I looked up the short ms section in the eargle book. May 22, 2019 which technique provides good localization placement of sound sources characteristics and also provides a good sense of depth and space, and has reduced phase problems. Following this, some fundamentals of microphones, instruments, and acoustics are presented. Crossed figureofeights may legitimately be termed blumlein technique. On location recording techniques book oreilly media. Using a simple stereo bar, its easy to get an xy pair going with a single mic stand. He died during world war ii on 7 june 1942, aged 38, during the. To set this up, youll need two preferably identical microphones with cardioid polar patterns placed as close together as possible, but with their capsules at a. The xy technique dates back to blumleins patent from the 1930s 1 and his patents. Microphones, microphone techniques, and their impact on the final mix. Unfortunately technique appears it is very seldom to be ideal for possible to use it in 9 practice. Stereo micing techniques, by jon oliffe a basic knowledge of microphone types, polar patterns and the way stereo is perceived in the human auditory system is assumed broadly speaking stereo micing techniques can be put into 3 categories non. The blumlein pair is a coincident miking technique that utilizes a. He received 128 patents and was considered as one of the most significant engineers and inventors of his time.
Those with coincident spacing have their diaphragms vertically in line. Chapters 4 and 5 describe, respectively, the principles and practicalities of eq, and stereo imaging, while chapter 6 provides a comparative account of a range of stereo microphone arrays, including xy, blumlein, near coincident, and spaced pair configurations as well as middleside, decca tree, and binaural methods. The blumlein method uses the two mic elements angled at 90 degrees and mounted in close proximity to each other along the vertical axis. This technique creates a more defined stereo image, although it may not sum to mono. There seems to be a need to state the case for coincident microphone techniques.
Aes elibrary spaciousness and localization in listening. Gerzon, journal of the audio engineering society, vol. These and other microphone systems are detailed in the book stereo microphone techniques by bruce bartlett 1991, focal press. John woram 1 referred to the blumlein technique as being developed in 1931 and probably forgotten in 1932. Blumlein stereo miking involves placing two figure8 microphones at right angles to one another with the diaphragms as close together as possible. Blumlein pair is the name for a stereo recording technique invented by alan blumlein for the creation of recordings that, upon replaying through headphones or loudspeakers, recreate the spatial characteristics of the recorded signal the pair consists of an array of two matched microphones that have a bidirectional figure8 pickup pattern. Variations have been performed using a coincident pair, in xy, midside ms, or blumlein positioning, in place of the center microphone. This techniques stereo effectiveness is based on the presence of reflections that get picked. It also looks prettier than xy in my book, if that counts for anything.
It talks about the difference in ms with a cardioid and xy, which is a different argument. The blumlein stereo microphone technique is named after alan dower blumlein, who patented this approach in 1931. That blumlein understood that this unavoidable crosstalk caused imaging problems at higher frequencies is clear from some of the other quotes below. In a way, blumlein stereo named after alan blumlein is a lot like xy, only with greater stereo separation and potentially better room ambience. We remark, however, that one of the eommercial surround sound systems is inherently incompatible with any worthwhile coincident microphone technique, as may be shown either by mathematical analysis or by experiment 11. Bar is a slim profile in vertical profile and excellent for blumlein and midside arrays. Blumlein pair is the name for a stereo recording technique invented by alan blumlein for the creation of recordings that, upon replaying through headphones or loudspeakers, recreate the spatial characteristics of the recorded signal. The blumlein pair is a coincident miking technique that utilizes a pair of bidirectional microphones. Two bidirectional mics are used at 90 degree angles. This coincident technique employs a bidirectional microphone facing sideways and another microphone at an angle of 90, facing the sound source.
In broad terms, the most common arrays are distinguished by the intermicrophone spacing. Mic it microphones, microphone techniques, and their. Which technique provides good localization placement of sound sources characteristics and also provides a good sense of depth and space, and has reduced phase problems. In this video i give a demonstration on how to capture a stereo recording of a piano using two condenser microphones in the blumlein array. This technique utilises two, spaced, omnidirectional microphones set about. Closely spaced microphones have their diaphragms separated by the specified distance. Of course, if you use a more common, noncoincident microphone technique, such as a head spaced array, this crosstalk can cause localization blurring. Every effect signal processor that you use in your homerecording studio has certain settings, called parameters, which you can adjust to tailor the sound to your liking. A stereo microphone technique in which two coincident bidirectional microphones are angled 90 degrees apart 45 degrees to the left and right of center. Xy stereo miking is the most common type of stereo microphone setup and the one that youll likely use if you do stereo miking. Top 8 best stereo miking techniques with recommended mics. Xy coincident stereo miking consists of using two microphones that are placed right next to each other so that the diaphragms are as close together as possible without touching one another. The method was developed in the 1930s by alan blumlein, who was searching for a way to create a stereo image in sound for film.
The technique traditionally uses three omnidirectional microphones. The blumlein technique consists of two figure8 condenser microphones aligned in a 90 angle. Index a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z a. Lastly, as gerzon saw clearly, the method of blumlein difference technique may even be extended to use directional microphones which enable very nice stereo recordings. The differences are that the blumlein pair mics are bidirectional figure8 rather than cardioid and are always positioned at 90 the mics point 45 from the intended sound source.
Stereo micing techniques, by jon oliffe a basic knowledge of microphone types, polar patterns and the way stereo is perceived in the human auditory system is assumed broadly speaking stereo micing techniques can be put into 3 categories noncoincident, coincident and near coincident. Part of the springer topics in signal processing book series stsp, volume 19. May 11, 2012 in this video i give a demonstration on how to capture a stereo recording of a piano using two condenser microphones in the blumlein array. An excellent book examining the pros and cons of different microphone techniques is the new stereo soundbook by ron streicher and f. Presession procedures, such as power and grounding practice, preproduction meetings, and site surveys are fully examined. It was a rebuttal of a previous article advocating multimicrophone techniques, whose. Of course, if you use a more common, non coincident microphone technique, such as a head spaced array, this crosstalk can cause localization blurring. The two microphones are mounted on separate stands, one above the other. Blumlein recordings have a most remarkable stereo stability, giving a wellcentred image almost everywhere in the listening room.
The neumann m 49, km 53, and km 56 were also evaluated and used for early sessions by the decca team, and later the schoeps mk 2s were used by the team for live productions where the m 50 proved too cumbersome. Blumlein pair is the name for a stereo recording technique invented by alan blumlein for the creation of recordings that upon replaying through headphones or loudspeakers recreate the spatial characteristics of the recorded signal. Without a decent listening environment, many of the more subtle aspects of microphone technique discussed throughout the book would be lost. To this day, blumlein s coincident recording technique using two figureofeight pattern ribbon mics is the benchmark for producing an authentic representation of a performance in a room. Its a classic nashville recording technique, although its popular all over. Alan dower blumlein 29 june 1903 7 june 1942 was an english electronics engineer, notable for his many inventions in telecommunications, sound recording, stereophonic sound, television and radar. In this and other ways, the blumlein coincident recording. Stereo micing techniques, by jon oliffe miloco miloco studios. There are several coincident pair techniques which are all stereo miking techniques. Coincident pair vs near coincident pair technique for onlocation classical music dear friends, i have been researching and experimenting myself for a while and still havent found a definite answer to the following important question. Coincidentpair vs nearcoincident pair technique for on. This means that, whereas panpotted stereo and quadraphonics gives only one spatial dimension, blumlein stereo gives two dimensions width and distance.
Sep 11, 2014 stereo microphone techniques spaced pair or non coincident pair ab the spaced pair technique is commonly used in drum overhead microphone placement time should be given to correct placement as this is the most critical part of your overall drum sound always check the phase of the microphones and mono compatibility i. Chapters 4 and 5 describe, respectively, the principles and practicalities of eq, and stereo imaging, while chapter 6 provides a comparative account of a range of stereo microphone arrays, including xy, blumlein, nearcoincident, and spaced pair configurations as well as middleside, decca tree, and binaural methods. The blumlein pair miking technique is a stereo miking technique that utilizes a. Not just any microphone will work for the blumlein setup, as the method requires microphones with a figure 8 pickup pattern that picks up sounds in front of the microphone as much as it does those in the back. Recording with a coincident pair is called xy recording in the us and the uk, ab recording throughout europe, and also crossed pairs, or normal stereo. Both typically yield a stable directional playback in stereo, but signals. Midandside coincident stereo mic technique uses two microphones. After the blumlein appendix, the book closes with a comprehensive glossary of terms and an exhaustive index. This technique is favored by many broadcast applications because of good mono compatibility. This technique is named after its inventor, alan blumlein, an english electronics engineer. Blumlein technique two microphones with a figure of 8 polar pattern are used, named 1 and 2, and are positioned as shown in the following diagram. Cascade microphones blumlein bar stereo microphone mount. As mentioned, the blumlein pair resembles the xy technique. This technique s stereo effectiveness is based on the presence of reflections that get picked up by the posterior lobes of two microphones.
It does not go into reasons ms with figure8s is better than blumlein, though it has a diagram showing an ms figure8 pair matrixing to a blumlein pair, as i said. Stereo lab microphone technique stereo lab from pspatial audio. Back in the 1960s, spiderman and superman comic books from the usa had a. The late john eargle went into some detail in his book the microphone book, about how ortf has a very accurate stereo image.
This setup uses two figure8 microphones positioned so that the elements cross at right angles and as close to one another as possible. He is the father of stereo, and holds some 128 patents. This coincident technique employs a bidirectional microphone with a figure of 8 polar pattern facing sideways and a cardioid generally a variety of cardioid, although alan blumlein described the usage of an omnidirectional transducer in his original patent facing the sound source. In surround sound, too, coincident microphone techniques can give superb results, provided the microphones are designed and used properly. Alan blumlein was a british engineer known for creating and innovating many things in the audio world. Ian corbett capture great sound in the first place, and spend less time fixing it in the mix with ian corbetts mic it.
This coincident pair microphone setup is especially useful when time is short and space is limited. He was the pioneer who created the xy technique as well as this stereo microphone technique that bears his name. See applications of blumlein shuffling to stereo microphone techniques, m. With regards to the blumlein technique, i am quite sure as an engineer type that you would be quite interested in the inventor of that technique, alan dower blumlein.
Depending on the specific technique examples of this type are ortf and nos the distance and the angle at which the two microphones are pointing will differ. Coincidentpair vs nearcoincident pair technique for onlocation classical music dear friends, i have been researching and experimenting myself for a while and still havent found a definite answer to the following important question. And it would take a lot of talent to mess up the 90 degree placement. Stereo recording techniques post 3 stereosonic sound.
Mic it microphones, microphone techniques, and their impact. The second microphone is generally a variety of cardioid, although alan blumlein described the usage of an omnidirectional transducer in his original patent. Nearcoincident mic techniques by daniel bloch on prezi. Setting effects parameters in your home recording studio. Intensitybased coincident stereophonic recording such as xy uses two figureofeight microphones, after blumleins original work from the 1930s, with an angular spacing of \90\circ \, see 2, 3, 4. A stereo miking technique that was designed to have advantages of the spaced pair and xy technique, without the disadvantages, is called nearcoincident. The midside or ms stereo technique is a coincident technique which uses a figure of 8 microphone which is placed perpendicular to the sound source, along with a cardioid microphone placed directly towards the sound source. The r88 mk2 stereo microphone is a true blumlein recording system optimized for recording instruments and ensembles in stereo. The capsules are stacked vertically and brought together as. A stereo miking technique similar to coincident pair, although in this case the mics are set up with some distance inbetween them. Still today, his coincident recording technique using two figureof8 ribbons is the benchmark for producing an authentic representation of a performance in a room. With the flick of a switch or a swap of the mics, the blumlein version of theis. The blumlein pair is much like the xy technique with one variation.
This is a very popular way to record acoustic guitars, among other acoustic instruments. The pair consists of an array of two matched microphones that have a bidirectional figure8 pickup pattern. This coincident pair microphone setup is especially useful when time is. Choosing reverb parameters reverb is a natural part of every sound and represents the way a. The compressor and reverb are the two most common effects signal processors.
My standard kit is one main pair in some coincidenti prefer blumlein or near coincidentortf maybe or spacedi like spaced omnis ok with maybe big maybe a flanking pair to stabilize the center image. Stereo microphone techniques spaced pair or non coincident pair ab the spaced pair technique is commonly used in drum overhead microphone placement time should be given to correct placement as this is the most critical part of your overall drum sound always check the phase of the microphones and mono compatibility i. On location recording techniques also describes the paperwork required to plan a live recording session. This book covers all aspects of live recording, with a special section on miking techniques for surround sound. Furthermore, the spaced omni technique, whilst it definitely yields to blumlein. Link to check the price of a pair of royer r121s on amazon. The blumlein pair miking technique is a stereo miking technique that utilizes a coincident pair of bidirectional microphones pointed 90degrees from one another 45degree left and right of centre or the front direction. Aes elibrary blumlein stereo microphone technique and. This book should be required reading for every student of any age of sound recording, and a. Another representative, ms, uses an omnidirectional and a lateral figureofeight microphone. More often you find three microphone stands, depending on the size of the venue and amount of spaciousness required.
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