Second Stereo Recording

So last night I completed the second of my final stereo recordings, this time a local string quartet- 2 Violins, Viola and Cello.

AKG C451b's in an ORTF array

Everything with this session ran a lot smoother this time round, having learnt from last weeks mistakes and allowed half an hour to setup before the performers arrived. Also managed to get the second Digidesign 96 interface working this time, so was able to spot mic each of the instruments. I selected AKG C414s for the spot mics due to their high sensitivity, low noise and wide frequency response however due to a shortage of microphones I ended up using an sE4400 for the Cello, basically sE's copy of the 414. Interestingly I hadn't realised that they came as a stereo pair, if I had then perhaps I would have used them for the Blumlein array as the frequency responses of a matched pair should be almost identical.

The recording itself went very well, once again I was impressed by the quality of the performers and the recordings themselves sound impressive for each technique, with noticeable differences between them which will make for interesting comparisons. All that remains to do now is to edit the tracks and apply limited amounts of EQ and reverb to bring the quality of the recordings up to a commercial standard before I conduct my listening tests and write up the results, my discussion, conclusion and recommendations.

Final Recordings

Been very busy since my last post, I will write up in more depth at some point but so far I've conducted one or two more tests in a slightly larger studio which illustrate the stereo effects much more clearly which is good.

Spaced Omni Pair, ORTF and Mid Side Techniques

Last night I completed the first of my final recordings with a local clarinet quartet who were fantastic. I had a few technical problems with only one of the Pro-Tools interfaces seeming to work, so I wasn't able to have spot mics as well as my stereo arrays but the recordings from the arrays sound great. The C414s were clear and quiet while there was a bit of noise from the C451b's. I have, once again, fallen in love with the Blumlein technique, it gives a really clear image which is balanced and tonally pleasing :-)

I will be completing one more recording, with a string quartet, next Wednesday before I conduct listening tests with a small group of people to find out which techniques people prefer on playback.