Question:
I'm looking for an ORTF microphone
mount for my 2 Audio Technica 4051a's.
Anyone have any suggestions?
Answer:
Fleming Any dual microphone
bar can be used. Carry a protractor
and a ruler with you for setup.
they are kind of handy to set the
mics at 110 degrees inclusive angle
and 17cm between capsule centers.
General purpose mounts for using
multiple microphones in a variety
of configurations including ORTF,
XY, and MS are sold as:
Press conference
microphone
holders
Agreed, what
can I do but thank you for making
a point I would have let rest, I
agree that ORTF is thus defined
and that ORFT is only that setup,
wherefore I prefer to use the term
XY also for spaced cardioids. Most
people however do nowadays use the
term ORTF as a wording for "any
pair of cardioids on a short bar
and with any inclusive angle".
Referencing Michael Williams (I
hope I remember this name right)
1983 paper "The Stereophonic
Zoom" makes it however obvious
that as well inclusive angle and
distance between capsule centers
may require adjustment to suit various
intended opening angles for the
setup. I have a nomogram for implementing
it, with cardioids as well as with
omni's, designed by a friend of
mine, that would be the nomogram
to carry around to get the initial
setup fairly right.
For most real world setups involving
an audience it is not going to be
possible to get far enough away
from the ensemble to use the 110
degrees inclusive angle and it will
then case a hole in the middle the
size of the average hole in a Hollywood
movie script.
Most of the time I end up using
an angle in the range from 80 to
45, depending also on the capsule
distance choice, longer distance
between capsules means that less
angle should be chosen.
It is mostly about the amount of
correlation required to form a good
center image, but also about using
the off axis properties of the capsule
pair to get the groundplan correctly
drawn in the stereo perspective,
so that rearmost musicians do not
all crowd up in the center.