Zoom H4n - Mid-Side and Blumlein Recording

The new Zoom H4n includes a mid-side decoder. I demonstrate the use of a mid-side mic array using two Rode NT2 series mics. I also reposition the mic array and turn off the decoder to demonstrate the classic Blumlein X/Y coincident mic technique. Please visit my blog at http://www.homebrewedmusic.com for a further discussion of mid-side recording, Alan Blumlein, the Zoom H4n, and other topics related to recording solo acoustic guitar at home.

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• wingert
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[LyricalAssassin]

if I did this using a DAW, I´d have to copy the side-mic line and reverse the copied phase right?

[homebrewedmusic]

@LyricalAssassin Howdy.

The traditional formula calls for duplicating the side and the middle. As you say, the middle is flipped in one copy, then a pair of side and middle form the left channel, the other (flipped pair) is combined to create the right channel.

Of course, your solution works too. Adjusting the relative level of the mid and two sides as they are combined into stereo changes the apparent width.

When I do mid-side in REAPER I usually use a plugin, though.

Fran

[homebrewedmusic]

@homebrewedmusic Dummy, it's the SIDE that's flipped in phase, NOT the MIDDLE. I sure wish I could edit my comments (grin).

Fran

[LyricalAssassin]

@homebrewedmusic thanks! what plugin is that? vst? does it do what you explained at first?... sound interesting!

[homebrewedmusic]

@LyricalAssassin I usually use the Voxengo MSED plugin, which is a freebie you can find easily in Google. It comes in VST and AU. Many folks don't realize that you can encode a conventional stereo track, adjust the mid-side blend, apply effects separately to the mid and side, then decode back to stereo.

Fran

[popitn2nd]

Yes it does. The result for the built in mic is different than the attache rode stereo mic.

[homebrewedmusic]

@popitn2nd OK, that helps. Is it possible to mount the mic upside down? If so, that would reverse the stereo image.

Fran

[franguidry]

@jamesthegreat999 Thank you, James, that's a very kind thing to say. You seem to be having fun with the A-Team.

I have a lot more of my playing at my slack key channel, the one I'm commenting from here. Please pay a visit.

Thanks,

Fran

[jamesthegreat999]

I like your guitar playing, it makes me feel nice

[franguidry]

@trackingtim Mid-Side can be a very convenient way to arrange a stereo pair for boom work, as in film and video. A number of makers do figure 8 capsules in a small diaphragm condenser, so both mics can be mounted in parallel inside a blimp wind screen.

I've read one article that contends that the off-axis arrangement that characterizes X-Y results in a compromise compared to the direct aim of the mid mic.

But if you don't have a figure 8 mic, no need to run out and buy one.

Fran

[franguidry]

@trackingtim Let me talk about encoding/decoding, though. The left right stereo pair is considered decoded. The mid-side pair is considered encoded. If you listen to each pair on a conventional stereo, one sounds normal and the other is totally lopsided.

You convert a mid-side pair to a stereo pair by decoding. It's done automatically in the H4n is you choose this option. But you can use the mid-side mic array, turn off the M-S option, and deliver the mid-side encoded pair to your DAW.

Fran

[franguidry]

@trackingtim The 500 character limit makes it impossible to go into any detail on the workings of mid-side matrixing, but you can find the topic explained all over the internet. Try my Homebrewed Music blog for some pointers, or just hit Google and Wikipedia.

In analog days there was a cost to mid side - slight added noise and/or distortion. In the digital world we can do it without artifacts, and with various free plugins it doesn't even require fancy routing or head-scratching.

Fran

[trackingtim]

Respond to this video... @franguidry And lastly (sorry, I know I have lots of questions), is there a real reason to use the actual mid-side micing technique, if the same can be done with regular XY stereo mics?

[trackingtim]

@franguidry Ah, so whether you use the actual Mid-side technique with two mics or use a simple stereo mic is up to you and is a matter of preference - but no matter which way you choose, the same outcome can be had if you decide to go the way of the stereo pair and then process them to mid-side. How would the steps to that work though?

And would you mind clarifying what you mean by "after recording but before decoding" - specifically what decoding and encoding is?

[franguidry]

@trackingtim Many mid-side mics deliver a decoded stereo pair, I suppose some might deliver the encoded mid and side signals. With the H4n, you get a decoded stereo pair, so yes, no need to process in the workstation.

This processing is generally done with plugins rather than flipping and combining tracks, and as I mentioned in my previous comment, it's easy to go back and forth if desired. This ability is one of the "tricks" mastering engineers use for fine tweaking of stereo image.

Fran

[franguidry]

@trackingtim Thanks. Mid-side and X-Y are mathematically equivalent. Some folks feel that using the mid mic pointed directly at the source gives a "better" result since X-Y has each mic pointed at an angle and off-axis pickup might be compromised.

In the past, using mid-side made it possible to adjust the stereo width after recording but before decoding. With digital processing, though, it's easy to encode any stereo pair to mid-side, process them, and decode them back to stereo.

Fran

[trackingtim]

And also, what about these M/S microphones that are combining the cardioid and bidirectional aspects into one mic? When you export it onto a workstation, are you getting two tracks - still using the H4N - or just one? And with the H4N, this whole process of duplicating, panning hard left and right, and inverting the phase can be skipped right?