EQ'ing spot mics?

[jnorman]

When you use spot mics, do you eq out all but the frequencies you need for enhancement? or do you leave them flat?

my main applications here are usually doing piano accompaniments for a variety of solo instruments like flute, violin, viola, etc, and i find that if i leave the spot mics flat, the presence of the piano starts overwhelming the main mics and solist before i start getting the high end enhancement i need.

[fifthcircle]

I EQ them if they need it, but more often than not they are flat... If another instrument becomes a problem with a spot mic, then perhaps you should reexamine the positioning of that mic or in the case of a session, the players. Other times, you should check which mic you're using for your spot. When I have a guitar in the middle of an orchestra that needs amplification or reinforcement, I go for a hypercardiod ribbon because of the rejection it offers of other instruments. Other times, if I can get away with it, I'll use an omni for a spot.

Just depends on the circumstances...

--Ben

[NorseHorse]

When recording symphonic bands, I sometimes have a spot or two on the percussion. If the bass drum is already loud enough in the mains, I will cut the lows significantly in the spots and use them just to keep the snare drums, hi-hats, shakers, and other bright instruments from getting lost in the back of the soundscape. The long distance between the percussion section and the main mics combined with the non-projecting acoustics of some performance spaces causes the highs of these instruments to be significantly subdued by the time they reach the main pair. Accordingly, I find that bringing out only the high-end in the spots moves the percussion forward in a very subtle and pleasant way. This also keeps the low-brass section from being brought up in the spots (which are usually figure-8s with the nulls towards the brass).

Come to think of it, low cuts / high pass filters are generally the only types of EQ I tend to use on spots in acoustic music. The low instruments (e.g. bass, cello) often fill up the reverberant spaces without problem. The less they're in the spots, the more flexibility I have.

[David Rick]

I recently did a piano concerto in which I did a lot of EQ on the piano spots. I'd placed a M/S pair for low leakage, and they ended up sounding way closer than I really wanted because, well, they were way closer than I really wanted. But there was no chance to hear them in advance, so I opted for a "safe" mic placement.

Here's a picture of what I ended up doing. Note particularly the use of a minimum phase 1/f filter. I didn't do much on the low end because I got a lot of help from the orchestra flanks.

After delivering the final product, one of the concert organizers asked me why the piano sounded so much better on the CD than in the hall.

David L. Rick
Seventh String Recording

[Audiop]

David,

If I get this you rolled of the mid-mic in the higher registers?

Blue line = M, yellow line = S?


/Peter

[joelpatterson]

Originally Posted by David Rick

... asked me why the piano sounded so much better on the CD than in the hall....

And you said, "Uh, gee, I don't know... I'm sorry!"

[Audiop]

Lot's of humor here today! I like!!


/Peter

[Don S]

Originally Posted by fifthcircle

I EQ them if they need it, but more often than not they are flat... If another instrument becomes a problem with a spot mic, then perhaps you should reexamine the positioning of that mic or in the case of a session, the players. Other times, you should check which mic you're using for your spot. When I have a guitar in the middle of an orchestra that needs amplification or reinforcement, I go for a hypercardiod ribbon because of the rejection it offers of other instruments. Other times, if I can get away with it, I'll use an omni for a spot.

Just depends on the circumstances...

--Ben

I'm with Ben on this. Also want to add that depending on how much you need combined with EQ, it can add depth or totally destroy the image of the main pair. For different reasons, I can't always get the spot where it needs to be!

[David Rick]

Originally Posted by Audiop

David,
If I get this you rolled of the mid-mic in the higher registers?

Blue line = M, yellow line = S?
/Peter

Nope. The blue line was applied to L/R. The only M/S processing was a broad bump at 147 Hz applied to Mid only.

Most of this was linear-phase, but the 1/f filter was minimum-phase.

I'm not suggesting that anyone copy any of this, merely that you do what you have to do in the particular situation. Ben is of course right that in the ideal situation you don't have to do anything.

Sorry for the delay -- I was on holiday.

David