User manual AEA LC2 LOOP CONTROLLER

[. . . ] However since a faulty or miswired cable or a poorly designed phantom power supply can cause severe damage to the transducer we recommend avoiding the use of phantom power with your LC2 LOOP CONTROLLER as a general rule. 4) Protect the microphone from wind blasts. In order to produce the most natural sounding pickup possible, the mic is minimally protected from wind blasts. Avoid recording horns, drums or anything that might produce large movements of air within 12 inches of the microphone. [. . . ] For closer vocal recordings, use a "popper-stopper" type windscreen to protect the mic from plosive blasts. This mic is designed for indoor recording situations, although a "big furry windscreen" may be adequate for some outdoor recording situations. Using the LC2 LOOP CONTROLLER When placing the LC2 LOOP CONTROLLER, try to imagine how the position of instruments in front of the microphone will translate to the stereo image. The "sweet spot" of the LC2 LOOP CONTROLLER is the 90 degree angle found between the principal axis of each transducer (indicated by channel numbers "1" and "2"). Recording instruments in this region will ensure the consistency of phase information reaching the microphone. Recording instruments, or prominent early reflections outside of this region can result in inconsistent phase information between the channels, which will result an ill-defined and inaccurate stereo image. In the vertical direction, the best frequency response is obtained within 30 degrees up or down of the principal pickup axis. When recording an ensemble, try to keep all of the instruments towards the center of vertical pickup pattern for the most natural sound quality. The LC2 LOOP CONTROLLER's extended and natural bass response is due to the very low resonance frequency (16 Hz) to which our ribbons are tuned. However this low resonance frequency also makes the microphone susceptible to mechanical "rumble" from air conditioning systems, passing trucks, etc. The integrated shockmount system helps to reduce this noise, but in some cases it may be helpful to use a "low cut" filter such as those commonly found on quality recording channels to attenuate the very lowest frequencies, and thereby relieve the strain on amplifiers and speakers that can be caused by subsonic noise. The stereo effect occurs because of the intensity differences between the two channels. Blumlein stereo creates a very precise stereo image, with each instrument clearly identifiable at a point in the soundstage. To use the LC2 LOOP CONTROLLER in Blumlein configuration simply align the AEA logo with the center of the instrument or ensemble you would like to record. Keep the sound source or ensemble in the 90 degree angle found between the channel indicators "1" and "2" to ensure consistency of phase information and an accurate stereo image. This area is referred to as the "in phase positive polarity" quadrant. Any sounds arriving in this quadrant will have consistency phase between the capsules. On the opposite side of the mic the signals will be "in phase out of polarity" meaning the phase will be consistent between capsules but the overall polarity will be reversed. On the sides of the microphone the phase will be different between the two capsules. These quadrants are therefore referred to as "out of phase. " primary pickup axis 2 1 + channel 2 is "mid" channel 1 is "side" + - LC2 LOOP CONTROLLER MS Stereo Setup The other stereo technique we recommend for the LC2 LOOP CONTROLLER is mid-side, or "M-S" recording. One microphone capsule is aligned on-axis to the primary sound source, with the other mic capsule oriented 90 degrees counter-clockwise to the primary axis. [. . . ] The stereo channels are taken as the sum and difference of the left and right channels. With an "ideal" ribbon microphone these techniques should be able to yield identical results, with the advantage of MS allowing a variable "width" to the stereo field. However since no real ribbon microphone has a perfect polar response pattern, the M-S technique can be useful for recording a single sound source where emphasis on the center of the stereo image is desired. The main drawback of M-S recording is that a "decoding matrix" is necessary to process the M-S signal into a stereo recording. [. . . ]