Stereo Mic Techniques
Stereo Mic Techniques
Task 3 for production and recording required us to experiment with and compare different stereo micing techniques. Using AB as a control technique we compared its effectiveness with XY and NOS for the recording of 3 different instruments using the Octava microphones in a cardioid setup.
For our first experiment we used the acoustic guitar, we set up mics in AB about 2 foot apart form each other. We then set up mics in XY at 90-degree angles facing inwards and NOS at 90 degrees facing outwards. We thought it would be interesting to see the differences between the two as one faces inwards and the other outwards. AB technique seemed to pick up more low-end frequencies to give a warmer sound, which I liked. However XY and NOS seemed to give more clarity to the guitars sound, which is also desirable. The NOS seemed to have more warmth then the XY while still maintaining clarity of recording. While being partial to the sound produced by the AB technique I think that the NOS technique would be better in more situations for a lot of people.
AB technique
XY technique
NOS technique
Our second experiment was with the drums using the same techniques. We wanted to use the same 3 techniques on each instrument as we thought it would make a more interesting experiment if we could not only compare the effect different techniques had on an instrument but also compare the effect of the same techniques on different instruments. For the drums we set up the AB technique with mics 3-4 feet apart as we wanted to give a clear stereo image that would be good to use in conjunction with other close micing techniques to give a warm tint to the overall drum sound. This time clarity was not as important to us as we wanted this recording to have nice ambient qualities. Once again we found that NOS technique gave us the sound we were looking for. I think this is because the mics are pointed directly at the instrument so we were hearing more from the room then with other techniques.
AB technique
XY technique
NOS technique
Our final experiment was with the marimba. We once again set up mics in a wide AB setup this time positioning the mics about 2 meters apart as we really wanted to capture the full stereo range of this instrument. Once again we found that we really enjoyed the sound that was produced by the NOS technique. However I felt the wide AB technique gave a really clear stereo representation and had really nice warmth to the recordings.
AB technique
XY technique
NOS technique
