AES British Section lectures - April 2008
Stereo and Surround Microphone Techniques
Helmut Wittek, Schoeps
Stereophony still is one of the most exciting phenomena in sound recording and reproduction. Decades after its development its psychoacoustic basics have not yet been fully revealed. The presentation will discuss the current theory about stereophonic recording and perception and its consequences for microphone design. In particular for surround sound the stereophonic principles should be applied in order to design microphone setups that meet the sound engineer's intentions. Examples of stereo and surround setups are presented and discussed in theory and practice. It should be noted that theory is not yet able to fully explain the quality of a microphone setup. That is why listening still is the sound engineer's most important task. Practical examples including A/B comparisons will give insight into the perceptual differences between the presented setups. These include e.g. XY, ORTF, AB, OCT, Williams MMAD, Decca Tree and sphere surround. Parallels and differences to Ambisonics and wavefield synthesis are drawn.
Lecture recording - mp3 format (18.3 MB)
Note: To listen to the lecture whilst connected to the internet, click on the link above. To download the file to listen to after disconnecting from the internet or to transfer to another device:
- Those using Internet Explorer on Windows - right-click on the link above and select 'Save Target As...' and then select the appropriate location to save the file.
- Those using Safari on Macintosh OSX - hold 'Crtl' and click and hold the link above, move down to 'Save Linked File As...' and release the mouse, then select the appropriate location to save the file.