M+S Mics

[JulienG]

Went to a concert last night (Piano Stories IV at the Melba hall) which was solo piano with some violin, and I was thinking about the best way to record it, I came to thinking that the best way would be an M+S combo in the sweet spot of the auditorium. What's out there for good M+S recordings?

I know of the soundfield mics, but is there anything else that's a single unit M+S?

[davidspearritt]

Any of the single point stereo mics will do it. AKG426, Royer SF24, Neumann USM69, Neumann RSM191. But you should also have a listen to a Schoeps MS pair, they work superbly.

[chris p]

I've built the Paia DIY MS Mic, which is based on three omni electret condensors. Its nice enough to capture a good room ambience, and its useful for miking some accoustic instruments like guitar, but its not Schoepps or Royer - I wouldn't use it as the only mic to capture a performance.

What IS good (or at least different) in the Paia is that the L and R sides are in fact separate mics and not opposite sides of the same diaphram. To the extent that MS is supposed to mix to omni (or cardioid) in mono, this might not be exactly according to Hoyle, but it can give better spacial feel than a standard MS pair or stereo mic.

[Chris H]

I did a recording there a few weeks back. They have a calrec soundfeild hanging in the sweet spot. You can take a stereo signal from the B format encoder they have in their recording booth. Or you can take the signal in B format and encode it in your studio which is my preferred option. Calrec has B format plugins for Neuendo. Les Craythorn is the engineer there. Knows his stuff and is a great guy.

[Jason Dirckze]

+1 on a Schoeps M/S pair. I did a trip to the Himalayas with a certain someone and the results were fantastic!

Another option would be an ORTF rig of some kind. Im getting a ORTF bar soon and recording a ladies chorus using a pair on NT5's (cant get my hands on anything else). Should be fun!

[rick]

you went to the himalayas and recorded monks with a certain someone , now your recording a ladies chorus and your thinking you are going to have some "fun"...?


wow , i think snowboarding down a snow topped mountain in whistler and spending the night in a chalet getting drunk with the ladies choir would be more like my definition of fun.

i guess it takes all kinds ( its 10pm and i am at work replacing tiny 24 v light bulbs with a newer nicer version of lamp in the tube gear to make it twinkle and shine nicely in the morning for my clients that will never notice and for just a second there i was having fun too !)

[Jason Dirckze]

Sounds like my kinda night Rick! ;)

I go to enough crazy locations for my day job (location sound) so I guess being in a nice controlled (?) environment with predictable outcomes is a fresh change...