Adam Dean Ellis

Recorded at MTSU Studio A – March 2009 Only Girl in the World 0:00 / 0:00 Danny Boy 0:00 / 0:00

RagTag Quartet 3 Photos

The RagTag quartet is a traditional Barber Shoppe quartet from Nashville Tn. We created these3 recordings at MTSU in the class Production Seminar I, which is first year MFA. We chose the RagTag Quartet because it was something different. Most everyone records rock or pop music around here.

Two approaches, or production methodologies, were considered leading up to the sessions, an ensemble approach and an individual approach. The ensemble approach would utilize stereo microphone techniques to capture the whole quartet to a pair of tracks. The individual approach uses a separate mic for each person in the ensemble recorded to separate tracks. Both have their various strengths and weaknesses. Current production trends, especially in the studio environment, would often dictate that we take the individual approach which would allow us to exercise the control, and propensity for non-committal processing, allowed by computer recording technology. Read more…

If you have spent any time at all investigating the various stereo microphone techniques you have undoubtedly come across the concept of M/S recording. The technique requires one cardioid mic and one bidirectional, or figure eight, mic. The microphones are placed so that there are three “lobes”, two focused to the sides ( the figure eight mic), and one focused forward ( the cardioid), and fits in between the side lobes, e.g. mid.

Here is a picture borrowed from electronic musician.

The stereo image is produced by manipulating the phase differences and similarities between the two sources.  But first, lets dig into our knowledge of basic acoustics and remember that Read more…