page called:

How does diaphragm size/polar pattern relate to mic applications?

This thread is probably the best thing posted just about anywhere on mics. It is on many BBS on the web, and was written by people here, with Harvey Gerst providing a lifetime of info, and other members asking questions and contributing as well.

I've probably read it six times, at least. It is available for download at a number of sites, but this is the original.
 
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Well, using two cardiod condensers as a bi-di isn't quite what I meant. I meant more like....


\ | /
.\|/
./|\
/ | \
X Z Y


in sort-of a vertical stack. The thought was that the X/Y mics would be angled in a cross rather than attempting to mimic a figure-8 by pointing them in opposite directions. Pickup pattern would be more like


....,---.
.,-+....+-.
.\. \'|'' |
..`..\|/ .'
....`/|\'
..../ | \
....X Z Y


With apologies for the extra periods. This board doesn't allow
Code: 
.
 
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