#21

Yes, that’s a fair enough point - I’d not thought about the cost difference.

I once recorded with a quad cardioid (I think Rode NT5) setup in a cross config which worked very well.

On the omni arrangement, I’ve not tried quad, but I record spaced omnis in stereo often, and find spacings up to 1-2 metres can work really well.

Related - I’m curious to know if a quad baffled omni setup would be interesting. Like a kind of double DIY SASS? One day I’ll buy another pair of omnis and try it out…

#22

Thanks for that more precise link. It looks like their setup is very similar to Tim Nielsen’s. Like Tim’s, the spacing is far greater than DPA’s recommended 40cm.

https://www.dpamicrophones.com/mic-university/stereo-recording-techniques-and-setups

This works against mono compatibility and stereo accuracy, but adds spaciousness. As Tonsturm says:

… recorded in discrete 5.0 surround with our wide spaced surround rig equipped with 5 omnidirectional Sennheiser 8020 microphones. This rig features a wide and lush sound field with maximum time of arrival effect, which to our extensive testings gives the most satisfying results for cinematic sound design.

#23

To ensure consistent sync, I am using the technique of clapping at the start and end of the recording, then lining up the head claps and aligning the tail claps by stretching the shorter tracks with Serato PitchNTime Pro in Pro Tools. The worst drift I’ve seen between recorders is about 200 samples per minute.

Re: the hardware Tonsturm is using, it looks different at the hub from the Williams rig, also different from Tim Nielsen’s rig. Tonsturm has a set of short bracing arms above the main arms, while Williams’ looks like it has a large ring, in both cases the five arms are equally angled. Tim’s is a smaller hub, with four equally spaced corner arms for quad and one arm between a pair of this for the center channel.

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#24

@zoundsabar thnx for pointing out the differences between the rigs

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#25

@_mark If I go down this route, I’ll likely be giving some kind of baffle system a go. Found some old foam in the garage whilst doing a big clear-out and thought about repurposing it as a baffle.

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#26

I have never experimented with quad recording. However, for stereo AB of wide field recording, I prefer having the omnis spaced >60cm and achieving higher time decorrelation than placing a baffle between (which requires closer mic setup) and having the frequency masking coloration.

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