Mono Compatibility, Coincident Pair, and Spaced Pair - Stereo Part 2

[@geralldus]

As a complete novice, this is really helpful, thank you.

[@abhishekjmadan]

Mr. B, we are fortunate to have professional teachers like you upload stuff on KZbin. Thanks a bunch.

[@TheJazzxin]

U R THE BEST TEACHER EVER.thanks so much to share so many knowledge.

[@jerrywemhoff]

Oh snap, we're gonna get a M/S video!

[@MrBinthestudio]

Shhhhh! No spoilers! ;)

[@dachreport]

Steve Albini giving recording lessons 😮 Thanks for the video

[@cultserpent4501]

Ha! Gotcha! My Samsung s21+ has two speakers, the sentence wasn't cancelled 🤣🤣😂 Amazing video Mr. B! You got a new subscriber and i got an excellent teacher, a very rare kind of human.

[@icantseeitall]

Welcome back!

[@markgalasso245]

My iPhone SE 2020 speakers sound so good its hard to believe, definitely not poop anymore. It certainly sounds like stereo and it’s a radical leap in sound quality from any other iPhone I’ve ever had. Furthermore, for the first time I can actually discern what is a good recording what is not on an iPhone, through the phone’,s speakers Excellent videos thank you

[@FilmMakerKlausKusserow]

Thanx for your helpful videos. There is a misconception about the coincident pair: a 90 degree angle results in a recording angle of over 190 degree. If you walk 2 meters from left to right, it results in a very small spot in the stereo field. For almost every situation a microphone angle of 130 degree or more is suitable.

[@giantteshorelone6345]

Really helpful and solved my problem in steteo recording.

[@cansys54]

thanks Mr. B. you are such a nice explainer!

[@jprmercado]

This video does the best explanation of phase cancellation I’ve ever heard/seen! Also, I love the sense of humor! I thought this would be a serious video, but I was pleasantly surprised to have been proven wrong!

[@MishaPitsenko]

Mid Side! My favorite technique for acoustic guitar. Oh how exciting. Thanks for stringing this out into a series for us nerds.

[@delfino717]

Excellent video! Thank you very much

[@Bighami]

Another great video, thanks.

[@skylar1242]

I really enjoy the way you teach, and this video was so dang good 👍

[@elamorte]

Congratulations for your teaching skills and great videos.

[@BoterBug]

Ugh I have never been so disappointed that my phone has stereo speakers.

[@MrBinthestudio]

Lol!

[@mpireproductions7703]

lol I went into settings and changed audio to mono JUST so that part would work 😂😂

[@vascuin]

Thank you so much for the video!

[@RossellaDeFalcoSoleyCelticHarp]

I think this is a high-quality video, one of the best video teaching audio techniques I've ever seen. I'll recommend to everyone! I'll also dare a question: I play the Irish (Celtic) harp, and I am looking for a way to upgrade my home recording studio to record my harp in stereo (many harp players told me that's so much better for our instrument). Would you recommend large or small Diaphragm Microphones for a harp, considering I would like to have a warm and natural sound and all the harsh notes the harp has in the high range :) Thanks if you take the time to answer :D I think I'll watch all of your videos!

[@MrBinthestudio]

Thank you, and thanks for watching! I would tend to agree that (in general) large diaphragm mics will give you a warmer sound, but I have always preached that hearing is believing. If you can rent some various mics, you can try them out to see which one you like best.

[@albiber]

this man is the best

[@roryonabike5863]

This is a great channel and I look forward to future episodes on stereo recording. I'm about to embark on a series of ambient rural and urban recordings. I'll be using Spaced AB (omnidirectional pencil condensers, might also try supercardiods) and ORTF (supercardiod pencil condensers). Also want to try binaural using two DPA omnidirectional miniature/lavalier mikes, one in each ear (taped to earbuds just as an easy way to mount them) :) In some cases, I can also see using the DPAs as Spaced AB. Don't have access to a figure-8 for Mid-Side.

[@MrBinthestudio]

Awesome! I'll be interested to hear that. I will be doing binaural in part 4 of this series, so here's a tidbit to consider with binaural... Binaural sounds fantastic on headphones, but doesn't always translate very well on speakers. I think the best one that does the job on both speakers and headphones is ORTF. But I would try both and see for yourself. Thanks for watching!

[@anonagain]

I've done nature recordings using what I call a pseudo-SASS-binaural method. Basically I use a block of softwood (pine) or a yoga block about the width of a head, with an omni mic (AT3032) strapped to each side facing forward. It works surprisingly well at preserving a full 360' feel both on headphones and speakers if you experiment with where the capsule is located in relation to the end of the block. But I've never checked specifically for phase issues in mono. You can find detailed descriptions and tests of this method in several nature recording blogs and groups - it's pretty popular. Great video - thanks! Looking forward to the rest of the series. But now I need to check my old recordings for phase problems in mono. :)

[@MrBinthestudio]

@@anonagain That's a really good idea. One of the things that I am planning on discussing with binaural is that it doesn't have to be a dummy head, or even head-shaped for that matter. Really, it can be any reflective barrier. Another thing to experiment with would be using a block of foam between the mics, which is basically an adaptation of the Jecklin disc technique.

[@anonagain]

@@MrBinthestudio Haven't tried a Jecklin disc yet (the pro ones are expensive), but the yoga block is basically a dense foam covered in fabric, so that would be the pseudo-SASS-binaural-Jecklin method. ;) I've been told the density of softwood like pine, or a yoga block are similar to the density of my thin skull with a mushy brain inside, which is why they work so well. A bit of sound does get transmitted through the block into the other side mic, but it's limited in frequency and amplitude just like our head does.

[@MrBinthestudio]

@@anonagain Ah, gotcha. I'd love to hear this

[@CaptainPhen]

Welcome back! Missed these cool informative videos

[@electromaniacal]

Phase cancellation can happen with mono recordings too if the recording environment has an acoustically reflective surface near the mic. Does it sound like it was recorded next to a wall? It probably was.

[@MrBinthestudio]

Yes, indeed. Good point

[@DavidDayMusic]

Very helpful thank you!

[@kaori-3882]

Thanks for great video! Would you consider the Zoom XYH microphone capsules to be Coincident or Blumlein Pair?

[@MrBinthestudio]

As I understand it, those are cardioid capsules, so I would say coincident pair

[@kaori-3882]

@@MrBinthestudio Thanks!

[@ongyuxuan6989]

Can I donate to you in some way, because I learnt so so much from your video, especially this!

[@MrBinthestudio]

Thanks for watching! I appreciate the gesture. I don't have a way to accept donations, but if you'd donate to your local food bank instead, that would be great!

[@ongyuxuan6989]

@@MrBinthestudio Cool man! Will definitely do that!

[@jakobriedmuller1544]

Thanks, very interesting & cool video!

[@leekate392]

I love your videos! Thank you for this video!

[@HazeAnderson]

The Beastie Boys used that mono phase-cancellation trick at the very end of their song "So Whacha Want" ... the stereo in my Oldsmobile had a mono switch and it was accidentally on, otherwise I never would have noticed ....

[@MrBinthestudio]

Ha! Man, I love hearing stories like this! It begs the question, why the f#@%& did anyone find it necessary to add a mono switch to a car stereo???

[@HazeAnderson]

@@nathan7265 this is what happens when you listen thru your "smart" phone. After just a few years of smart-phone-itis you pretend that you ever even knew what tube gear sounded like, let alone ever having cut a band to 2" reel to reel.

[@jerrywemhoff]

@@nathan7265 tube gear doesn't have to sound burnt to a crisp duder. There's an entire universe of transparent applications of analog gear.

[@HazeAnderson]

@@nathan7265 not even. 1st you are a complete stranger with no channel - can't trust you. 2nd your tone is unpleasant - indicative of a troll. 3rd you are just wrong man - xD

[@HazeAnderson]

@@MrBinthestudio Sorry about the troll. xD Someday will we reminisce about the chaos of the old Interwebs -- speaking of which I just did some searching and came across this info from a car stereo manual: *"In areas where [radio signal] reception is particularly difficult we recommend switching to 'Mono' in order to improve reception [response]."* Along the same lines I tend to convert my spoken audio in videos to mono if I can, to further enhance clarity of information rather than enhance the sensation of any kind of stereo field.

[@cesarmunoz1832]

My Hero !!!!

[@jacobwendt1901]

Since the issue with the spaced pair, is the phase cancellation. Could i then get a good result from simply using a phase alignment plugin, like auto align? Or would that ruin the stereo image?

[@MrBinthestudio]

Thanks for watching! I haven't used this plugin, but from what I understand, it's more for correcting the phase with spot mics, to align those mics with the main set of mics. So I do believe it would affect the stereo image. -Mr. B

[@edstud1]

I love your videos!

[@protoman247]

Best Senpai Ever

[@MatthewDovetail]

How did you do that sound "trick" at 3:34 precisely? I was listening through speakers and I got a pretty weird effect! Please reveal! :D

[@MrBinthestudio]

It's really simple. You just duplicate the mono track so that you have two of the same track playing at the same time. Pan those two channels left and right, and then you invert the polarity of one of the channels. When it's summed to mono, it electrically cancels out. It sounds weird when you hear it in stereo because you're getting an opposite push/pull of air on your ears from each side of the stereo pair.

[@MatthewDovetail]

@@MrBinthestudio I loved it, actually! Thanks and keep it up, I'm enjoying your videos very much! :D

[@pedroahets]

Great video! Thanks!!!! I wanted to ask you about the microphones? Are they matched pair? And shuld i get matched pair microphones to use as stereo overheads? Im looking for the aston spirit to use them as my overheads to record my drums. Do you recomend them or shuld i buy a matched stereo pair microphones? Thanks!!!!

[@MrBinthestudio]

Thanks for watching! I personally don't have any experience with the Aston mics, but I've heard great things about them. My opinion... I don't think a matched pair is as much of a big deal as it used to be. Manufacturing techniques have become really streamlined and consistent, so if you buy two of the same model, it's as good as a matched pair.

[@pedroahets]

@@MrBinthestudio wow!! Thanks a lot for answering so fast!! Your videos ar AWESOME!!!! please, keep doing them!!! Thanks!!!!!!!🙏🙏🙏

[@hadleymanmusic]

1:10 Soundman dropped that ball

[@paule8271]

How do i have to place the pan when I do a xy microphoning on the mixer. full to the left or right? or wich percentage between middle and left?

[@MrBinthestudio]

Full left and right to start, but if you want to narrow the image, you can pan them inward and get the width that you're looking for.

[@ManavSukhija]

Thank you Mr.B you really are a star ! My Question is .. when we record these two streams separately ... how do we superimpose them to make it in a single Audio file and how does this putting these two audios in one and then extracting the two audio files for two separate L & R speakers work in real ?

[@MrBinthestudio]

Hi, thanks for watching! :) This is done with a process called interleaving. Once the left and right channels are digitized, the data can be combined into one file in a way that, when decoded, is returned to two separate data streams. Cheers!

[@smoreshaunted]

Mic: BEEEEEE Love this channel, thank you for this video!!! Great information and laughing my butt off!

[@starplugs157]

Sir, i have one mic usb condenser mic and from that mic i used to record vocal and piano together ....which optoin i will go for mono or stereo...and i have not proper room treatment for recording which optoin i will go for plz help me out ...........and thank you very much for making crystal clear love from INIDIA🇮🇳❤

[@MrBinthestudio]

Hello! Thank you for watching! If you only have one microphone, really your only option is mono. If you want to create a stereo effect after the recording, you can apply a stereo reverb plugin. Does that help?

[@starplugs157]

@@MrBinthestudio thank you very much sir for your reply....actually during recording i have recorded on stereo recording channel on audacity after that ...i used some reverb plug ins like -oldshoolverb...and export it wav file( 32 bit) but quality came poor as compare phone mic

[@pbenson56fran]

I have a question? My mics are AT2020 by Audio Technica how would I record in Stereo with Mic placements? I need to tell you though, I have a small small studio. I record in my booth so spacing is not going to be wide. I told you that I had this stereo recording. hmhm

[@MrBinthestudio]

Take a look at the "Stereo part 3" video. ORTF would probably be a good choice. You'll just have to adjust for the fact that the AT2020 is a side-address mic

[@pbenson56fran]

@@MrBinthestudio Thank you with a big smile. hahaha Of course, I hope I do not have to come back because of confusion. Its because I am knew at recording and mixing. Thank you very much again. Also, I am subscribed to your channel.

[@nebstaism]

What mics are you using to make the stereo recording please?

[@MrBinthestudio]

Those are Rode NT5's. In a few shots, I show the Shure SM81's but I think all the recordings were done with the Rode mics.

[@nebstaism]

@@MrBinthestudio ok thanks I appreciate it 👌

[@sallory6860]

Good videoooo

[@megapengmusic]

waahahaha "no one ever listens but we try"🤣🤣🤣 i am one of them fundamentalists that insist:" a piano is MONO - the only person that hears a piano stereo is the guy playing it!!"

[@garrettbuck512]

Hey got a question for you... I saw in your low bass video where you talk about switching between your monitors and old crappy speakers. This is a concept I've learned of already, and I actually just bought an ESI MoCo Monitor Controller so that I can easily switch between these. This controller has a MONO button on it. Do mono buttons on these things do exactly what you talk about in this video - making stereo signals into mono - and do they do it well? I know ableton has this function as a Utility feature (making stereo --> mono). I'm just wondering what the best way is to listen to your track in mono if it has a lot of stereo sounds playing. Would you just hit the Mono button on the Monitor controller and call it a good mix if it sounds good?

[@MrBinthestudio]

Good question. The methods are different, depending on which device is doing the mono sum. It can be summed with a digital bus in a DAW, or it can be summed in analog at the amp. Either way, the end result is the same: a 2-channel signal is being summed into one, and any of those methods will allow you to check mono compatibility.

[@RuhkcusTV]

hey mr b! how about showing how to remove muddyness in instruments/a mix with EQ ? :)

[@MrBinthestudio]

That was basically the topic of my last video. Check it out! :)

[@shashankarunkumar7867]

Haha, my phone has sterio speakers! I could hear that

[@hadleymanmusic]

Wheres a mic technic grimouire?

[@hadleymanmusic]

Do I need to just research and make one

[@israelc0605]

Stereo pair in a regular bedroom or studio recording with too much echo it’s sounds like POOP anyway.