Stereo recording

  • Thread starter Thread starter j.w.wentink
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j.w.wentink

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Hi everybody,

I have 2 questions for you.

A) I have only one omni-mic. But I want to use it in a stereo recording as kind of a overhead, because I realy like the sound of a omni-mic (in a sounding room). Is is the best option to use a main system x/y (with 2 cardoids) and just place 1 omni near them? I want to record a choir spacious but also with a good stereo image...

B) When you use 2 mics for a x/y recording system, is it essiential that channel 1 and 2 (L/R) have exact the same gain setting?

Bye
 
I'm sure you can obtain a variety of results with a stereo pair AND an omni...but you may find that the omni fights the stereo image as you blend the stereo pair with the sound of the omni since the omni is a mono signal.
Maybe in certain combinations it will sound right to you...so experiment away...though I think if you tried a nice stereo pair setup...you might like it much more than the single omni and not see any need for also using it next to the stereo pair.

Usually...when running a stereo pair, other mics end up being "spot mics", used in close proximity rather than as single "room mics"...but hey, you won't break anything trying ... :) ....so have fun!

And yes...with X/Y stereo pairs, you want them equal in gain level, which is why matched pairs are often best. With M/S stereo pairs...the Mid mic ends up always with more output than the Side mic, even if you set them equally at your preamp, but that's normal, and you wouldn't want to equalize their levels too much as it will skew the stereo image.
 
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And the very important point - make sure the stereo mics are the same distance from the sound source.
You could use the omni mic to record the ambience of the room, but note there could be phase problems depending on placement in relationship to the stereo pair.
 
and to add, to check for Phase cancelation, listen to source in mono to verify good phase...
 
and of course the "safest' way if using one mic and recording s/w is to double the track and pan them 10&2 tight or 8&4wide
 
'double the track' as in a copy? no difference or changes made to at least one of them? Unless their different- you're just moving mono around, maybe playing with the levels.. You could do the same with the first track, the fader and the balance control.
 
Word (to the peeps). Never understood where anything thought that copying a track and panning them did anything (except open the door for huge problems).

I won't even get into the whole "My mic is only recording on one side" thing...

In any case, (A) It's not stereo. (B) There's absolutely nothing "safe" about it -- It (copying and differentiating a clone) is easily the most problematic (LEAST "safe") way to achieve a stereo-ish (if not typically unnatural and fake sounding in most cases) sound from a single source.
 
Javaman said:
and of course the "safest' way if using one mic and recording s/w is to double the track and pan them 10&2 tight or 8&4wide
Click to expand...

Not to pile on here, because Mixsit and Massive already addressed your post. But if you're talking about copying a track. all you're doing is making a mono track louder. You can pan them as far from each other as you want, it will still be a mono track right up the middle. It does nothing as far as stereo is concerned.
 
For a choir an x/y or spaced pair should be fine. Try the omni for room, but I'll bet you take it out in the end. Who knows, maybe you'll like the omni. As for volume, they should be the same through the same kind of preamp with the same settings. Then in mix I'd put them on a stereo send and eq etc so they are both the same. The key to a choir is keeping the left and right sounding the same. The director should position the singers so they are spread equally and there is the same sound across the board.
 
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