Topic: Feature request: mic direction\rotate mic on 2 planes

I'm sure that the last thing that Modartt needs is another feature request, but this one does seem viable for a version sometime later in the future:

The ability to rotate the mics so that we can control the direction in which they point (both left and right and up and down), much in the same way that we can now rotate the virtual head, but with the added axis of up and down. (I seem to see many photographs showing mics that aren't pointed directly at one surface of the piano, such as the lid, but are instead angled to capture the sound coming from more than one surface, and\or to be pointed down at the piano.)

I would imagine that this addition wouldn't be simple to create. On the other hand, it would give us still more control over the excellent sound.

Re: Feature request: mic direction\rotate mic on 2 planes

Jake Johnson wrote:

The ability to rotate the mics so that we can control the direction in which they point (both left and right and up and down), much in the same way that we can now rotate the virtual head, but with the added axis of up and down. (I seem to see many photographs showing mics that aren't pointed directly at one surface of the piano, such as the lid, but are instead angled to capture the sound coming from more than one surface, and\or to be pointed down at the piano.)

The mics are omnis, so there *is* no direction.  You're actually requesting that they implement variable/multi pickup patterns.  Since here we're dealing with one piano in one room, the configuration of which is fixed, I would question whether the added complexity would be worth it.  Certainly the results from convolution reverb with different mic pickup options have, for me, not been worth the effort.  I would think that being able to configure the room would make more of a difference than the mic types and be more foolproof.

Best//Neil

Re: Feature request: mic direction\rotate mic on 2 planes

But, you have the option to point and resize the Binaural mic (head phone icon). Why can't that be implemented to more than one mic?

Re: Feature request: mic direction\rotate mic on 2 planes

DonSmith wrote:

But, you have the option to point and resize the Binaural mic (head phone icon). Why can't that be implemented to more than one mic?

Binaural mic are simply two mics - the "size" is the distance between them and the "rotation" is their relative positions in space ...

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Re: Feature request: mic direction\rotate mic on 2 planes

Hi Neil. Well, you're right--I made the mistake of thinking in terms of directional mics. I can see various problems, but they might still be valuable. They are used in many piano recordings. In fact, for pop and rock, I'm not sure I've seen many pianos close-miced with omnis. Are they used more for the ambient sound, to pick up the more distant sound and the room?

Off subject, perhaps: Can't omni mics still be swiveled around to pick up varying sound sources? Won't an omni at a given xyz position under the lid and pointed towards the soundboard create a sound that differs from that of an omni at the same position but pointed towards the lid? They are called omni mics, but because of their "base," where the electronics and wires are housed, they can't pick up vibrations at 360 degrees around their head, so their angle does affect the sound? Or are our virtual, perfect mics instead configured to register 360 degrees of vibrations? If so, I'm not sure that's good--a mic on the floor would pick up the immediate echo as much as the original sound. Not sure I hear this, however.

How about a way to control the extent to which a virtual mic is directional or omniscient? Just a degree setting? Impossible to create? Quite an accomplishment. Still better if it could be combined with the ability to set the size of the diaphragm--the user could create tiny directional pizzo mics or omnis with their natural limitations.

Last edited by Jake Johnson (11-09-2009 14:50)

Re: Feature request: mic direction\rotate mic on 2 planes

Yeah, it WOULD be cool to have selectable mic patterns, and the type of microphone (condenser, dynamic, ribbon, tube...)

Hard work and guts!

Re: Feature request: mic direction\rotate mic on 2 planes

EvilDragon wrote:

Yeah, it WOULD be cool to have selectable mic patterns, and the type of microphone (condenser, dynamic, ribbon, tube...)

Well, we could go the whole hog and simulate the SoundField B-format but how applicable would that be to an "area source" such as solo piano?

Best//Neil

Re: Feature request: mic direction\rotate mic on 2 planes

Does the type of mic used depend on the type of music being recorded? Jazz and rock and pop recordings seem to often use directional mics set fairly close to the piano, so there's less bleed from the voice or from other instruments, while solo classical recordings tend to use omni mics? (I'm not saying that popular music necessarily often gets a good sound by using directional mics...)

Re: Feature request: mic direction\rotate mic on 2 planes

Jake:

I think the answer to your question is yes.  Some references I have had for a while:

http://mixonline.com/recording/applicat...ing_piano/

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jan08/a...g_0108.htm

http://www.doghousenyc.com/articles/piano1.php

Glenn

__________________________
Procrastination Week has been postponed.  Again.

Re: Feature request: mic direction\rotate mic on 2 planes

Some good articles on piano mic-ing technique

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/apr09/a...pianos.htm
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jan08/a...g_0108.htm

Re: Feature request: mic direction\rotate mic on 2 planes

While I do understand the request for more directional mics and rotation parameters for them, I wonder what marvellous recordings might be attainable with that. Let's face it: Are you sure you really are through with all options how five mics can be placed and mixed? And how reverb can be added? Not to mention the color of the sound can widely be changed in the piano model itself? So what's next? I guess modeling of different famous microphones would be nice.
Don't take me wrong. I don't say I don't want these features - I just found it more satisfying to get familiar with what's already available to get the best results.
Have a good one

Pianoteq Pro 8.0.0, Organteq 1.6.5, MacBook Pro 16" i9, Mac OS X 13.0.1, Universal Audio Volt 4, Logic Pro X 10.7.5, FM8, Absynth 5, The Saxophones/Clarinets, Reaktor 6 and others

Re: Feature request: mic direction\rotate mic on 2 planes

Actually, I'd be more happy if we would have options for the shape of the room, the position of piano in it, and the material of walls/floor/ceiling, before the directional mics.

Merging Pianoteq with RaySpace seems like just the right thing to do!

Hard work and guts!

Re: Feature request: mic direction\rotate mic on 2 planes

EvilDragon wrote:

(...) Merging Pianoteq with RaySpace seems like just the right thing to do!

Ah, yes... RaySpace is a good example for what can awaken desire... And actually is not really needed (in my opinion). Yes, it is fun to place walls and listen how the sound varies... But do you really hear the shape of the room? I think it is rather a combination of reflexion patterns you may or may not like for the music you want to apply it to. And maybe you would get better results if you just used good conventional reverbs and adjusted their parameters to whatever you want to hear. To me this is the difference between good tools and fancy toys (again, I don't say RaySpace isn't good in its way).

Pianoteq Pro 8.0.0, Organteq 1.6.5, MacBook Pro 16" i9, Mac OS X 13.0.1, Universal Audio Volt 4, Logic Pro X 10.7.5, FM8, Absynth 5, The Saxophones/Clarinets, Reaktor 6 and others

Re: Feature request: mic direction\rotate mic on 2 planes

Yeah, RaySpace is fancy, but it's an actually modelled reverb algorithm, so that's why I thought it would be awesome to merge two modelling technologies together.

I mean, nothing prevents me from disabling Pianoteq's reverb and use Rayspace, but I'm losing the mic placement INSIDE the room, then. In this case, the room is added after the mic placement, which certainly sounds differently.

Yeah, the shape of the room plays an important factor in how you perceive a certain space. It's not like you can hear "oh, I'm in a round room now", but it does give a clue about where you could be. Our ears are amazing.

I would actually subtract from the RaySpace feature set, in this case (merging with Pianoteq):

* room drawing would be left (and since Pianoteq has two views, top and side, we could do really much - RaySpace currently doesn't allow slopes on ceilings, and different ceiling heights throughout the room, but in PTQ with two views this could be easily done)
* for each wall section (between two nodes) there would be an option to scroll with mouse to switch between various wall materials, from concrete and marble to wood, cotton and silk (curtains, anyone?) (instead of RaySpace knobbage for filtering, dampening, etc.)
* positioning the piano in the room would also be possible
* presets, of course!

I'd like to hear what Modartt guys think about this

Last edited by EvilDragon (14-09-2009 12:39)
Hard work and guts!

Re: Feature request: mic direction\rotate mic on 2 planes

But, lest we lose sight of the initial post: The ability to swivel the mics still seems important to getting a dryer sound, and I suggested it because the feature might be fairly easy to implement--just take the code for the binaural head and reduce it to one stereo mic, cutting out the filtering\cancellation of the head itself.

It would be good to be able to dampen the room some. Don't we have the size parameter already, to give us the basics of the room?
And I suspect that what are sometimes heard as room problems may result from the mics being omni's.

Do I want to be able to choose among many mics? Well, yes, eventually. But the ability to set parameters notes by note is on the horizon, and that will give us so much more control over the sound.

Re: Feature request: mic direction\rotate mic on 2 planes

Jake Johnson wrote:

But, lest we lose sight of the initial post: The ability to swivel the mics still seems important to getting a dryer sound, and I suggested it because the feature might be fairly easy to implement--just take the code for the binaural head and reduce it to one stereo mic, cutting out the filtering\cancellation of the head itself.

Coincident mics as they are in PTQ now won't achieve anything as the mics are not directional.  Omnidirectional mics primarily use phase differences (from the spacing) to achieve stereo presentation, whereas directional mics use primarily differences in sound level.  So with the mics as they are at present, reducing the head size to zero will not give you what you want.

Interestingly, CATT-Acoustic state that their FIReverb suite is used by Deutsche Gramophon to liven-up acoustically dead piano recordings.  Could it be that what you actually want is less reverb, rather than less "room"?  I personally find that with the reverb off, the default solo recording and player positions sound unnaturally close and are not improved by adding reverb but by backing off the mics.

Speaking of the room size, I thought this pertained only to the reverberation settings, which are distinct from the "recording" settings i.e. placement of the microphones in the room.  I'm assuming therefore that the "room" element is to simulate the 1st order reflections which are not handled by the reverb element itself. I.e. the room size slider does not affect the recording "room" that the mikes and piano are in.

Best//Neil

Re: Feature request: mic direction\rotate mic on 2 planes

NeilCraig wrote:

(...)I'm assuming therefore that the "room" element is to simulate the 1st order reflections which are not handled by the reverb element itself. I.e. the room size slider does not affect the recording "room" that the mikes and piano are in.

Best//Neil

That's what I think. There are no walls in the recording environment, so the room size is irrelevant for that. The reverb unit is supposed to add room, but it is independent of the recording environment.
Because of the lack of walls there are no reflections from walls, and this might nullify the need for directional mics. Maybe I should do some experiments whether there are reflections from the floor...

Last edited by Jope (14-09-2009 21:35)
Pianoteq Pro 8.0.0, Organteq 1.6.5, MacBook Pro 16" i9, Mac OS X 13.0.1, Universal Audio Volt 4, Logic Pro X 10.7.5, FM8, Absynth 5, The Saxophones/Clarinets, Reaktor 6 and others

Re: Feature request: mic direction\rotate mic on 2 planes

Back again... I just played around a bit and i must say the truth seems to be more complex. I used a very noisy sound (much hammer noise and low impedance) and left only one microphone on and moved it around. In some positions far away from the piano there were repeated echoes as if there were walls reflecting sound forth and back, but these flutter echoes occurred for higher notes only... And they were highly dependent of the lid position.
But I can confirm the reverb's room size parameter doesn't change anything here.
Still much room (no pun intended) for research!

Pianoteq Pro 8.0.0, Organteq 1.6.5, MacBook Pro 16" i9, Mac OS X 13.0.1, Universal Audio Volt 4, Logic Pro X 10.7.5, FM8, Absynth 5, The Saxophones/Clarinets, Reaktor 6 and others

Re: Feature request: mic direction\rotate mic on 2 planes

We should create a Fixed toppic in the forum, "Impossible Reverbs."

Some reverberation we hear from some albuns are quite impossible to match.  Maybe because in the studio they use several microphones, of variable kinds and with different adjusts.  This plus equalization and eletronic filters.

This music for example, Crown Victoria Custom 53, and others from the same album, got critics due exagerated reverb & equalization.  But I think the reverb it's interesting, even than exagerated.  Bu I can't imagine what they did to get this effect.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMCA8v17yGo

Attention in 01:34 to 01:37      The sound it's something like I never heard in any other piano recording.

This piano, despite the simple repetitive playing here, get a interesting sound, with a deep and longer presence for the patterns and playing style. 
This same pattern would sound quite simple un-virtuous, if played the same way withou any reverb.

Maybe they get eletronic reverbs diferently form, bass and trebble, and blend different reverberations adjusts.
Just remembering this music was recorded in mastered in 1995.

Last edited by Beto-Music (15-09-2009 01:20)

Re: Feature request: mic direction\rotate mic on 2 planes

I shouldn't have said anything. Including directional mics would open the door to requests for every imaginable mic type.

Re: Feature request: mic direction\rotate mic on 2 planes

Well, your comment make sense...

It's like the husband who gave a coat to his wife, and the wife thanks and said:

-Now I will need a new pair of shoes to combine with this coat. And also a new dress, and also new hair style, and a new feminine shirt, and...


;-)


Sorry women. Just a little bit of 50's humor. No intented sexism here.

Jake Johnson wrote:

I shouldn't have said anything. Including directional mics would open the door to requests for every imaginable mic type.

Re: Feature request: mic direction\rotate mic on 2 planes

Beto-Music wrote:

(...) No intented sexism here.

You can replace the clothes in your joke by cars or computers with all gadgets, so it will still be sexist, but in the other direction...

Pianoteq Pro 8.0.0, Organteq 1.6.5, MacBook Pro 16" i9, Mac OS X 13.0.1, Universal Audio Volt 4, Logic Pro X 10.7.5, FM8, Absynth 5, The Saxophones/Clarinets, Reaktor 6 and others