I've pondering trying an experimental mic technique.

Just wondering wondering if anybody else has tried this or something similar.

Same sort of concept to M-S decoding. But instead of using one figure 8 pointed sideways, using a blumlein pair. You'd essentially decode the two blumlein mics as you would with a side mic. That would leave you with five channels, 1 Front Left, 1 Front Right, 1 Back Left, 1 back right, and one mono centered.

I'm considering this for a solo piano piece. I was looking into MS recording a piano just to see how it sounds, but then I thought is it possible to decode a blumlein pair similar to the side mic as you'd do in a MS.

Anyway I'm gonna experiment with it, I was just wondering if any of you guys have done anything similar.

I've not, but if it sounds good in the end, who cares how ya get there? go for it and have fun!!

Using a figure-8 as the M in an MS pair has been done, but you should try it out and let us know what you find.

As to using it for surround, I have seen some really funky dual MS setups but not ahd the time to try and figure out what they're doing. If you look at the schoeps mic website, then you'll find what I'm talking about. When you figure out what they are doing, let me know. I might look it up later today, though...

You're talking about using three separate mics? That should be interesting. I think it would be most interesting to try with a very wide source like a choir. I suspect that in order to "decode" it you're going to have to put the "mid" mic in the very center of your panning scheme, though - you cant just put it in the center channel of your 5-speaker surround-sound setup, in other words. It would have to be coming out of every speaker. Then if you hard-pan the side mics ... yeah, it could be interesting. Let us know how it comes out!

You're talking about using three separate mics? That should be interesting. I think it would be most interesting to try with a very wide source like a choir. I suspect that in order to "decode" it you're going to have to put the "mid" mic in the very center of your panning scheme, though - you cant just put it in the center channel of your 5-speaker surround-sound setup, in other words. It would have to be coming out of every speaker. Then if you hard-pan the side mics ... yeah, it could be interesting. Let us know how it comes out!

yep. 3 mikes. I also thought that this could be useful for a choir or a live acoustic string band in a room. For a Piano the M channel will probably be cardiod, if were doing a string band in say a semi circle I would probably put the M channel in Omni.

Here is what I've dugf up that might be interesting so far:

http://www.posthorn.com/S_doublems.html

"Double M/S" is an improved version of the well-known M/S stereo recording technique. In addition to a frontfacing cardioid or supercardioid "mid" microphone and a figure-8 "side" microphone, a rear-facing directional microphone is set up. The front- and rear-facing microphones share the signals of the figure-8 microphone so as to form two complete, back-to-back M/S systems. One M/S system then provides the three front channels (the center channel signal being provided directly by the mid microphone of the front system), while the other system provides the two surround channels. A double M/S arrangement of this kind allows flexible processing of the stereo surround image width and post-production adjustment, just as with two channel M/S recording. The Double-MS Set consists of a special shock mount with three CCM-L miniature microphones in a double M/S configuration, a windscreen and a Windjammer. (Instead of the CCM 4VL, a CCM 41VL supercardioid can be ordered.) A cable adapter from three Lemo sockets to an XLR-7 output connector is included as well as an XLR-7 extension cable (5m long) and a DMS-Splitter. The latter is a passive device that simplifies connecting a double M/S array to phantom-powered preamplifiers with matrix circuitry (e.g. 2* Schoeps VMS 5U) or to the inputs of a mixer. It divides the signals from the three microphones to five outputs (the center channel plus the two M/S pairs, with two of the microphones serving dual functions), while preventing any overlap in the phantom powering of the microphones from the inputs to which it is connected front."

Here is a similar description:

http://schoeps.de/E-2004/double-ms.html

Here, they've written a freeware RATS/VST plugin to deal with decoding multiple MS systems:

http://schoeps.de/dmsplugin.html

And whitepaper:

http://schoeps.de/E-2004/PDFs/Schoeps_DoubleMS_Paper.pdf

And a specsheet for an application:

http://schoeps.de/PDFs/WSR-DMS-specs.pdf

And the whole setup is only, what, $6-9K?

That page has a

Very cool. Thanks for finding that.