Do you ever use Decca Tree or Blumlein mic arrangements?

[rasputin1963]

Just curious: Have you ever recorded using Decca Tree or Blumlein micing arrangements? Have you gotten some cool/beautiful/striking results?

[MikeRivers]

I've never used a Decca Tree - I don't have three (or even one) Neumann M50s (accept no substitutes). Blumlein defined several configurations of two mics for stereo recording, but the one you (and everyone else) probably mean is the crossed figure-8 setup. I've never used it in a studio, but played around with it live a bit. It only works well when you have freedom to put the mic array wherever you want it. A good opportnity to work with that setup is if you're recording in a church and have the whole place to yourself. You need to find a distance where the direct and reflected sound balance, and that's hard to judge unless you can set up speakers in an isolated room. So I stick with X-Y.

[gtoledo]

For drums, sometimes I like to do a mono overhead, a mic on kick, and then a blumlein pair few feet behind the drums....maybe in front.

 

If I'm doing something that's acoustic guitar and vocals, I sometimes have a mic for the vocal, the guitar, and then a blumlein pair out further.

 

The results can be great, and I like the illusion of that particular stereo effect.

 

Usually that or ORTF.

 

 

[Phil O'Keefe]

I've used Decca, but only a couple of times. You really need to be working with a larger ensemble in a very large studio or concert hall with great acoustics to get the best out of it.

 

The stereo mic technique consisting of a crossed pair of coincident bi-directional microphones that bears Alan Blumlein's name is a personal favorite. I use it quite often. It also requires decent room acoustics, but it can be used on smaller ensembles and even individual instruments. One of my favorite uses is to stick a pair just behind and slightly above the drummer's head, facing towards the center of the kit. It gives you a very drummer-centric perspective of the kit.

[James May]

When recording my acoustic guitar in the studio, I sometime use a cardioid mic in the typical location, and a second mic with a figure 8 pattern turned 90 degrees, in essentially the same location. This is a mid/side arrangement, not exactly Blumlein but related. The advantage of this approach is that mic1 is perfectly mono compatible, and then I can add a little bit of mic2+ to stereo left and mic2- to stereo right which brings up some stereo spatial width. I can decide at mix time how much if any of this makes sense. Pretty cool.

[Phil O'Keefe]

BTW anyone who is interested in experimenting with either Mid-Side or Blumlein stereo pairs and who wants some tips on how to set them up, check out these two articles:

 

Blumlein. http://www.harmonycentral.com/articles/blumlein-pair-stereo-miking-for-better-ambience-and-imaging

 

Mid-Side. http://www.harmonycentral.com/articles/basics-of-mid-side-recording