fig-8 question

[Sugarman]

I just got my first mic with a fig-8 pattern option (Neumann U67 ).
Now I wanna try this M-S mic technique that everyone is talkin about.
From reading other threads about M-S recordings it seems that you end up with three tracks, right?
One from the "mid" mic.
Two from the "side" fig-8 mic (one from each side of the mic)

Now how is that possible?!
How can you split the fig-8 signal out to two individual tracks?
might seem like a stupid question to some of you guys - but I'm not too technical minded - which is why I use, learn and rely on this forum heavily! thumbsup

Thanks for your time.

[tsvisser]

you will end up with 2 tracks. you need a 2nd mic, though, usually a card or hypercard that is placed on axis with the source. the figure-8 is used as the "mid-side" component. when recording, you can track the 2 mics direct or you can use an M-S decoder to make a 2-track stereo recording. if you just track the mics as is, you can apply the M-S decoding later.

there are lots of different techniques, but this should get you started.

(during the decoding, you usually copy one of the tracks as a phase inverted copy of the original, so this may be the "3rd" track you are thinking about, but you only need 2 tracks to make an M-S recording... and 2 mics)

[Sugarman]

ok thanks tsvisser!
but how do I pan the fig-8 mic then? far left? far right?
I guess the mid-mic should stay in the mid, right?

[digitalM]

These links may be helpfull as well:

Sound Devices: MS Stereo Basics

http://www.bluecataudio.com/Vault/Do...Processing.pdf

http://www.arts.arizona.edu/studio/Mic_Tech_1_07.pdf

Also try the M/S technique on a guitar amp; it will give you a very nice sense of space , in quit a different way than double tracking the part.
Have fun!


Martijn.

[Recording David]

Originally Posted by Sugarman

ok thanks tsvisser!
but how do I pan the fig-8 mic then? far left? far right?
I guess the mid-mic should stay in the mid, right?

The sides mic is the fig. 8. In your DAW copy the side mic track onto 2 channels.

You then phase invert one of these side channels and pan them hard left and hard right.

Mid mic stays panned centrally. Try using an omni as the mid mic - sounds awesome.

[zemlin]

How you deal with the sid mic depends on your DAW. In the PAN dialog in Samplitude I can invert the RIGHT channel only. The job's done with two tracks. I can do a similar thing in Adobe Audition using the Channel Mixer effect.

[ghellquist]

For PC software users there is a small free plugin from Voxengo (Voxengo) called MSED. It takes a stereo signal, M on the left channel and S on the right and decodes it into L and R.

Gunnar