Microphone Types and Techniques Flashcards
7 cards from real Music & Audio Advice practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Microphone Types and Techniques flashcards as text
In the XY stereo technique, the two microphones are positioned how?
Answer: Capsules coincident at roughly 90 degrees
XY pairs two cardioid mics with their capsules nearly touching, angled about 90 degrees, giving good mono compatibility.
Which technique uses two omnidirectional mics spaced apart to capture a wide, spacious stereo image?
Answer: Spaced pair (A/B)
A spaced pair (A/B) places two omni mics apart to capture timing differences, creating a wide ambient sound.
Mid-Side (M/S) recording uses which combination of polar patterns?
Answer: A cardioid and a figure-8
M/S pairs a forward-facing mid mic (often cardioid) with a sideways figure-8, allowing adjustable stereo width.
What is a key benefit of the Mid-Side technique?
Answer: Adjustable stereo width after recording
Because the side signal is separate, you can change the stereo width during mixdown without re-recording.
The ORTF technique uses two cardioid mics spaced 17 cm apart at what angle?
Answer: 110 degrees
ORTF places two cardioids 17 cm apart and angled 110 degrees, mimicking human ear spacing for a natural stereo image.
Why is XY stereo preferred when mono compatibility is critical?
Answer: It has no phase issues since capsules are coincident
With coincident capsules there is almost no timing difference, so summing to mono causes minimal phase cancellation.
When using a spaced pair, what problem can arise from large mic spacing?
Answer: Phase or comb-filtering issues in mono
Large spacing creates arrival-time differences that can cause comb filtering when the channels are summed to mono.