Microphone systems (easy)

Microphone systems (easy)

In this category we are going to show you how you can setup some microphone systems in an easy way, but you still will get impressive results.

But let's start with easy setups first:

"Dummy head" or "artifical head"

An quite old, but still used technique to generate a good room impression with just two microphones.
The first recordings have been made after 1925, so about hundred years ago. But the easy setup and common playback over regular headphones kept it alive.
Even today it sounds fascinating and is so easy to do and it doesn't require much to get your own artificial head. In this article we show you how to do it!
Please find our solution in THIS article.

OCT - Optimal Cardioid Triangle

Although it has been invented quite a while ago, it still delivers a nice soundscape and provides an astonishing flexibility. HERE is the article
If you want to extend it to surround, the article about OCT-Surround will give you more information.

OCT2 - Optimal Cardioid Triangle

It is almost the same as the OCT system (mentioned above). It tries to combine the advantages of the OCT system and a "Decca-Tree". This results in more spaciousness and can be adjusted to your taste, with in given limits. For more information, find the article HERE.

First Order Ambisonic - Four LDC multi-pattern microphones

If you have four LDC (Large Diaphragm Condenser) with multi-patterns, you can set up a native B-format (no conversion necessary!!) to record soundscapes with.
In THIS article we show you how.

IRT-Cross

An IRT-Cross consists of four small diaphragm condenser microphones with cardioid or hyper/super-cardioid pattern, with each capsule positioned exactly 25 cm apart resp 20 cm, if there are capsules with hyper/super-cardioid pattern.
For more details, see the IRT-Cross article.

DMS - Double M/S system

The DMS system is pretty similiar to the IRT-Cross, but has some additional features , a slightly different setup and is processed in a different way in post. Most important thing to know: You can render ITU 5.0 from recordings of this kind. Check it out!

Cardioid-based surround array

Theoretically, five cardioid microphones, which have equal distances and angles, will provide a nice horizontal soundscape. If you are looking for an example this article will provide you more information.

M/S Stereo system with two caridioid microphones

Yes! You read that right!
It's unusal and have some downsides, but once you are in the middle of nowhere and you need a M/S stereo system and don't have a figure-of-eight microphone available ... than you hopefully remember THIS.

Four SDC-cardioids are very versatile ...

... and if you are in the fields and have just four SDC-cardioids microphones with you, this is not the end, but an other path of solutions.
Have a look at the article Four SDC-cardioids are very versatile and discover new solutions.