Orchestral Recording Techniques by Christopher L.

Stone

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2005, 2010 Audio Impressions, Inc., Calabasas, CA

The recording techniques we emulated in creating our patented SPACE process

The Evolution of Orchestral Recording

Some time in the late 1950s a man by the name of Tony Faulkner who was working for
Decca records at the time came up with a solution to the problem of generating a center
channel in the stereo perspective that could be controlled during mixdown. The center
channel recording was originally made for the film industry where they had to have leftcenter-right and a surround channel. Conventional left-fight stereo with a phantom center
didnt work well for people sitting toward one or the other side of the auditorium. There then
came a Cinemascope format which is 7 channel adding far left and far right channels. These
channels were discrete, whereas the surround channel was a mono channel that would be
panned from left to right across rear speakers. In fact I was on a dubbing stage in the 1950s
on How The West Was Won at MGM and I watched a dub of that in Cinemascope. They
had three men sitting at the main console and mixing, and a fourth man sat on a podium
behind them, like the rear driver of a hook-and-ladder fire engine; his job was to pan the
surround speakers. Later when George Lucas brought back the old concept of large picture
format, which was basically dead between 1960 and 1972, he reinvented the wheel by adding
the .1 channel, the subwoofer. This subwoofer concept was actually developed for the movie
Earthquake, which was augmented by a noise generator for low frequency rumble in a
process called Sensurround that was designed by the late Gene Czerwinski of Cerwin-Vega.
From this time forward, since Star Wars, virtually every movie now has gone back to the
Decca Tree method. You simply cannot release a movie unless its done in Dolby or THX or
some multi-channel format. Hence the Decca Tree concept is back in favor to this day. Figure
1 (next page) shows what it is; please understand that the actual placement and mic type
may vary considerably.

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2005, 2010 Audio Impressions, Inc., Calabasas, CA

Originally, the three microphones used for the Decca Tree L-C-R (left-center-right) were
Neumann KM-56s in omnidirectional mode. Then Tony Faulkner decided he wasnt
getting enough focus, and concluded that they were too omnidirectional. So he spoke
to Neumann. Consequently Neumann invented the M-50 microphone according to his
specifications. It has a round plastic ball surrounding the capsule, and this design change
converted an omnidirectional capsule into a semi-directional capsule by eliminating the back
plane. Still the microphone has some vague omni characteristics, more like a wide cardioid.

Figure 1. The Decca Tree Microphone Layout (typical)

The center of the three M-50s is placed further ahead of the stereo pair of mics to create a
time difference and a difference in the reflections, typically about 3 feet, maybe a bit more in
front. Decca Tree arrangements differ but most are some sort of triangle.
The side fill mics are placed in a line with the left and right mics of Decca Tree, typically
5 or 6 feet apart. This is not to be confused with the surround mics. The surround mics are
typically placed at the back of the room, behind the conductor, in a wide stereo pair.
For most classical recordings, this is as far as it goes. The majority of recordings that
you would hear from, say, classic Deutsche Grammophone or London Recordings were
made with this Decca Tree arrangement and nothing else. However, the demands of film
scoring often require an imbalanced orchestra due to budgetary constraints. Supplemental
microphones (i.e., close mics) are needed in order to compensate for the imbalance in the
orchestra. In other words, if the orchestra is balanced to begin with meaning the correct
number of strings versus winds, brass, etc. then there is little need for close or spot mics.
However, in todays world people have grown accustomed to a more focused midrange due
to hearing close miking in combination with overhead miking. So a simple classical DeccaTree only recording technique would sound dull to our ears. Also with development of
wider sound tracks having heavy sound effects also necessitates a more focussed midrange
in the music score; otherwise the effects will overshadow the music. In fact, the main reason
for a close mic is to pick up a cleaner midrange, which you cannot get from any Decca Tree
arrangement in which the room sound masks the midrange.

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2005, 2010 Audio Impressions, Inc., Calabasas, CA

Capsule Polar Sensitivity

Before we launch into a discussion of various mics and their patterns, it will be useful
to examine some of the misconceptions involved in specifying mics. In the interest of
simplification, manufacturers tend to generalize a microphones sensitivity pattern based
on a ranged of frequencies. If a microphone tends to be directional or tends to be
omnidirectional, they label it as such. However, when you look at the various polar plots
shown in a published specification, the trend tends to be that the higher the frequency, the
more directional they become; i.e., the more cardioidal they become. Almost nothing is
directional at low frequencies. And almost nothing is omnidirectional at high frequencies.
The polar patterns shown for a given mic are measured at a fixed distance from the
mic in an anechoic chamber. Unfortunately, no one has ever set a standard for measuring
proximity effect of the microphones. It has therefore been very difficult for us to generate
a proper Space specification based on historically published data. Although the Neumann
M-50 spec, for instance, shows that it has a very flat response through the 400 Hz region
and is omnidirectional according to the plots, I know from personal experience that this
microphone becomes somewhat attenuated in the 400 Hz region at distances over 20 feet
from the source. This is not indicated in the chart, or any typical published plot youve ever
seen on a mic spec sheet. (Few anechoic chambers even measure 20 feet wide and so it would
be difficult to accurately measure the specification even if a manufacturer cared to do so.)

Figure 2. Neumann M-50 large-capsule condenser microphone response characteristics.

This sensitivity at a given distance is what is known as reach. Reach has to do with the
frequency response and the polar sensitivity in certain bands at various distances. Were
not talking about a special purpose shotgun or parabolic mic, but simply at the relative
sensitivity of any given mic in a specified frequency range. But distance matters, too.
Take for example the Neumann M-49. This mic has very nice 4 kHz response when youre
about 6 to 8 inches away from the capsule. However, if you move so much as 2 inches back, it
sounds as if someone had attenuated 4 kHz on the equalizer. No published chart depicts this
characteristic, yet you have to know about it to correctly use the mic.

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Mic Techniques
A properly arranged microphone setup for say a 70-piece orchestra would look like this:

PERCUSSION SECTION

CLARINETS

BASSOONS

NS

H
NC

HO

TR

UM

PE

E
FR

TS

OBOES

FLUTES

TR

OM

S2

LIN

BO

NE

VIO

VI

TU

OL

AS

VIOLIN

S1

SSE

BA
I

CELL

Center
Far Left

Left

Right

Far Right

Note: These mic locations are typical of the way that a full
performing orchestra is recorded, and the diagram suggests
how the sound is reconstructed by SPACE to establish
the 5.1 or 7.1 sound field, but this doesn't necessarily indicate
the actual mic locations one would use when recording.
LS

2006 Audio Impressions, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Left rear surround mic

for "dot seven"
sound field

Spot microphone, directional

(stem indicates this mic has its most
sensitive zone pointed to 3 o'clock)

KEY

RS

Right rear surround mic

for "dot seven"
sound field

Directional spot microphone

Omnidirectional room micro(no stem shown indicates this mic
phone (stem indicates this mic is
has its sensitive zone pointing down) pointed approximately to 10 o'clock)

Figure 3. Orchestral Mic Layout for Studio Session (Abbey Road Studio 1)

The microphones actually used are depicted as aimed in the next illustration, which also
shows the zone description that we defined in our previous documents dealing with the
Space algorithm. In general, youll see that the zones in Figure 4 more-or-less correspond to
the areas of the orchestra and the room space shown in Figure 3.

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2005, 2010 Audio Impressions, Inc., Calabasas, CA

Figure 4. Microphone Selection and Orientation (aiming) in an Orchestral Setup like Figure 3.

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You will observe that there are very few microphones actually covering the strings, but
you are primarily focusing your spot mics on the front rows which means on the solo
players. For this type of microphone you want a directional mic that is somewhat omni.
The Neumann KM-56 in cardioid mode is a perfect example of the type of microphone you
would use. It has what youd call good reach, which means you can pick up a lot of 4kHz at
a distance. This is ideal for strings.

Figure 5. Neumann KM56 small-capsule condenser microphone response characteristics.

This on-axis frequency response is shown with the mic adjacent to it, and below that are
polar plots at one-octave intervals from 125 Hz to 16 kHz. This Mic has multiple sensitivity
patterns and is shown here set to Cardioid (heart-shaped) mode which really only applies
to some of the frequency spectrum, as you can see in the polar plots. See Figures 10 & 11 also.

In sharp contrast to this type of mic, for the brass you would want to use something like
a ribbon mic, an RCA 44 or a Royer 121. The reason for that is because they have very poor
reach which means that the 4kHz will not be predominant. What youll get is a lot of warmth
from the 400 Hz range, which ends up disappearing on the Decca Tree mics. There is more
than enough 4kHz coming across on the Decca Tree from the brass than the law allows, so
the last thing you need to do is use a brass spot mic that accentuates the one thing youre
always trying to fight.
The other advantage in using a ribbon mic on the brass is that all ribbon mics are
inherently figure-8 pattern. This means that there will be a slight pickup of the strings on
those mics which gives you a nice depth of field on the strings due to mic bleed (i.e., strings
bleeding into the brass mics on the other side of the stage).
{See illustrations on the following page for the RCA (AEA reissue) and Royer mics}

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Figure 6. The AEA 44 Ribbon Microphone is a reissue of the original RCA 44-BX and is
almost identical. The frequency response and polar plots shown are that of the RCA mic,
and show the figure-8 sensitivity pattern of this mic. The lobes are identical toward the front
and rear of the mic (you are viewing the front of the mic in this photo).

Figure 7. The Royer Labs R-121 ribbon microphone looks physically quite different
from the RCA 44 but has a similar figure-8 pattern, although its high frequency response
is considerably extended (at least according to the plotted on-axis curve). The figure-8
plots are arbitrarily oriented differently from the RCA; obviously you can turn the mic.

With respect to the woodwinds, you want to avoid using a microphone that picks up a
great deal of 6 kHz and 10 kHz. Typically you would use either a dynamic mic or a condenser
mic . The main objective with the woodwinds is to pick up some 4 kHz but not a great deal of
the clacking noises that the mechanics of the instruments make. On a bassoon the key clacks

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can be almost as loud as the actual instrument sound. A microphone like an AKG C-12, for
instance, would be one of the worst you could use for orchestral woodwinds because it has
great reach at 8 kHz and 10 kHz, but the bottom end slacks off considerably at a distance.
The bottom end, meaning the low frequency content, of a bassoon and a bass clarinet for
instance tend to dwindle when heard over M-50s. M-50s do a tremendous job of picking up
anything under 100 cycles, so they are ideal for an overall warm sound for the orchestra.
However, in the 400 Hz region, which is the area you want to pick up for woodwinds, the
M50 stays omni. The M-50 response shown in Figure 2 depicts flat response on-axis up to
about 1 kHz, and then a higher frequency bumps peaking at about 3 kHz and 8kHz, and
near omni polar response below 2 kHz, with only a slight cardioid developing up to 8 kHz;
cardioid like response (equal to reach) becomes prominent in the 16 kHz polar plot.
So youd want to choose a microphone for bassoon and bass clarinet with good 400 Hz
pickup such as an ElectroVoice dynamic mic or an RCA 77 or 44 ribbon mic (refer back
to Figure 6). Ribbon mics, in general, are excellent on anything to do with pulse width or
square wave content. The odd harmonics generated in these waveforms tend to distort
condenser mics. Ribbon mics tend to add a lot of even harmonics on top of the odd harmonics,
which is why people like to use ribbon mics on saxophones. They say that it sounds warm; it
does because instead of getting a distorted sound as you would with a condenser mic, you get
a sort of smoothed out square wave.
Where French Horns are concerned, you typically mic them from behind. This gives you
the focus from the bell, which is pointing backwards. The danger is getting your microphone
too close to the bell. So if you take this approach you have to be a good 8 to 12 feet behind
the instrument so the low frequencies have a chance to develop and you dont end up with
a pinched honk. Another technique is to have the bell of the French Horns facing a hard
surface, such as wood, and mic the French Horns from in front so youre picking up a
reflected sound rather than a direct sound from the back. This also works very well and the
capsule is pointing in the same direction as the Decca Tree. Any time you point the front end
of a capsule directly at the front end of the Decca Tree mics you immediately create a phase
problem when the two are mixed. Most people use either an AKG C-12a or a Coles BBC
ribbon mic or a Royer 121 for French Horns, all of which have similar characteristics.

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Celli and Bass

The Neumann U-47 is probably best known as The Beatle Mic from the Beatles rock
group. All the vocals on Sergeant Pepper, Magical Mystery Tour, and Abbey Road
were made with this particular mic. Typically its used for male vocals because it has a
tremendous warmth in the 400 Hz region, even at 3 feet distance. Almost every large capsule
mic has dreadful reach in the 400 Hz region the further away you get from it. I recorded all
celli and bass using the U-47 as the primary spot mic (with a KM-56 three feet behind it to
simulate the second chairs).

Figure 8. Neumann U-47 large-capsule condenser microphone characteristics. Known as

The Beatles Mic for its popularity on their albums as a vocal mic, its also good for celli & bass.

Large vs. Small Capsule Condensers

Originally all condensers were large capsule types designed by Neumann specifically to
enhance Adolph Hitlers voice during Nuremburg rallies. The evolution of the exact mic
known as The Hitler Mic became the ubiquitous U-87 today. Small capsule microphones
came about in the early 1960s, 1961 to be precise, when black and white TV broadcasts
were done of concerts and various performances. The viewing public soon became very
disenchanted with physically bulky, large capsule microphones covering the faces of all
the performers, so the Deutche Rundfunk contracted Neumann to produce a small capsule
microphone that would not get in the way of the performers. Hence the KM-56 was born
(refer back to Figure 5). It was a direct replacement of the M-49 multi-pattern microphone.
As it turns out, small capsule microphones have some added benefits which were discovered
as an artifact after their initial design. For one thing the 400 Hz tail-off proximity effect with
distance disappeared with a small capsule mic, which instead does an excellent job of picking
up low frequency information at a distance. The first Decca Tree that Tony Faulkner put
together actually used KM-56s set to Omni mode. However if you compare the KM-56 high
frequency polar response to its extreme low frequency polarity, youll see why Tony then
asked Neumann to build him the M-50, which as you can see keeps a much more unified low

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frequency pattern with a nice pin-point (directional) top end. Neumann accomplished this
by taking the KM-56 capsule and putting it inside a little plastic ball, mounting the capsule
off center. This seemed to do the trick, and this is still the most common mic used today for
Decca Trees all over the world.

Percussion
If youre going to record percussion outside of the orchestral context, the Telefunken
251 works for most things. Its a large capsule condenser mic. However, this microphone
also has a great deal of bleed issues when used with large setups, so one tends to use very
directional mics in an orchestral setting. That way you can get right on the instrument with
minimal bleed. Keep in mind that everything weve set up for Space has to do with the type
of orchestral recording that one would do for the film market, and not for classical recording.
Classical recording relies mainly on the Decca Tree and perhaps one or two spot mics at
most. So in our percussion recordings, we largely relied upon the Neumann KM-54.

Figure 8. Neumann KM-54 Cardioid-only small-capsule tube type condenser microphone.

In general, you are choosing your microphone first and foremost for its EQ properties.
Every microphone has a reach characteristic that is predominant at one or a few frequency
bands. Ribbon mics have a predominant reach at 400 Hz. Large capsule condensers have a
reach at 4 kHz. Small capsule condensers have a great reach at 8 kHz and above. Almost
all microphones have pretty much similar characteristics close up, except for the following
general observations:
At close proximity, square waves behave very badly on any condenser microphone, large
or small capsule. There isnt a condenser mic made that can handle a blues harmonica at
three to four inches from the capsule while the harmonica is playing full tilt. No amount
of padding will make it sound right. I you have to mic in close proximity to square and

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pulse wave generating instruments, you can only use either a dynamic or a ribbon mic.
You can use a condenser microphone for vocals, except that small condenser microphones
have a problem with popping because they deal badly with close proximity, low frequency
information (theyre fine for distant low frequency use). In fact, this is why all overhead mics
are all small capsule condensers; contrary to what would seem logical, the small capsule
condenser actually does a better job of picking up low frequencies at a distance than does
the large capsule condenser. Close up, the large capsule condenser handles low frequency
information elegantly, with little distortion. The large capsule condenser is one of the worst
you can use for a room mic because it has dreadful reach below 100 Hz. Youll get a lot of
4kHz and thats about it.

Orchestral Mixdown
As you can see from the spot mic versus overhead mic layout (Figure 3), a standard film
score orchestral setup is in fact a conglomeration of two separate recording techniques that
are put together in the final product. The process is described below in 6 steps.
Step 1. Balance your spot mics so that they make a perfectly well-balanced orchestra
without the overhead mics. The sound should be somewhat midrangy and I wouldnt
use the word strident but lets just say, extremely in your face. You want to
spread these microphones left-to-right in the mix so you get the proper stereo
imagery solely from these spot mics.
MUTE

Zone 01 Zone 02 Zone 03 Zone 04 Zone 05 Zone 06 Zone 07 Zone 08 Zone 09 Zone 10 Zone 11 Zone 12 Zone 13 Zone 14 Zone 15
KM-54 KM-542 KM-54 KM-54 KM-54 Royer KM-65 RE-20 KM-56 RCA-44 KM-56 KM-56 ----------- U-47
U-47
Perc 1 Perc 2 Perc 3 Perc 4 Perc 5 French H. Vlns rear Winds Vla rear Brass Vlns side Vlns front ----------- Celli front Celli rear
ZONES
01 02 03 04 05
06 07 08 09 10
11 12 13 14 15

Note: Zones Refer to Space-related definitions of the recording environment.

Zone 13 is not used because thats where the conductor stands. In this and subsequent
mix diagrams, a colored zone is one thats unmuted, whereas a gray zone is muted.

16 17 18 19 20
21

22

Figure 9. Setting up the orchestral mic balance among spot mics only.

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Step 2. Mute the spot mics.

MUTE

MUTE

MUTE

MUTE

MUTE

MUTE

MUTE

MUTE

MUTE

MUTE

MUTE

MUTE

MUTE

MUTE

MUTE

Zone 01 Zone 02 Zone 03 Zone 04 Zone 05 Zone 06 Zone 07 Zone 08 Zone 09 Zone 10 Zone 11 Zone 12 Zone 13 Zone 14 Zone 15
KM-54 KM-542 KM-54 KM-54 KM-54 Royer KM-65 RE-20 KM-56 RCA-44 KM-56 KM-56 ----------- U-47
U-47
Perc 1 Perc 2 Perc 3 Perc 4 Perc 5 French H. Vlns rear Winds Vla rear Brass Vlns side Vlns front ----------- Celli front Celli rear
ZONES
01 02 03 04 05
06 07 08 09 10
11 12 13 14 15
16 17 18 19 20

21

22
Figure 10. Mute all spot mics once the balance is set.

Step 3. Bring up the first 3 mics (L-C-R) of the Decca Tree. Focus them on the orchestra so
they sound right (this of course has to be done in real time while the musicians are
playing). The azimuth alignment of these microphones will dictate how much 8kHz
directivity is present in that mic. If you tilt it further up youll tend to get more
8 kHz out of the woodwinds and percussion; if you tilt it down youll tend to get
more 8 kHz out of the strings. In other words, using your mic as an equalizer has
everything to do with proximity effect and tilt direction. Utilize the efficiencies, as it
were, of the microphones pattern and reach for equalization.
MUTE

MUTE

MUTE

MUTE

ZONES
01 02 03 04 05
06 07 08 09 10
11 12 13 14 15
16 17 18 19 20

22

21

Zone 16 Zone 17 Zone 18 Zone 19 Zone 20 Zone 21 Zone 22

M-50
M-50
M-50
M-50 M-50
M-50
M-50
Left
Center Right Far R. Surround L. Surround R.
Far L.
Decca tree

Figure 11. Unmute and bring up the 3 main Decca Tree mics.

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Step 4. Bring in the far left and the far right mics. What you want from them is a sense
of extreme edge at the far left and right. If you have them up too hot in the mix,
youll get too much left and right, and youll lose the phantom center. Keep in mind
that the far left and right microphones are there specifically to generate a phantom
center, which is just as important as your genuine center channel. When you bring
them up too high you actually lose the phantom center and they become too left
and too right. The proper way to bring them up is gradually into a sweet spot
where it still feels very wide, but the center is also good. It sounds transparent.
MUTE

MUTE

ZONES
01 02 03 04 05
06 07 08 09 10
11 12 13 14 15

21

22

Zone 16 Zone 17 Zone 18 Zone 19 Zone 20 Zone 21 Zone 22

M-50
M-50
M-50
M-50 M-50
M-50
M-50
Left
Center Right Far R. Surround L. Surround R.
Far L.

16 17 18 19 20

Decca tree

Figure 12. Bring up the far left and far right extended Decca Tree mics

When your tree is set up properly you can stand back and just hear a clear 3D
image without necessarily being able to pinpoint Left-Center-Right. It should be a
magic wash. If you distinctively hear a distinct L-C-R, then you know something is
wrong.

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Step 5. Once all five microphones are properly balanced among the Decca Tree and
extended far left and right, use either a collective fader or very carefully bring down
all 5 faders preserving the relationship. Unmute the spot mics. Then slowly bring
up the Decca cluster. You are listening for a magic spot where the Decca Tree
supports the spot mics with a widening of your stereo image. If you go past this
point, youll notice an extreme lack of clarity in the 4 kHz range; it will sound too
swimmy and indistinct. Find the sweet spot where you get the amount of point as
its called out of the spot mics while having a nice smooth, wide stereo image. I have
found that if everything is set to unity gain to begin with, that youll typically bring
your overhead mic cluster down about 3 to 4 dB relative to the spot mics. When
its just right, you will get a third component, which is a 3D depth to the sound
recording. This is a critical aspect to listen for. If you can actually sense, say, the
oboe playing from the back row and the first violin playing from the first row, then
you know youve made the proper balance of Decca Tree (extended) and spot mics.
MUTE

Zone 01 Zone 02 Zone 03 Zone 04 Zone 05 Zone 06 Zone 07 Zone 08 Zone 09 Zone 10 Zone 11 Zone 12 Zone 13 Zone 14 Zone 15
KM-54 KM-542 KM-54 KM-54 KM-54 Royer KM-65 RE-20 KM-56 RCA-44 KM-56 KM-56 ----------- U-47
U-47
Perc 1 Perc 2 Perc 3 Perc 4 Perc 5 French H. Vlns rear Winds Vla rear Brass Vlns side Vlns front ----------- Celli front Celli rear
MUTE

MUTE

ZONES
01 02 03 04 05
06 07 08 09 10
11 12 13 14 15
16 17 18 19 20

22

21

Zone 16 Zone 17 Zone 18 Zone 19 Zone 20 Zone 21 Zone 22

M-50
M-50
M-50
M-50 M-50
M-50
M-50
Left
Center Right Far R. Surround L. Surround R.
Far L.
Decca tree

Figure 13. With spot mics and Decca Tree unmuted, bring up the Decca Tree in the mix.

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Step 6. Now slowly bring up the surround mics into the mix. The surround mics are not
there to let you distinctly hear sounds coming from behind you. The purpose of
the surround mics is to further widen the stereo field. When you go beyond that
point youll hear specific sounds coming from behind you; you know then youve
brought up the surrounds too loud in the mix. Again, like everything else to do with
balancing spots and rooms, there is always that magical sweet spot where you
sense a 3D effect of actually being in the room with the musicians. That is what we
are trying to achieve with all of this.
MUTE

Zone 01 Zone 02 Zone 03 Zone 04 Zone 05 Zone 06 Zone 07 Zone 08 Zone 09 Zone 10 Zone 11 Zone 12 Zone 13 Zone 14 Zone 15
KM-54 KM-542 KM-54 KM-54 KM-54 Royer KM-65 RE-20 KM-56 RCA-44 KM-56 KM-56 ----------- U-47
U-47
Perc 1 Perc 2 Perc 3 Perc 4 Perc 5 French H. Vlns rear Winds Vla rear Brass Vlns side Vlns front ----------- Celli front Celli rear

ZONES
01 02 03 04 05
06 07 08 09 10
11 12 13 14 15
16 17 18 19 20

22

21

Zone 16 Zone 17 Zone 18 Zone 19 Zone 20 Zone 21 Zone 22

M-50
M-50
M-50
M-50 M-50
M-50
M-50
Left
Center Right Far R. Surround L. Surround R.
Far L.
Decca tree

Figure 14. Finally, unmute the surround mics and carefully bring them into the mix.

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Additional Mic Patterns

We are providing a few additional microphone plots in the next couple of pages. For
instance, the KM-56 shown in Figure 5 is characterized by a cardioid sensitivity pattern,
but the same microphone actually can be set to x different curves. We are showing the
characteristics when it is set toOmnidirectional mode in Figure 10, and when it is set to
Figure-8 mode in Figure 11.

Figure 10. Neumann KM-56 mic set to Omni position (see dot at base of mic). Note how
it is more-or-less omnidirectional up to 4 kHz, but becomes egg-like at 8 kHz and
a near perfect Figure-8 pattern at 16 kHz. As noted in the text, we really dont know
at what distance these measurements were made, and the real world polar response
may vary at the working distance we use for a particular recording session.

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Figure 11. KM-56 mic set to Figure 8 position (see dot at base of mic). Here there is a
surprisingly consistent figure-8 pattern at all plotted frequencies.

Understand that the microphones we used to record the sample sessions were not
necessarily the same mics we would use for a live, real-time, full orchestra recording of a
piece of music. For example, We used the Royer 121 or RCA (AES) 44 on the woodwinds;
these would not have worked well in a full-orchestra session because they are bi-directional
(figure-8) and would have picked up too much of the strings behind them. However, in
Space we want to simulate the sound of a mic we would have used in a live session, such as
an ElectroVoice RE-20. The frequency response and polar patterns for that mic are shown in
Figure 12.

Figure 12. ElectroVoice RE-20 cardioid dynamic microphone.

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Summary
With respect to Audio Impressions patented SPACE process, understanding how
microphones react to frequency bands and proximity effect will help us to determine
approximate settings for zone microphone polar pattern, frequency response over distance,
and frequency response as it relates to the direction in which the simulated mic is pointed.
All the rest delay times, etc. remain as previously described. The purpose of SPACE is
to simulate multiple instruments playing in front of multiple microphones simultaneously
in a proscribed acoustic environment. SPACE is not truly a mic simulator nor is it a
room simulator but rather its a mic bleed simulator and, to a degree, a room simulator.
The desired effect is to pan the dry-signal spot mic to its desired position in the stereo
perspective so that we get point from the direct signal while all the other simulated spot
microphones and room microphones give us that 3D effect.
SPACE, particularly when fed with DER samples (Differential Environmental
Recording is Ais proprietary merge of room and spot microphones) can create, in real time,
whatever output format you wish. The result sounds just as though it was stemmed and
mixed from all the open spot mics, the Decca Tree, the extended far left and far right mics,
and the surround mics in a live ensemble recording. SPACE however may be used to process
existing samples and other sounds, imbuing them with an ensembled, unified feel to produce
a sonically improved result.

***
Written by Christopher L. Stone
Edited & Illustrated by Gary D. Davis