soundmanjohn

Good point about the double use of the mid signal: also, is there a small rear lobe with the 191 as it's a hyper-cardioid? Schoeps show a DMS set-up with a CMIT 5, so I suspect that it won't be too problematic. Best of luck, John

What you'll end up with, assuming you're using the separate mid and side outputs from the 191 is three tracks: one forward facing mid mic, one rear facing mid mic and one side mic. I think you'll need to decode each M/S pair separately and then reverse the direction of the rear-facing pair and send it to the rear channels. I guess the centre channel is just the mid signal from the RSM panned centre and the .1, if you're interested in it (and unless you're recording earthquakes or thunder or anything else that produces extreme LF, you can leave it empty) you could LPF a mono mix of all signals and send that to the .1 output. Or something like that. Make a test recording and see what you get. The Schoeps plug-in is free, by the way... Let us know what happens. John

It's difficult to tell, I'm afraid: will you be trying to use the Schoeps DMS plug-in to get your results? I'm not sure how it will behave with that combination of microphones. Apart from differences in frequency response, it seems that the RSM191 has a quoted sensitivity 23mV/pa compared to the KM140 which is 15mV/pa, which is quite big difference, so you'll probably have to ramp up the level a bit. You'll also need to locate the position of the bi-directional element of the RSM and get the KM140 capsule as close to it as possible. I assume you're using a remote cable with the KM140, so that it's just the active capsule attached to the RSM? John

And which, of course, is based on Blumlein's original experiments with, yes, you've guessed it... Mid-Side. Blumlein used an omni and a figure-of-eight mic and a sum and difference matrix to produce stereo output. Ambisonics does the same thing, the signals being an omni reference (W), and derived front/back signals (X), left/right (Y) and up/down (Z). And of course, in order to use an Ambisonic microphone, you need special hardware and/or software and a DAW that's capable of handling those plug-ins. I'm not really a nerd, or a Mid-Side apologist or fanatic, but a well-set-up system works for me in many circumstances and care taken with decoding (differences in microphone output level being one of the things that people tend to forget about when using microphones from different or even the same manufacturers, although this can be addressed in post-production) should produce excellent results. Regards, John

I was on holiday: doesn't everyone take their kit with them on their holidays? Also that was iteration number 3 of the ST250. The first was 007 which was a bit unstable, the last was 047, which went on forever. There was another one in between, but it was basically a noise generator. Early days, early days... Nice catch, thanks. John

"I remember a seminar with Bruce Swedien twenty years ago, where he called M/S - "Maybe Stereo". " Ah yes, this is the chap who likes to use Blumlein pairs, but doesn't use figure of eight microphones for them. Regards, John

Perhaps I also need to be clear about what mics I use to record sound effects: I have a Soundfield (ST450) and a Core Sound Tetramic, as well as a DPA 5100, pairs of 4061s and 4060s, various Sennheisers, including a pair of MKH30s, assorted Schoeps, including MK8 and MK6 capsules, four Neumann KM184Ds and a Sony ECM-MS5, so I have a wide choice in how I record effects. However, what I mostly don't do is state how I've recorded the material that I release as commercial effects recordings. I know that my work is used in radio, TV, film and theatre productions all over the world and so far nobody has complained about phase issues on anything that I've produced. What I don't do, is provide un-decoded raw M/S tracks or B-Format tracks (although that's about to change, thanks to a resurgence in interest in Ambisonics.) So I think my question is how do you tell the difference in stereo sound effects recordings between the various methods used to record them? Regards, John

You're welcome, but if you don't get that MKH40 quickly, I might just pick it up myself. That's an insanely good price. Cheers, John

And these: http://www.quoka.de/hifi-audio-tv-video-foto/boxen-lautsprecher-kopfhoerer/c7265a144020172/sennheiser-mkh-40-p48-sehr.html http://www.leboncoin.fr/image_son/892012676.htm?ca=12_s There you go: I've found your set-up for you within your budget. In fact, if these prices are genuine, you could buy the MKH30 and Rycote, and the MKH50 and the MKH40 for just under €2,500. Happy recording. John

You could be part way there by buying this second-hand set-up: MKH30, plus Rycote, plus cables: https://www.bblist.co.uk/item.php?item=53547 Then all you need is the Mid mic and these can sometimes be found used on various sites. And it's probable that Rycote will sell you the bits to convert the old elastic suspension to a Lyre set-up for very little money. It's difficult to see the exact mount, because of the BBList overlay, but I upgraded my similar stereo Rycote for about €30. Regards, John P.S. For reasons that no-one has ever satisfactorily explained to me, some Sennheiser mics are quite a bit cheaper in the USA than they are in Europe. The MKH50 retails for just under £1,000 before tax in the UK and about £750 in the USA. Oh, just noticed there's a Sennheiser MKH8090 wide cardioid on ebay uk as a buy-it-now for £595, which might make a nice mid-mic for that set-up. Ebay Item no. 281874786890

For a lighter and weirder look at the history of cinema in a parallel universe (Terry Pratchett's Discworld), I can highly recommend his book Moving Pictures. Featuring Vincent Tugelbend (can't sing, can't dance, can handle a sword a little), Theda (Ginger) Withel (stage name Delores De Syn), Gaspode the sentient dog and CMOT Dibbler, hot-dog entrepreneur and aspiring producer. Here's an extract on the approach to sound: "Sound! That was the problem. Alchemists toiled in sheds all over Holy Wood, screaming at parrots, pleading with mynah birds, constructing intricate bottles to trap sound and bounce it around harmlessly until it was time for it to be let out. To the sporadic boom of octo-cellulose exploding was added the occasional sob of exhaustion or scream of agony as an enraged parrot mistook a careless thumb for a nut. The parrots weren't the success they'd hoped for. It was true that they could remember what they heard and repeat it after a fashion, but there was no way to turn them off and they were in the habit of ad-libbing other sounds they'd heard or, Dibbler suspected, had been taught by mischievous handlemen. Thus, brief snatches of romantic dialogue would be punctuated with cries of 'Waaaarrrk! Showusyerknickers!' and Dibbler said he had no intention of making that kind of picture, at least at the moment." All the best, John

I use an MKH40/30 setup in a Rycote stereo windshield for some of my effects recordings and get consistently good results, even in very wet conditions. Mono compatibility is the obvious plus (it's just the M mic) but it seems a pretty robust and fairly compact set-up. As far as the Schoeps MK8 is concerned, I'm reliably informed that the capsule is slightly asymmetric at some frequencies, although it's never bothered me on indoor M/S set ups. I don't have the necessary mounts to try ORTF in a Rycote, but might give it a go next year when I have some more time. Regards, John

Odd, I posted a reply yesterday, but it seems to have disappeared. (Ah, I see - two original messages.) I've heard good reports about this company: http://www.sound.co.uk/ especially regarding facilities and anonymity for celebs. Regards, John

This one has a good rep: http://www.sound.co.uk/

Sound effects sale going on here: including my stuff. http://www.asoundeffect.com/huge-sound-effects-sale Thanks, John

If anyone in the UK is interested, there's a fairly clean Nagra 4.2 on ebay with a BIN of £499. (It's not mine and I have no knowledge of the seller.) Ebay No. 321923287522 There's also a Nagra IV-D with a starting price of £150 and a BIN of £450 with no bids so far. Ebay No. 191740541237 Just FYI. John

But this clip features Sam Kelly, also sadly deceased, but a really lovely man. Regards, John

The DPA info page is here: http://www.dpamicrophones.com/en/Mic-University/FAQ.aspx John

Surround very much depends on the end-user experience required. If the end result is an immersive visitor experience, then surround from a rider's perspective can be effective, with sweetening added from other sources. I'm considering having a 'torso-rig' made for exactly this kind of thing, so that I can strap the rig into planes, cars and roller-coasters, etc. The 'neck' will consist of a standard mic mount, onto which I can put a Soundfield or a DPA 5100, a Neuman KU-100 or a Sennheiser Esfera System, all of which I have access to. The torso will have a cavity into which my SD788 can be strapped securely and monitoring will be via Wi-Fi. I know it sounds nuts, but it's something that's been at the back of my mind for a long time: if I do manage to get it done, I'll post pictures. Regards, John

Told by security at LHR some years ago that I couldn't take my Soundfield ST250 as carry-on "because it looks like a grenade and you could use it as a weapon." Fruitless argument ensues, security is adamant. Soundfield goes in checked luggage, arrives in New Orleans with the capsules detached banging around inside the mic body. John

Warning to vegetarians: meat-related content. Yes, that's exactly what they were doing. They belong to a farmer friend of ours who supplies the local farmer's market and I can assure you that they're very happy and well looked-after. The boars and sows provided a better selection of grunts and squeaks, but were also much more interested in the Rycote, which needed to be kept well away from the senior boar. I should add that he had a lot (and I mean a LOT) of balls... John

True, but they were remarkably quiet, curse their little curly tails. Mostly they just stood and stared at me. My wife says they recognised one of their own. I'm not sure how to take that...

A rather more prosaic location today:

Do you know, in over thirty years of using wireless microphones in many different situations, I've never had it happen to me. Just lucky, I guess. Regards, John

Whilst attending a production of Macbeth for a youth theatre company in a multi-space venue, with the three witches kitted out in low-end wireless mics, I was witness to the following: 1st Witch: When shall we three meet again In thunder, lightning, or in rain? 2nd Witch: When the hurlyburly's done, When the battle's lost and won. 3rd Witch: (futz, fizz, crackle) Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the wedding breakfast of Paula and Frank. Let's have a great round of applause for the bride and groom... Maybe not a problem for Karaoke, but it got the biggest laugh in a production of Macbeth that I've heard since a blood-drenched Peter O'Toole wandered on stage at the Old Vic to utter the line: "I have done the deed." Regards, John