Video Discription |
Jason Rodd (the sonic experience)
This video explains what a raw mid-side recording is, what they're for, and demonstrates two ways of decoding them.
https://www.youtube.com/watchv=EOBGmTVMl3A&feature=youtu.be
I'm using the Zoom H6 Mid-Side Mic in RAW mode as a drum room mic in this demonstration. Thank you Aaron Horath for playing the drums.
Today on the sonic experience I’m showing you how to decode a RAW mid-side microphone recording.. a RAW mid-side recording is different than a regular STEREO mid-side recording in that the MID mic which faced the center, will run through your LEFT channel, and the SIDE mic (which faced left and right) is summed to one signal and will run through your RIGHT channel. Why would you want to do this? To keep the mid and sides separate. In a regular STEREO mid-side recording, the left and right channels ARE different, but the mid mic is evenly mixed into the left and right channels, and you can’t process it separate from the sides after that.. and you won’t be able to take advantage of this super easy, super powerful technique that allows you to produce a really wide stereo image. ..and there’s really nothing to this guys. It’s a lot more straight forward than it might sound. Okay, let’s dive right in...
I know of two different ways you can go about this. You can use a decoder PLUG-IN, or you can SIMULATE what the plug-in does yourself using some basic DAW functions. First I’ll show you with a plug-in. Simply drag your raw mid-side file into the project.. oh and shout out to my buddy Aaron who was kind enough to play the drums for us. Okay, when you play it back raw, you should be able to tell that the center is on the left, and the sides are on the right. The signal level of the mid channel will be higher than the side channel if it was directly facing the sound source. - - - play - - - See, it sounds pretty whacky. So to decode this with a plugin, just insert the plug-in. - - - play - - - So what’s it done here? It put the center back in the center, it split the side signal and hard panned it left and right, and flipped the phase of the right. It’s the inversion of the phase on one side that’s important here guys. That’s what gives it the wide sound. The sides should be 180 degrees out of phase, and if played back in mono, should completely cancel each other out. - - - play (“stereo, mono") - - - Now you can adjust the balance between mid and sides for the ideal width. My preferred way of going about this, is to just simulate what the plug-in does yourself, while having the center, left, and right on completely separate mono tracks for even more control. Just locate your raw mid-side file, right click, and split into mono tracks. Now this left one’s your center, and this right one’s your side. Drag them in. This one’s the center. Always good to name your tracks so you don’t get confused later. Duplicate the side track. This one’s left, and this one’s right. Hard pan them. Now put a plug-in with a phase switch on the right side and invert the phase. Studio One has this mix tool plug-in. Now you can adjust the stereo width AND process the center, left, and right all separate from each other. This is a very powerful technique and is really common for drum room miking, like we did in this example. Obviously this wouldn’t be your whole drum sound, but if you blend this in with your close mics and overheads, you should have a nice big sound! Alright guys, if that helped, don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe.. see ya next time. [EOBGmTVMl3A] |