The aim is to create a level difference, a time difference or a combination thereof. In the next article we’ll continue exploring some other stereo recording techniques for overheads, so stay tuned!.Creating a stereophonic image with two microphones depends on the directional characteristics of the microphones, their angling and the distance between them. Finally, just like with the XY technique, the M/S won’t offer you the widest stereo image.Īnd that’s it for today. So if the place where you’re recording doesn’t have the best acoustics, you’ll probably have to consider other alternatives. And it’s also important to note that with this technique you’ll end up with a lot more room on the “side” signal. But there are plenty of software solutions for that, so there’s no need to worry about it. The downside is that you need an M/S encoding matrix to get a stereo result. All in all, the result is as accurate as you can get. What’s more, this technique allows you to easily manage the stereo width playing with the “side” signal. The main advantage of this technique is that it’s perfectly mono compatible, thanks to the “mid” mic and the bidirectionality of the “side” mic, whose signal will disappear without it affecting the overall result. You can play with the height and tilting of the mics to get different balances, highlighting either the cymbals and the snare or the kick and the toms. When using this technique for overheads, you should make sure that the kick and snare are at the center of the stereo image. Both of which have very distinct roles in this somewhat peculiar technique: the cardioid is placed directly in front of the source in order to capture the “mid” signal, while the figure-8 is placed right behind it, at the same height, so it captures the left and ride “sides, ” as indicated in the diagram. The M/S or Mid/Side recording technique uses two mics, a cardioid one and another one with a figure-8 polar pattern. So if you want to get a larger than life sound, you’ll need to consider another method. The flip side is that the stereo image you get isn’t the widest. Besides, it offers a great mono compatibility, given the proximity of the capsules. The XY technique is certainly the easiest to implement. Be careful with the height though: if you place the mics too high you risk them pointing towards the outer end of the kit, which might result in you getting more room sound than “direct” sound, with all the elements off axis. To record the overheads you only need to place the mics above the kit, right between the kick and the snare, so that these elements are not too off center.
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March 2023
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