Study of microphone placement for orchestral instruments

[EERecordist]

This video provides a short introduction to a microphone placement database with samples.

http://soundmedia.jp/nuaudk/

It goes to our many discussions on soundstage. The sound comes from several places on an instrument. Each instrument is different and comes in general flavors. For instance, oboes come in dark and woody like a Lorée or sharp and chirpy. There is a large variation in violin bows. Then the microphone placement further defines the tone.

 

[Adis]

So typical: making more problems than solving...

 

[Blumlein 88]

I've posted this and a couple other similar demos in other threads. It demonstrates the importance of mike positioning, as well as different instruments can be portrayed differently depending upon one's priorities. The way in which it is poorly drawn is when recording a small group or a full orchestra you are trying to get the entire gestalt instead of any one instrument. Plus an audience also doesn't get these optimized privileged listening positions. So the idea directionality varies with different instruments is not all that damning. As a real listener you only get to hear it from one position bathed in the reflections of the hall.

 

[Rex Anderson]

Very interesting to me because I was the chief recording engineer for the University of Illinois School of Music for 32 years. I worked in many different concert halls and had a great collection of microphones and mic preamps to choose from. I experimented with microphone choice and placement as much as possible.