Below are a few tracks that I recorded with a 5.1 setup, at the top of buchanan st. Funky Riff Sky Full Of Stars Fix you
This recording took place in a large square like area, flanked by two builds on the right and left sides, and a large set of stairs leading up to another building on the rear.
The source being recorded was a singer playing a guitar, sitting atop a wooden box being struck by a kick pedal.
NOTE - At least of two of the three tracks listed above are covers, and therefore neither I or the artist recorded have any copyright hold over them. However, as they are not being sold, I believe there is no real issue to be worried about.
Below I have included the report I performed for the assessment.
Sound Production Practice 2 Write up Conor Devlin
The location recording included was captured using an Edirol R-4 Portable recorder, using two SE Electronics SE1A Condenser Microphones and two Audio Technica AT2050’s using a mid-side/spaced pair setup. I selected the SE1A’s because I had a lot of experience using them and believe them to be very versatileand I used the AT2050s because they are able to switch between several polar patterns (cardiod, omnidirectional and bidirectional)
The mid side/spaced pair combination was chosen because of the flexibility it gives. The stereo spread is determined by how much signals is coming into the side channels, lowering the radio on the mid to side channels can open up and close the spread, dependent on the desired sound. This three input spread (Left,Mid,Right) give a stereo spread that cannot be achieved by XY (Coincident/Near Coincident pairs) microphone techniques.
I picked the spaced pair to get a more direct sound from the source. An issue with this however is that they tend to have an exaggerated centre image, so you might not get the more defined Rear Left and Rear Right image that you desire, but I felt that they worked regardless.
Phase will become an issue when when more than one channel is used to record a single source, such as stereo micing a guitar or multimicing drums. If the frequencies from the source reach the individual microphones at separate times, the sound will thin out and lose some of its “body” Another common artifact of out of phase stereo mixes is where signals panned to the centre disappear, while sounds panned hard to left or right remain
The tracks recorded were of a busker playing at the top buchanan st in Glasgow. Initially I was worried that the wind (made worse by the shape of the area) would cause issues, but it was actually not so much of an issue. The techniques used helped really capture the lovely acoustics of the area.
Wiring
Playback and Mixing
The recording was monitored and mixed on a 5.1 Surround system containing a Centre, Fronts Left & Right, and Rear Left & Right as well a sub for the bass frequencies. The tracks were panned to the correct position (two spaced pair mics as back left/back right, cardiod AT2050 as centre and bi-directional AT2050 as front left/right) and a low frequency track for the sub was created by duplicating the centre channel and using a low pass filter with a cut off of around 50 Hz. The tracks were then mixed to appropriate volumes to properly replicate the source recorded.
Evaluation
Overall I am satisfied with the recordings. Between the intended source, and the ambient noise that was picked up as well (people walking by, talking, bins being moved and trucks reversing) it is very easy to put yourself in the moment. The mid side technique was very effective in capturing the great sound of open area that was being recorded and capturing the reflections from the buildings that gave the performance an almost choir like quality, almost angelic.
Monitoring on headphones while capturing is useful for assessing the individual inputs, but doesn’t really allow you to properly assess how the final product will sound when replicated in 5.1, however this is the best you can hope for as carrying a 5.1 system to monitor with you is not entirely possible.