Stereo Recording Exercise: Thursday 9/11/14

A.     Large Reverberant Space

We recorded in the open middle section in the third floor of Kenilworth. At the time we recorded there was almost continuous foot traffic through the room.

We found that the “near coincident” yielded the best recording. We found that it resembled closest how our ears heard the space, so it felt the most real and natural. We found that the Zoom’s on board mics, XY, and AB variation recordings all distorted the space and also picked up more ugly noise.

B.     Smaller Reverberant Space (stairwell or foyer)

We recorded in the large escape stairwell at the third floor. At the time we recorded a dance class was rehearsing a dance routine in the stairwell.

We found that the AB variation resulted in the best recording. It resembled closest the way the location sounded to our ears, it allowed us to focus on what we wanted but preserved the dimension of the space. All three of the other methods aimed the mics at too wide a range, resulting in picking up unwanted reverb from the stairwell exit.

C.     Outdoors, Open Space

We again found that the “near coincident” yielded the highest quality recording, it captured the space in a way that preserved the natural dimension of the space. The other methods of capture were also successful, but they did not offer the same dimension and range that the “near coincident” stereo recording did.