Recording ambience with a couple lavs?

M

marsupilami_4

Active member
Hi everyone,

I have done some research but haven't found anything on the subject.

I worked as the sound mixer on a project recently and will also handle the post-production. Since about half of the scenes take place outside, I'd like to record some nice stereo ambiences to lay under the dialog tracks. I don't have a stereo microphone, nor am I willing to buy anything for that purpose at the moment (I don't do nearly enough post-production to justify the expense).

I could use my Tascam DR-07 which is equipped with built-in stereo microphones but the sound quality with these mics isn't that great (low sensitivity, somewhat high self-noise, VERY sensitive to wind and the supplied windshield muffles the high quite a bit).

Instead I thought I could use my COS11's plugged into my SQN for better results.
Has anybody experimented doing recordings this way? I was thinking of clipping them on either side of a pair of sunglasses near the ears, or maybe on my shoulders for greater separation (the idea is to simulate an AB technique).

Any suggestions?

Thank you!
 
Not exactly the answer you are looking for, but perhaps in the long run it will be.

If you already have the gear, why not hook it up and try it out?
There is no wrong way to capture ambience, you either like what you get or you don't.
Will some people be more than content with the setup you mention? sure! Will others think renting a stereo mic(s)
would be better? sure!

Give it a try since it seems like you own the stuff and make your own call.
 
Hi Rippie, thanks for your answer!

You're absolutely right, the best way to know is to try, which I intend to do no matter what.

I guess the purpose of this thread isn't really to know if this technique provides acceptable results or not but more to get feedback from people who already tried it and could maybe have some recommendations, tricks, etc. to make it work better, things that I wouldn't necessarily have thought of otherwise.
 
I did that once (with different mics) at the request of the post sound person. I attached them to the side of my cart about shoulder with apart and recorded some ok stuff. I say ok cause I was in a large marble lobby of a hotel. It was the only time I tried it, because A) I didn't have a boom op and thus had a lot to do by myself B) was using an H4 at the time (which was a lot easier and produced better results for stereo ambiance).

I agree with Rippie. Try yourself, and if that doesn't work ask your friends if they have an H4, H4n, H1 or H2 and ask to borrow that. A lot of people have them, and their mics do a pretty good job of recording ambiance.
 
They are likely to be kind of thin compared to a larger capsule mic, but I have done many stereo amb. tracks with a pair of lavs. Usually indoors stealing ambiences in diners and bars and such. A tip, always try to get 2-3 minutes of continuous "good" sound with each take. The less you have to loop the sound in post the better.
 
Hi,

Thanks for the tip Noiz2, I've done some post in the past using ambiences from sound libraries and it sure makes things easier when it's one long continuous track as opposed to a shorter one looped a few times.

vger, your comment has me reconsidering the Tascam option, which supposedly has slightly better mics than the H1/H2 according to a few comparisons I found online. I have to say that I didn't buy the recorder for this feature, I only gave it a brief try and might have dismissed it a bit too fast. I'll go ahead and test it more thoroughly, maybe it won't be nearly as bad as I thought, and it sure would be much more convenient than having to carry my mixer bag around!
 
Chris Watson uses this technique a lot in wildlife recording- he makes a spaced pair attatching omni lavelier microphones to either corner of a wire coathanger. There's a diagram here from a workshop he did earlier this year:

http://thedomesticsoundscape.com/wordpress/?p=1247

one of the main advantages of this is that it can be held like a pistol grip, planted in the ground or hung from objects
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top