Matched microphones ?

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bullyhill

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I have purchased 2 mc 012's at GC they are not matched. My Bad, even though it was pointed out to me by the folks here, that I should buy them matched. I forgot when I bought them. I can still return them for at least store credit, I guess.

Can someone tell me what the cons are, I think phase issues but I am not sure if I know how to determine if they are present or not with my limited equipment. Also how does some one match mics if not at the factory? Is it a frequency response match. Can you search out mics of the same brand and test them to see if they are matched enough?
 
I still find it amazing that people worry about matched pairs on a $150 mike. But that's just me. Others here will tell you differently.

The only way I know of to check if a pair is matched or not is to plot the response curve for each mic and compare the 2.
The process of doing that is beyond my limited knowlege on the subject.
I suppose you could also record a tone with each mike, and compare the wave.
Consecutive serial numbers, one would think, would yeild a fairly matched pair as well, but I could be wrong on that.
Or just use your ears.

The cons are the output from each mike will be slightly different, which you'd have to compensate for during tracking.
The pros are that you have a very similar pair of mics for not a lot of money.
 
Thanks,
Can anyone tell me how obvious it is , will I see a certain frequency just disapear or just fall a little?
 
it really depends on how good your ears are, and how much you care. If you're looking to make high-quality stereo recordings, you usually want the mics to have a frequency response very close to one-another. Don't forget that you do have two mics of the same model, so they will (in general) sound pretty similar, unless there's a real quality control issue. Unless there's something that you can hear, two mics of the same model will probably suit most home-rec'er's purposes. However, many of us here have GAS (Gear Aquisition Syndrome), and can't help but lust after the gear that's just a little more expensive than we can currently afford.

If you REALLY want to see how close your mics are, set them up right next to each other, in the far-field of your monitors, and play a test tone sweep (there's pretty good freeware on the web which will generate a .wav of various sweeps, for this application, a sweep of at least 60 seconds helps). Set the mic pre's identically on each, record each, and display the tracks in a DAW. Now, look at the waveforms. There may be phase differences (due to mic placement), but there shouldn't be large amplitude differences. Then, if they are close to in-phase, invert one of the tracks, combine the tracks, and check to see if the two mics cancel each other out. They should come pretty close. If there's a phase offset in the tracks, you might be able to move the tracks with respect to one another before you combine them.

Just don't forget, they're not going to be exact, even on a matched pair from a manufacturer. They're just going to be really close. So, decide how close you need. If they sound good enough to you, they probably are.

-mg
 
A lot of people use two different types of mics for stereo recording,myself included.
I use a large diaphram and small together to record acoustic guitar.
You just have to watch the levels when you mix,like Michael said.

My point is,even if they aren't matched exactly,they can still work as a stereo pair.
If you are recording a solo instrument in stereo,it might be critical to have a matched pair.
But if your recording in a dense mix,they might work fine.

I'd try them out in a recording and see how they sound.
A matched pair is going to cost you 3 times as much at least!
Just my 2 cents!:D

BTW-Phase is an issue even with matched pairs,it has to do more with mic placement.

Pete
 
Here's the simple version- There are two factors involved in mic matching. Overall output, and frequency response. If one mic is just generally hotter, you compensate with gain conrol somewhere in the signal chain, most likely the preamp. Real problems result when the frequency response of the two mics varies enough to be noticeable. One mic zigs where the other zags. However, as the people who've had success with 2 different mics have noticed, it doesn't necessarily sound bad, and might even sound good. That's what matters.
It is not an accident that they do use matched pairs, because they will usually produce a better stereo image. Phasing has more to do with wave length, and sound hitting the two mics at different times due to placement.-Richie
 
Ask and ye shall receive.
Great info thanks for the time.
 
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