3 Stereo Recording Techniques

On this episode of Sound 101, Andrew and Steve tackle 3 different techniques for recording stereo sound! XY, ORTF, and binaural options!
Each two-microphone technique has its perks and drawbacks but the results are the same: stereo sound effects that add incredible dimension to your short films and other digital content. Mono sound recordings are useful but much more can be achieved with the pair.
These techniques can be used to capture ambience, wild sound, foley and more. Depending on your location and equipment you can get a variety of results that will give you a lot of flexibility in editing your soundscape in post.
#stereo #recording #techniques
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Summary:
Deity Microphones produces weekly digital web content to help filmmakers and sound mixers grow in their education. Deity Microphones shares this free web series in hopes that the next generation of filmmakers grows in their video production quality and changes the world.
Deity Microphones produces free educational web content to help filmmakers, vloggers, sound mixers and sound designers grow as creatives and take their production quality (be it independent, TV, or studio) to the next level. Deity Microphones believes that budget should never be a constraint to creativity.

[@DeityMicrophones]

Have you used any other stereo recording techniques?

[@BadKarma714]

I am going to NAB for the first time to Record videos What is the best way to Record sound at a event with alot of people should i use a Lav or on camera mic?

[@chrishoffman4635]

Yes - mid-side recording. It's great in terms of being adjustable in post. Some stereo techniques make a room or scene sound too "big" (or wide), having an MS stereo image is great for dialing in the image width to match the scene.

[@dunnadidit]

I love me some good ol Mid-Side technique for my acoustic guitar tracks. The ability to collapse to mono easily is really nice, especially with people listening back on phones. But my favorite has to be the “recorder man” technique for drum overheads. I know none of this has to do with filmmaking... but... that’s ok right?

[@GillesAndrea]

blumlein stereo recording

[@oscarjung5405]

I wish we saw more Binaural recordings.

[@FrancContreras_FrancMex]

Hey guys! Great show. Please take us deeper into recording binaural stereo with two lavs. Can you tell us those two audio perspectives can be transformed into 5 point surround sound for films?

[@MarkHoltze]

Everybody write this down, go forth and live in Stereo!!! Nicely done guys!

[@RajneshDomalpalli]

Thanks for a great intro. I'm puzzled by the Binaural Recording technique versus something you can get out of a RODE SoundField NT-SF1 Ambisonic Microphone. Could you talk about the differences and tradeoffs? Thanks.

[@ThisIsTechToday]

I love these so much. It's so good and to the point. Makes it great for when I'm training other sound techs at work!

[@EdaliaDayCreative]

Brilliant. Thanks for making it simple. I've been getting lost in articles that go way over my head but this made sense.

[@lamasteve6905]

I like binaural recordings, by ribbon mics. Ribbons always give a more accurate sound. Ribbons are soft and move with the sound wave naturally. The condensers are hard and both capture the pressure of the wave. Ribbons are a smooth realistic recording. There is no metal in my ear, there is a soft drum. All mics are going to be changing in the next few years. So plan on change and watch your voltage !

[@MansurEvindar]

You can put a pillow between two mics with a distance of 15-20 cm. As long as the distance is about the natural distance between ears it will sound nice stereowise, and the pillow will prevent distortion and some off the rom interactions.

[@tsiturbotsi]

What would be the best way for creator to record your own sound effects for a KZbin channel? What recorder do you recommend and what are the best ways to edit them so they sound the best? Love the channel.

[@SCrowley91]

The question I feel most people would benefit from: What's the best way to handle reverberant interior spaces for video? Short shotgun, hypercardiod, lav's (when possible), or something else? Everyone loves shotguns, and most people would have something like an ME66, NTG2, S-MIC 2, but in something like a kitchen, I've always hated the results. It's a really common scenario on any low-budget set, and while obviously sound deadening would help, most new filmmakers don't have multiple sound blankets on hand.

[@robertharker]

Great video about stereo recording. I was amused that almost none of the B roll actually showed someone using a stereo recording mic setup. The exception s were the acoustic guitar and the rubber ears? All of the foley clips were a single mic.

[@ScottishPaul]

Question: When shooting documentary interviews in a busy environment - factory, kitchen, etc - is there a technique to record the background audio so you can then cancel it out in post to make the main interview audio clearer?

[@paulwei9881]

Can you make a full Tutorial about a binaural setup? (Maybe how to use it on a set to creat an interesting sound experience or even how you can "DIY" a binaural setup with two lavalier microphones)

[@devanshudodke1020]

QUESTION:- How to choose different mics for different situations? ( variables could be location, actors' voice texture OR specific demand of the Story/Scene)

[@sidestreetvideoproduction7278]

What about putting the microphones on each side of the stage? If you are recording an orchestra for example, what about putting the microphone at center left and one at center right. They would be about 18 feet apart. Would that be good stereo?

[@a_ram]

Can you talk about Mid-Side recording? I know it is another stereo recording technique and I listened to a tonebenders podcast where they played some examples and it sounded amazing, but I have never seen a tutorial that helps me fully get how to do it. Then again, you need a figure 8 microphone to do it and I do not think Deity is making any of those yet, so that's another product you may want to think about! They are pricey!

[@CBCAdam]

My church building is literally a cubical space. 15meters wide, 20meters deep and almost 15meters tall. Nowadays there’s very little congregation gathering and that makes recording or speaker setting extra challenging due to tons of reverb in huge empty spaces. How do I manage the recording and live tuning challenges?

[@tubeman1983]

Awesome! Quite useful info right here! Keep it up, thanks :)

[@SergeyBuravtsov]

Question: what is the best way to record grand piano in stereo? How much channels will we need? How to mix them into final track?

[@robertfeliciano5723]

Can you explain phase interference? I thought there was a 3:1 rule that would mess up the mics' pickup pattern. Is that only for parallel mics?

[@chrisjeaaalbertos3802]

What ratio are you talking about? Any two mics summed with distance between them will create phase interference (unless they are more than 40ms or about 14 meters apart because of the Haas effect). Stereo recordings will ideally not get summed, because one is send to the left speaker and the other to the right speaker so there is no electronic or digital phasing. Acoustically, there will be phasing, but your ears need that for localisation

[@cttp]

How do you create stereo (or even 5.1) mix when you only have the mono clips available. Would be cool to see a video about it.

[@roudierigaudmarcelin3732]

Thanks for your lessons. My question is: What type of MICROPHONES to create a BINAURAL SOUND directly on location before on PRO TOOLS Editings ?

[@joostvanbruggen]

Thanks for this explanation guys! Maybe you can tell me what Mid-Side recording will give me compared to OTRF and XY-recording.. Hope to hear from you!

[@JulianKrause]

Does a lav mic sound different than a boom mic and if yes, can you make them sound identical?

[@David_Logr]

great vid! You are so underrated!

[@troubleve6trb145]

Where would you use the Mid-Side technique for recording?

[@videolife.youtube]

Thanks very much! That's a fantastic video with some very important concepts explained so well! I've got a question that I'm hoping you or someone here might answer :) I'm recording a small orchestra (minus strings section) and I'm hoping to use a pair of Rode M5 in either the XY or ORTF position. My question is do I record with Pan set to the Center for both Mics (on the mixer/recorder), or do I need to pan each mic left/right? Any help is much appreciated :)

[@bigshooter461]

Great video I love the idea of emersive sound and stereo recording is great I am curious what can be done for recording in loud environments like trackside at a dragstrip to capture full range with deep base without clipping?

[@MrHamit64]

Though I'm not 1 of these guys. First we'd need to know the SPL track side at a drag strip. mic wize if it's with in the 150s DB I'd use the SE8. your choice if the cardeoides for XY ORTF or AB or the Omni version for AB and or spaced omni.

[@bigshooter461]

@@MrHamit64 I've thought of recording in a stereo pattern and setting levels and filters for clean ambient sound and then recording with a fabricated set up to capture sub base fill frequencies.

[@hamitcampos4989]

@@bigshooter461 Ah I see. Well sorry I couldn't be of much help other than that friend. But dephnitly I think you'd need mics that can handle hi SPL. Like the SE8 1s can.

[@marjankrebelj4007]

My question: how does phase shift effect the stereo image and how to prevent any possible negative effects on the field. Thanks. :) BTW: your mics are great, I use them almost exclusively.

[@pandoraefretum]

Great tuition thx

[@tyler_puryear]

Are LAV mics the best option when considering a Binaural setup and what is the best method in syncing the audio sources correctly?

[@johnaudio2024]

Nice video, good info! Maybe back up those mic's a bit, plosives and proximity....

[@MfcoolProductions]

Question: how do you know which type of boom /directional microphone to use to various stereo spreads (such as outdoor concerts, indoor, etc

[@britishhonduras3146]

What is the best budget microphone setup for foley?

[@Sonoquilibrium]

I wanted to ask about recording M/S with a stereo x-y microphone. Is there any possibility to do that or for M/S technique should I have a directional (cardioid/hyper) and bi-directional (F8) microphone. I have heard quite often used double M/S Technique for Field Recordings. Is that possible to achieve with an Ambisonics Microphone (Zoom H3-VR, RODE NT SF-1)? Thank you for your explanations! Matej

[@chiokehart-kelly3481]

I would really like to know about transferring a stereo signal into 5.1 surround sound. But my most pressing questions is about delay when recording in stereo. What is the threshold to make the sound most immersive? Also what are the advantages or disadvantages to just duplicating a mono track?

[@Deriviado]

really nice info, looked forward hear some examples aswell though

[@EirikHolan]

Great video. I only disagree that binaural recordings give you a good sense of something being in front of you. I havent tried converting it into dolby or dts surround and played it in a surround system, but with head sets at least, i never get that experience of something being in front of me. Just sounds like it’s in my head

[@gheorghecezar111]

I shot my short film all by myself. So I could not record any Foley or other diegetic sounds at that location. What type of microphones or techniques should I use for outdoor locations and what setup should I choose for a large warehouse type of location?

[@throwinglight2817]

Would you say that it is very important to use the same model of microphones for this technique to work well? As in this video, Steve's mic sounded OK but Andrew's was muffled .

[@kieran3628]

Is the effect not offset due to the interference tube on the shotgun mics? I would imagine that if you had an XY configuration using shotgun mics you would end up sounding a bit hollow or phasey? I understand the configuration with an SDC but with a shotgun i feel like the interference tubes would make it less than ideal for this role. Let me know if im wrong! Im curious as i only have a single shotgun so cant test.

[@onemic-theminimalist]

I got a lot done with one stereo mic and have over thirty videos showing the process if anyone is interested.

[@benjaminobermoser6850]

Question; Is the distance between the two "ears" in a binaural recording setup very important?

[@longjohn84]

Yes, the slight time difference between the ears also plays a big role. So it's a mixture between AB technique and a sort of "phasing" technique caused by the ear shaped replicas

[@MrHamit64]

Someone at Sweet Water told me they hav heard of people try 180 degree ORTF. But I forgot to ask him weather it's left capsel 90 degrees of right capsel which is 90 degrees right of that or literally 180 degrees of each other. Have you guys heard of this? I had just asked him because I know ORTF trys to emulate a small human head. Someone like Ariana Grande funny enough but I can't emagin ARi's ears would be at 110 degrees of each other. I figured your ears if compaired to the capsels would be litteraly 180 degrees of each other end to end. So more like using a Jeckelin disk. I don't know but just was curious as didn't know about all the research that went into ORTF and if the people that made it up ever actually looked at how the eardrums are mounted in a head.

[@alexbanaszkiewicz3065]

When you record in stereo, how do you arrange the channel balance? sharply left and right?

[@DeityMicrophones]

Yes

[@ManavSukhija]

Thank you Guys ...!! :) Are these two separate recordings superimposed on to a single Track so the timings are in Synch ? Also what happens when this Stereo recorded Audio is played on a Mono Speaker ... which part of the system merges the two separate Audio streams ?

[@jacobbagger1]

How would you go about converting a binaural recording to a surround sound recording?

[@SereneBobcat]

My Question is not the best but a simple one. When recording Binaural audio is this technique viable for dialogue recording or is this strictly a room tone/ ambiance technique?

[@markunrau9016]

I've read a fair amount on capturing wild tracks or ambience using an A-B stereo configuration because of its width and advantages of Omni mics in these situations. However, I have the Rode NT4 and was wondering if I could not get a nice wide image with this mic by using a stereo width plugin like the Waves S1 to widen the image to get a similar result as A-B or even ORTF?

[@KaidoLP]

A Situation im facing next week: I have to record 5 people standing on opposite ends of a late echoy room (Kapitulationssaal in Berlin) doing a play. How do I record them even if I don't have wireless lacs put on them? Or more general how do I mic up a stage when recording a play?

[@hadleymanmusic]

How can I record originals so it comes out in surround? I can barely use audacity

[@francescomarini1314]

so the best one in a mid-small room with some acoustic treatment is the XY right? because the space of the room is not too much

[@cinematic_monkey]

Is it possible to use those techniques with shotgun mics like rode ntg?

[@Joey_Lovato]

Question: I do a lot of recording in peoples offices. I just bring some basic handheld dynamic mics and some mic stands. Then I run those to a small soundboard that has a USB out that records to Adobe Audition on my laptop. It usually sounds decent but not great. Is there anything I can do to up the quality of the sound?

[@tomthexton7813]

Do you have to reverse the phase of one of the mic recordings like in midside??

[@DialloStevens]

Question: I recorded a two-person interview in stereo directly into my Sony A7SIII and brought it into Davinci Resolve (17.4.1). The subjects were sitting next to each other (spouses about 3-4 feet between their faces), so their mics picked each other up. How do I separate the channels to mute/lower the volume of the non-talking subjects? All my efforts end up essentially sounding mono, so the directionality is lost. Maybe that's not so bad, but then what was the point to recording in stereo? I am a newbie.

[@JoshuaFortuna]

Going back to lav setups, I’m sure my sound mixers have those crazy toolkits. However, if I’m stuck on a low budget by myself, what is a DIY/cam op’s method to hide lav mics?

[@Domi800213]

which technique is ideal for recording small ensemble music (group of 4 up to 12)? XY ? ORTF? or Do i need another extra paired condenser mic?

[@leoquesto9183]

Do you have some additional advice towards achieving a great "dummy head" recording technique a la the in-your-head-voice sound of Martin Sheen's VO in APOCALYPSE NOW? Cool piece here. Appreciate the binaural recording tip. Thanks!

[@tysonmurray4318]

Question: What shotgun Microphone should I buy? I'm in the market for a new Shotgun mic and I just want to know why I should get a microphone from deity?

[@safinsarker3889]

which stereo set up is also good for mono

[@cinematiccreations8310]

I am still somewhat confused on recording bi-neural audio with 2 lavaliere microphones. You said to put them in your ears, but how does this work without picking up sound from the person wearing the microphones?

[@neoray10]

for the x y pattern to work, we willl be requiring a atleast a two channel track mixer / recorder?

[@tims244]

How does the MP3 codec work and how does it change the audio recording?

[@rahoolsyam9538]

Can binaural rev technique used as an alternative or as another solution for vr rec or vehicle recording and other than lavs what other mics can be used

[@josevera4243]

Question : in filmmaking, when use mono and when use stereo?

[@DeityMicrophones]

Mono is the safe bet most of the time, and certainly for all dialogue. If you are trying to capture the ambience of a place or some dynamic sound effects, stereo is a solid option.

[@swschilke]

Question: Hallo, what's your take on ambisonic (360) recording audio. Any poor man's solutions you could recommend, e g. with four microphones and a 3D printed holding device or do you have something else in your bag of tricks? Kind regards Steffen

[@TheBasCast]

Question: How far should lavalier mics and/ or indoor hypercardioid mics be placed from eatch other to avoid bleed and phase issues?

[@systematic-sound]

With binaural you forgot about the headshape (you need a head) and shoulders play a role too.

[@tanmoykaranjai9415]

how can I record dolby atmos like surrounded sound ?

[@diegoescalante9519]

Wich is the best way tu put the microphones in a piano at the background?

[@Simple6String]

For recording on a budget, what would you recommend for recording an even stereo track with different sized shotguns (eg. 1 highly directional and 1 much wider)

[@KarlMeyer]

Question: Is it worth recording 24/96 with a mic like the S Mic 2 even though its frequency response is only 50-20,000 hertz?

[@NetvoTV]

If I want to record everyday, travel, walk tour, KZbin that talk from behind the camera and at some distance, I want to step into record elements for game and vocal and instruments for music too, after some research, I come to this 4 setups, Sennheiser MKE 440, MKE 600, Line Audio CW4 and Deity HD-TX, the video will be record using Panasonic HC-X1500 camcorder, is this good minimal run and gun setup that deal with untreated room too? When to record in stereo and mono in my cases, music instruments and vocal all in stereo or each in mono, how about surround sound, do I need omnidirectional mic to create surround sound, or can just make a binaural setup to cover everything? Some say stereo mic not good for vocal, true? Shouldn't walk tour be surround sound, why people use directional mic for that? One KZbinr say pencil condenser cover wider field by not cancel the sides like shotgun mic, is this mean I can use just one pencil condenser to cover all the above stereo and mono needs? Should I get both or one between MKE 600 and CW4? Does the MKE 440 stereo good enough/better and I don't need two CW4? Can the CW4 catch same/further distance voice/sound compare to MKE 600? Do I need the shotgun mic or CW4 will do to record outdoor sound for game elements? How do I record my behind the camera voice if I use the MKE 440 stereo mic facing Front when walking, attach CW4 to HD-TX facing rear or 1 CW4 front 1 CW4 back? Can I use one of the MKE 440 stereo mics as mono shotgun mic? The camcorder has an option handle with 2 XLR inputs, do I need it, can I use it as music elements recorder? Do I need 32 bits? If I just want a small XLR recorder and not going to use the wireless transmission, is HD-TX worth it? Is it suitable to just attach a pencil condenser CW4 mic to it to record singing vocal and instruments that way and a MKE 600 shotgun mic to it to record elements and sound effects for game development? Can I record both the XLR and 3.5mm jack at same time in same and different tracks? Can I use it as a high res music player so I don't need to buy another dedicated music device which function just like an audio recorder that can't record high res audio but better at organisation to play music? Any other recorder recommendations?

[@gotopcpanik]

What if ... I want to record a squad of Scottish pipes & drums on a stage in the theatre? 5 pipers and 4 drumers in two rows. Do I pick xy or ortf?

[@risbill1]

So if I'm going to record our local high school marching band or chorus indoors, would XY be the best option?

[@EMT0210]

What type of microphone(s) could I use to create a binaural sound? Besides the really expensive ones. Thank you!!

[@jakeduggan3854]

Probably a dumb question; with XY recording, the mics are obviously pointing in opposite directions, should I change the inputs to reflect that in the recorder? I'm asking because I use a field recorder with a fixed XY capsule (zoom H5) and I'm thinking of using some external microphones.

[@DeityMicrophones]

Yes

[@jakeduggan3854]

@@DeityMicrophones Thanks! I would have worked it out when my mics arrive but prior knowledge is always handy.

[@TheAfterSeries]

Hey guys. To get good sound for a feature film, I'm using what I have, which is 2 mics, 1 mono (video mic pro), and the other a stereo mic. Would it be good to run both mics from my h4n recorder, capturing a stereo mix for ambience sound and room tone, while the mono mic captures dialogue? Of course adding in sound effects later in post, but wondering if this setup would work great? I figured that distributors want a stereo track, but kinda hard to deliver when you're recording all the dialogue in mono. Your thoughts?

[@felipemvera]

Could you use a XY or ORTF setup for an indoor interview or would it still be better for lavs?

[@adrianklimat9458]

Hello sirs i have a question. How to record a stereo soind to smart phone using a mixer? Thank you very much

[@DeityMicrophones]

You cant. Phones are mono

[@munjelo1]

Hello, can I proceed this technigues for dialogue recording ( interview )?

[@CoolerkingsOutdoorAdventures]

I’m trying... honestly I’m trying... I have bought a zoom decorder, a rode videomic mic and a rode smartlav+, I’ve just received the clipmic digital from sennheiser to work straight into my phone.... with the rode mics, I’m getting a lot of back ground interference and when it’s quiet... the mics have their own ambient noise... how can I as a beginner, make the most from what I have...?

[@DeityMicrophones]

Buy Deity Microphones products. All of our mics have a super low self-noise quality about them. Check out the Deity V.Lav

[@MansurEvindar]

Is Deity S-Mic 2 the best alternative to the industry standard Sennheiser MKH 416, even is coast under half price?

[@DeityMicrophones]

Yes!😎

[@melissalouvelazquez6277]

How a EQ and a compressor can improve my voiceover? how to use those tools correctly?

[@rahoolsyam9538]

Can binaaural Recordings can be used as alternative or solution for vr recording

[@chrishoffman4635]

Should we record in 48 khz, or use our recorder's highest settings (96 / 192)?

[@aaronnewberry]

Is phasing important when recording on location with multiple mics?

[@BadKarma714]

I am going to NAB for the first time to Record videos What is the best way to Record sound at a event with alot of people should i use a Lav or on camera mic?

[@lucian823]

BadKarma 714 lav

[@DeityMicrophones]

Hey Badkaram, use a Unidirectional Dynamic handheld microphone that's hardwired to your recorder. I'm answering this one now because our mailbox episode will probably air after NAB

[@jmclaughlin3728]

What is your favorite binaural recording environment? Like outdoor experience like nature or city? And do you think people utilize binaural more as a listening experience in the future?

[@Nqrgaard]

How do you process your captured audio afterwards, because we always record lower levels to avoid clipping? Really nice if it is the audio in audition through Premiere Pro 😊

[@bitetoeatbass]

When I tried ORTF, I felt like there was a slight hole in the center image on some car passbys, what’s the best way to remedy this?

[@longjohn84]

Ortf is a bit prone to that. You can play with the angle to mitigate it. There are other alternatives without a hole like AB or MS matrix. The ladder requires an 8 characteristic though

[@petulpetul]

hi, I´m making a series of interviews in an out doors setting and I want to get my subject crearly and also the ambient sound in stereo as background. I want to ask what recomendations you have in regards to equipment and technics i need to use to get the results i need. the less equipment and the more mobile the better. thank you s very much!!!!

[@auhcauhc9978]

Hello! I'm really interested in Binaural recording, I want to create videos with more ambient and atmospheric qualities and I was searching on Stereo mics until I learnt about Binaural recording in your video. I have one question: When it comes in post production, will it be much more difficult trying to blend or to seamlessly create one cohesive sound from having two lav mics as compared to just one stereo mic that pics up atmosphere sounds in the vicinity?

[@NicolaLarosa]

Where's mid/side?

[@besimai]

How you edit the audio for each recording type? Is it different?

[@skakdosmer]

I've heard of midside stereo. How does that relate or compare to XY, ORTF and Binaural?

[@DIYCameraGuy]

Lau Bjerno I was surprised they didn’t mention mid-side.

[@EdoDijkgraaf]

I am going to try that binaural recording with an actioncam on my head. I am very curious about the outcome. (Even if I don't have any software to support it.)

[@DIYCameraGuy]

Edo Dijkgraaf you don’t need any fancy software to do binaural sound. It’s just a normal stereo recording. The hard part is placing the mics properly.

[@brianwennersten8456]

Is it effective to record stereo with camera mounted mics when panning to follow a subject? Or is the more proper technique to let the subject pass a fixed stereo setup?

[@chrisjeaaalbertos3802]

Try it; you'll figure that one out right away

[@KingdomHikari]

Question: What type of microphone do I need to use for streaming live a game on twitch without earing a mechanical keyboard (red or blue switchs) and not having the microphone visible in the webcam frame?

[@ZaryaMain]

check out the podcastage channel, he tests mics with gaming keyboards going on in the background