Re: [ARSCLIST] Stereo of recording of oral histories ?

["Richard L. Hess" <ArcLists@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

At 03:18 PM 1/7/2006, andy Kolovos wrote:

> Right now we record in mono using Marantz PMD670/PMD660s and Sennheiser
> 421IIs.  In the past we have done two channel recording--i.e. recording to
> a stereo recorder (analog cassette, DAT and MD) by splitting a mono mic
> signal between the L/R stereo channels, and have used two channel
> recorders to record two individuals with one voice per channel, but we
> have never done true stereo recording.

I thought that was the norm. Other techniques I have used have been a 
pair of Sennheiser MKH-416Ts one on my Dad and one on me and that is 
perhaps the best sounding that I've done, but you can't beat the 
AT-822 and a MD recorder for compact.

> From what I see, true stereo
> recording unusual in this field.

I was blown away with the AT-822 in boundary layer mounting (i.e. 
flat on the table) for the realistic effect of being there. I'm now 
listening to the MD-421U version (the original, not the II) and it 
certainly is reasonably clean, but the lack of spatial information 
makes it less "you are there" for the six-person discussion.

> I know some ethnomusicologists and folklorists who
> use a single-point stereo mic as their "go to" mic for both music and
> interviews, but that seems to have as much to do with really liking a
> particular mic and not wanting to haul too much gear around as it does a
> desier to record interviews in stereo.

That makes sense. I decided that a second AT-822 would be a good 
choice so someone was selling a new one for $200US so I grabbed it. 
I'm sticking with MDs for a while since I have two working recorders.

Redundant outfit: two MD recorders, two AT-822s, three (one long) 
1/8" stereo plug to XLR-3, a pocket full of MDs.

Cheers,

Richard

Richard L. Hess                   richard@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Aurora, Ontario, Canada       http://www.richardhess.com/
Detailed contact information: http://www.richardhess.com/tape/contact.htm