SoundField: SPS422B Microphone System for Surround

SPS422B Microphone System for Surround

Live Surround Recording

In this configuration the SPS422B/SP451 combination will deliver six discrete channels of 5.1 surround sound. Although not vital, it is a big advantage to be able to monitor in full surround when choosing your mic position.

It is important to bear in mind when recording this way that the result is, in effect, a 'finished product'. One way to retain post-production capability is to also record the B-Format at the same time as the six channels of surround. Of course, to do this you will require ten tracks to record on. A stereo master can also be recorded directly from the left/right outputs of the SPS422B processor.

Surround Post-production

The advantage of recording an acoustic event in B-Format is that it can be de-coded by the SP451 processor into current surround formats or any future 7.1, 8.1 etc format (with the appropriate MAP card fitted into the SP451) and therefore is ideal for 'surround archiving'. When the four tracks of B-Format are played back through the SP451 in a post-production environment, many parameters of the selectable mic array can be adjusted after the event. These include changing the width of both the front and rear pairs of microphones, mixing sound sources occurring at the front of the mic array towards the rear and the choice and instant comparison of up to three different mic arrays.

It is also common to record the Left/Right stereo outputs from the SPS422B processor onto a further two tracks of the multitrack. In this way both a 'surround master' and a 'stereo master' can be derived from a single DTRS cassette. Some sound engineers, if they have the facility, will as insurance also simultaneously record two 'spot mics' on a further two tracks. These are usually focused on 'quieter' sound sources which may be too low in level in the natural acoustic balance of the performance, and if necessary can be introduced to the mix in post-production.