[SOLVED] Vocal Stereo Recording

Steinberg Lounge Computer/Studio Hardware & Setup
#1

Hi,

I want to try and record a vocal on a stereo track. I have several microphones ( not of them are the same!). If necessary, I will get two identical microphones. I was wondering what is the proper setup ( angles, space between the two) for the microphones.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

CS

#2

What’s the setting and the goal?
I’m assuming you’re in some room with great acoustics?

#3

I have pretty good acoustic. My goal is recording vocals in stereo and compare them with mono takes as solo and in my mix.

I just learned from a website:

"In a nutshell, mic up the voice with 1 mic facing the singer (in cardioid) and place a 2nd mic right near the first, but in figure-8 with the diaphragms perpendicular to the source.

Record.

You can then “decode” the M/S by copying the figure-8 track to a new, 3rd track, reversing its phase, panning it hard left (or, I believe, panning it opposite the direction the “front” of the figure-8 mic is facing) and then panning the original figure-8 track hard right.

So you’ve got your mono cardioid track sitting C, and a pseudo-stereo L/R track. Adjust levels to taste. You might consider keeping the L/R tracks down during verses and bringing them up during choruses, eq’ing/comping/verbing them differently, etc. "
Source: https://www.gearslutz.com/board/newbie-audio-engineering-production-question-zone/679466-recording-vocals-stereo-mono.html

Thank you.

#4

As you quoted in your post, for a MS setup you need one figure 8 microphone, and one directional microphone set up as explained in your own post.

#5

Thank you.

#6

No doubt, you’ve read something like this:
https://www.sonicscoop.com/2014/11/20/beyond-the-basics-a-survey-of-stereo-microphone-techniques/
which describes angles and distances; and you’ve read something like this too:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microphone_practice
which briefly covers the pros and cons of each method.

Personally, I experimented with a number of techniques before developing my own method of recording vocals in stereo. Should you “go by the book”? It’s a good place to start, but you might invent/discover something you like more.

#7

Thank you, Colin Parks.