ORTF is best for stereo recording

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Melo theory

Melo theory

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#1
John Marks Teaches ORTF | Stereophile.com

This seems best to me.
Good for blumlen stereo, cars, ambiophonics, even quasi-binaural for headphones.
Seems to be the best compromise for all types of listening situations.
Why spot mic for live recordings?
Even studio recordings can be done this way. Just record different tracks from the separate locations where the band members stand in the recording room.
What do you guys think?
 
#3
I agree, PROVIDED you have a suitable venue to record in . . . and with the "exception" that "centered" soloists are not captured well by the ORTF pair, and should probably generally have a separate mic. But overall it's the best way to capture the orchestra.

I also like a variant, though . . . using a pair of ribbons spaced like the cardioid capsules in "classic" ORTF, but with the angle at 90 degrees so the center sums properly. In addition to the better off-axis performance of ribbons you pick up less side wall reflection and more "deep hall" reverb . . .
 
#4
Not all good. Mixing to mono can cause comb filtering, contrary to what he says. Other factors involved but not mentioned. Ther is no " best" technique for everything. XY and blunliem can sound better depending on the situation. And using any stereo pair for a band is not easy. How do you increase the level of just the kick drum for example.
 
#7
Isn't that what Chesky is doing nowadays? Except he has a dummy head inbetween the mic's.
120525_MakingDrChesky_photo_Lars.jpg

120525_MakingDrChesky_photo_FunkBand.jpg
 
#8
cbdb said:
Not all good. Mixing to mono can cause comb filtering, contrary to what he says. Other factors involved but not mentioned. Ther is no " best" technique for everything. XY and blunliem can sound better depending on the situation. And using any stereo pair for a band is not easy. How do you increase the level of just the kick drum for example.
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I agree with this wholeheartedly. There is no best technique, but it may be the technique this guy is comfortable with using. No one technique works for every piece of music(Inner voicing of a Bruckner or Mahler piece would be completely lost with ORTF technique). The microphone placement must take into consideration the venue, the piece being recorded, and the size of the orchestra.

For recording orchestra's, I use a Decca tree and variations of the spaced omni setup. For recording my church's services and for recording film scores, I use a "forest" of microphones. For small ensembles, I have used spaced omni only. No one size fits all.

I guess I am a bit of a perfectionist control freak. I trust my ears, microphone placement, and mixer more than I trust the ability of a band or orchestra to balance itself. You never know what can happen recording a live performance.
 
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#13
Melo theory said:
Well, this is a binaural recording. The best for headphones 😀
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His Binaural+ recordings are not exclusive for headphones only, according to Chesky:
Chesky said:
Chesky Records is proud to introduce its new Binaural+ Series. Binaural sound has been around for a long time, but until now it was just for headphones and could not be enjoyed on speakers. Our Binaural+ Series recordings sound great on speakers and headphones, and capture the sound of music as you would if you were sitting in front of the band. The Binaural+ Series sessions were recorded in high-resolution 192-kHz/24-bit sound with a special Binaural head (a "dummy" human head with specially calibrated microphones where the ears would be). The headphone market is booming and we think it is important to bring the ultimate in high-resolution sound to this sector of the record business. Now headphone users will hear the same three-dimensional sound and imaging as audiophiles have for the past 25 years with Chesky Recordings. Also these new Binaural+ Series albums capture even more spatial realism for the home audiophile market, bringing you one step closer to the actual event.
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He has been working together with Professor Edgar Choueiri, although his recordings don't use the BACCH filters.
 
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