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Originally Posted by jaba Could anyone comment on what the pros/cons are in using Spaced Pair vs. jecklin disc or other such devices?
I'm interested in recording small acoustic ensembles (including strings and piano)
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I presume you're talking about omnidirectional mics pairs. I have DPA 4006's and 4003's, and use both techniques.
I tend to use spaced pairs for solo piano because you don't really need pinpoint imaging for that, just a nice spread. You have more placement choices than with a Jecklin disc or similar, because if you want to move farther back, you can compensate by widening the spread to maintain optimal image width.
With piano plus strings, I almost always opt for a baffled technique. Better imaging is needed here to help place the different players in the sound stage. On smallish ensembles, I lean towards a Schneider disc vs. a Jecklin. MBHO sells a nice one. Compared to directional mics in ORTF or NOS, baffled omni's don't image as well, but they are way, way less colored.
With strings-only ensembles, I sometimes go with directional mics. More often than not, I'll use hypercardioids -- preferably Josephson Series 6 hypercardioids, but Schoeps are much more available these days. The tradeoff is pinpoint imaging at the cost of more coloration. It can be worthwhile if you're trying to help the listener sort out different melodic lines in a complex piece.
But add a piano to the ensemble, and I always go back to omni's.
Hope this helped,
David L. Rick
Seventh String Recording