| Omni pattern hatred [message #341059] |
Tue, 13 May 2008 14:48  |
 |
 teleric
Messages: 118
Registered: March 2007
Location: lisboa |
Active Member |
|
|
I'm working now in a new crew at the national Portuguese radio.
Those guys only are using cardioid, even for classical music in big halls.
Each time I'm using omni or figure8, they're nervous. I noticed that a lot of people are really afraid to work with omni, even LDC.
Also a few month back, i tracked some percussion at home in figure 8 and got the same type of impact that is usually known for ribbon mics.
Anyway, i just want to encourage everyone to use all the possibilities of directionality manufacturers give us.
Also, it seems lately that every large diaphragm condenser is tailored only for vocal, and I'm tired of reading about another great vocal mic that's cardioid only.
Just some end of the day thoughts.
what do you think?
eric harizanos
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Re: Omni pattern hatred [message #341109 is a reply to message #341059 ] |
Tue, 13 May 2008 18:22  |
|
I used to work with an engineer who avoided using cardioid at all costs. He said that using that pattern "brought down the ceiling" (as in, makes the room seem smaller). He mainly used omni &, in the situations where most engineers would use cardioid, e.g. spotters & close mics, he would use figure 8. His recordings mostly sounded fantastic.
sleep is not an option
jwhynot: "There's a difference between thinking or acting dogmatically and drawing from experience."
Glenn "G-daddy" Santry
http://www.myspace.com/glennsantry
Beta tester for MS2K
|
|
|
| Re: Omni pattern hatred [message #341151 is a reply to message #341084 ] |
Tue, 13 May 2008 20:50 |
 |
J.J. Blair
Messages: 10691
Registered: May 2004
Location: by the sea & sand |
Diamond Member |
|
|
The cardioid only mics are that way for cost reasons, and then they market it as a vocal mic. I was tracking somebody on a mic a couple days ago, that was absolutely the right mic for them, but was a hair too sibilant, so I switched it to figure 8, and it fixed the problem. Sometimes, I like to use hypercardioid to get rid of unwanted low end. Omni can brighten things, or maybe you want to eliminate proximity effect. Patterns are very useful, even for vocals!
the thing I've noticed too is how the response pattern in different positions can vary on different mics, even though they generally tend to follow the same lines. Tilting a response pattern towards hypercardioid doesn't roll off low end on all mics, I've noticed. But I'll do that always on vocals or acoustic instriments before I use a filter or EQ.
temporary webpage
They say the heart of Rock & Roll is still beating, which is amazing if you consider all the blow it's done over the years.
"The Internet enables pompous blowhards to interact with other pompous blowhards in a big circle jerk of pomposity." - Bill Maher
|
|
|
| Re: Omni pattern hatred [message #341160 is a reply to message #341151 ] |
Tue, 13 May 2008 21:05 |
 |
 Barry Hufker
Messages: 6360
Registered: October 2004
Location: between heaven and hell |
Platinum Member |
|
|
True omnis are great mics. They can be used for close or distant miking. They have great off-axis pickup and lack of coloration. You can place them close to the sound source and get the same direct to indirect ratio of sound as a cardioid but with no proximity effect (true omnis only).
Bidirectional is often a great choice because they tend to have the most uniform polar pattern of large diaphragm mics (therefore staying "true" to the on-axis sound). In the front lobe they have the same direct-to indirect ratio as a cardioid. With the rear lobe they add some sense of room. Their side cancellation can be great, if used correctly, for reducing leakage from other instruments. But one has to be careful of their strong proximity effect.
J.J., I too find myself quite often moving the pattern dial a bit towards super-cardioid on almost all the vocals when using a large diaphragm mic.
For classical work, omnis are a must as far as I'm concerned. I own several different models, each with their own strengths but the ones I think can't be beaten are the Sonodore RCM 402s.
http://www.hufkerrecording.com
Torture “is basically subject to perception,” CIA counterterrorism lawyer Jonathan Fredman told a group of military and intelligence officials gathered at the U.S.-run detention camp in Cuba on Oct. 2, 2002, according to minutes of the meeting. “If the detainee dies, you’re doing it wrong.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Re: Omni pattern hatred [message #341250 is a reply to message #341084 ] |
Wed, 14 May 2008 06:01 |
|
teleric
Messages: 118
Registered: March 2007
Location: lisboa |
Active Member |
|
|
| JonesH wrote on Tue, 13 May 2008 22:39 |
Of course, all spaced microphone technologies will create comb filtering when combined, regardless of pickup pattern.
DPA has an article on their web page (http://www.dpamicrophones.com/page.php?PID=25) where they advocate using omnis based on things like off-axis coloration, feedback characteristics and neutral distance to a sound source.
|
the comb filtering usually happen for me if the sound the 2 mics are seeing is relatively identical, which in classical music won't happen since you would have a relatively good amount of natural reverb/ambiance in the signal. when summed in mono, i find i usually get a sudden rise a reverb and the sound source seems at a greater distance.
While omni in classical is the starting point, sometimes, cardioid is used when street or ventilation are heard too much.
As to use omni with a monitor on stage, i wouldn't know. Probably now with all the in-ear monitoring, the way mics are placed and chosen is going to change.
eric harizanos
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Members
Search
FAQ
Register
Login
Home
