Hi all,
-What are the theoretical considerations when using a figure of eight style microphone where the rear side of the transducer is tuned to be more or less sensitive to certain frequencies (some ribbon mics are like this for example)...comb-filtering? Others?
-Anyone have firsthand practical experience using the above mic style in Blumlein?
-Astonishingly (gasp!) I couldn't quickly find an SoS article on Blumlein theory and setup like the one for Mid/Sides (https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques ... -recording)
-How do you monitor Blumlein (does it require any special routing / decoding like M/S)?
I'm considering using the above ribbon-style microphone as a drum kit, stereo "room mic", so the differently tuned elements will be essentially facing away from the source at empty walls, so maybe it's not a big deal in this application but I want to be aware of any issues.
Many thanks for any insight!
Blumlein pair considerations
Re: Blumlein pair considerations
Blumlein is just a coincident XY array, like crossed cardioids or crossed hypercardioids.... except it uses fig-8s.
No decoding required. The mic with its positive lobe facing camera-left feeds the left channel, and the mic with positive lobe facing right feeds the right channel.
The default mutual angle is 90 degrees, but you can or widen by upto 15 degrees to tweak the stereo image and recording angle slightly.
The default stereo recording angle is 90 degrees across the front, and another 90 degrees across the back (albeit left/right reversed).
Sound pickup on either side will be incoherent (out of phase) because it's reaching one positive lobe and one negative.
For me, Blumlein stereo is a genuinely useful XY array (aling with MS, of course), which has a lively sense of depth and natural balance.
The (intentional) tonal mismatch between the front and rear lobes in some fig-8 ribbons isn't likely to cause significant problems in most cases. It just means that rearward sounds will be a little duller-sounding than frontal sounds (or vice versa).
In the case of a stereo drum room mic, it's just going to be part of the character....
I have definitely covered XY stereo in the magazine before.... but I guess it was a long time ago. (Just checked... Feb 1997, and its not in the accessible archive, sadly). Maybe it's time for a refresh....
No decoding required. The mic with its positive lobe facing camera-left feeds the left channel, and the mic with positive lobe facing right feeds the right channel.
The default mutual angle is 90 degrees, but you can or widen by upto 15 degrees to tweak the stereo image and recording angle slightly.
The default stereo recording angle is 90 degrees across the front, and another 90 degrees across the back (albeit left/right reversed).
Sound pickup on either side will be incoherent (out of phase) because it's reaching one positive lobe and one negative.
For me, Blumlein stereo is a genuinely useful XY array (aling with MS, of course), which has a lively sense of depth and natural balance.
The (intentional) tonal mismatch between the front and rear lobes in some fig-8 ribbons isn't likely to cause significant problems in most cases. It just means that rearward sounds will be a little duller-sounding than frontal sounds (or vice versa).
In the case of a stereo drum room mic, it's just going to be part of the character....
I have definitely covered XY stereo in the magazine before.... but I guess it was a long time ago. (Just checked... Feb 1997, and its not in the accessible archive, sadly). Maybe it's time for a refresh....
-
- Hugh Robjohns
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Technical Editor, Sound On Sound...
(But generally posting my own personal views and not necessarily those of SOS, the company or the magazine!)
In my world, things get less strange when I read the manual...
(But generally posting my own personal views and not necessarily those of SOS, the company or the magazine!)
In my world, things get less strange when I read the manual...
Re: Blumlein pair considerations
Hugh,
Many, many thanks. It's incredible to have someone with your experience an ocean away to answer my queries within ten minutes.
SoS is truly remarkable!
But please, don't stress yourself out, you can't do it all Hugh!
Or maybe you can...
Many, many thanks. It's incredible to have someone with your experience an ocean away to answer my queries within ten minutes.
SoS is truly remarkable!
But please, don't stress yourself out, you can't do it all Hugh!
Or maybe you can...