how are these mics employed, pattern and is it AB?

[hopscotch44]

Good morning everyone (is it?)(morning?).
Would anyone care to follow this youtube link and comment on the two mics arrangement for the vocalists?
Is it the same principle used for speakers at a lecturn, and due to the vocalists movements?
Am i right to think the mics would be of a narrow pick up pattern and are they in a AB setting?
I hope this piques someones interest.
with thanks
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXBLMbao2BA

[Hugh Robjohns]

It has become standard practice to record soloists with a pair of near-spaced mics in that kind of arrangement.

The technique gives the soloist a width, scale, and sense of movement, none if which you'd get with a single spot mic, and that just sounds more natural within a stereo mix.

Typically, it would use cardioid mics (although any other pattern can be used depending on circumstances) maybe 20cm apart facing forward, with the panning anywhere from hard left/right to panned in almost to the centre, depending how much scale, width and movement is appropriate.

In the case of a soloist in front of an orchestra on stage (as opposed to that in-the-round recording situation), the two mic technique also helps to avoid the stereo narrowing effect that you get with a single spot mic picking up significant spill from the band.

The same technique is often used on instrumental soloists as well as vocalists.

Hope that helps.

[Sam Spoons]

Standard practice for lectern mics used to be to have a main mic and a backup (IIRC they used to use SM57's for the US President) rather than stereo. That may not be the case these days though now most TV and radio is broadcast in stereo?

[Hugh Robjohns]

Main and backup is still common, although few go to the trouble of using separate preamps on separate power supplies which a genuinely secure backup should have.

Often the two podium mics are used to cope with a presenter turning their head to talk to each side of the audience. Route the mics into an automixer which selects the one picking up the strongest signal.

[hopscotch44]

that's interesting, thanks guys. I can feel a question forming about panning multiple stereo arrays into a soundfield. The video i linked to and many others have lots of stereo rigs (as hugh identified)
Is it too picky to worry about (or is there a formula or is it 'to taste'?) the shifting perspectives of how (for example) a main stereo pair may 'see' the various arrays if they were spread out in say an arc? or just all over the shop?
Do you see what i'm trying to identify?
Anyhow. Many thanks for the original replies

[Wonks]

There seems to be a main flown stereo array (mini-Decca tree?) so I would assume the spot mics will be positioned to align with the respective stereo image on that. Provided the stereo array was used and not shelved in favour of an all spot-mic mix.

[Mike Stranks]

Standard practice for lectern mics used to be to have a main mic and a backup (IIRC they used to use SM57's for the US President) rather than stereo. That may not be the case these days though now most TV and radio is broadcast in stereo?

A nerd responds:

Back in the day, they used to be in a tight cluster:



Then this setup became the norm:



but then there was this guy who always had to be different:



and who constantly fiddled about with the mic, pushing it into a new position... something that some of his best impersonators had down to a fine art.

[Hugh Robjohns]

I can feel a question forming about panning multiple stereo arrays into a soundfield.

The normal approach is to adjust the width and panning of solo/accent mics such that they tell the same story about their specific source as the main array... just with a bit more presence.

The technique is to focus on the relevant source in the main array, then fade up the solo mics and listen for a spatial shift in the source. If it wanders off, adjust pans and try again. The aim is for the source to appear to only come slightly closer.

I didn't spot a flown main array, but I was only watching on my phone. I did, though, spot what looks like a stereo NOS array (cardioids at 90 degrees spaced 300 mm) mounted on another manfrotto bar in front of the singers. That would easily serve as the main array for the band.

By the way, I'm a big fan of the Manfrotto mic bar too. Very good value compared to the likes of Grace Design and DPA bars, very versatile, and both easy and cheap to swap the standard 66cm tube for any length of 25mm diameter aluminum (or carbon fibre) tubing you might desire.