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#88777 10/24/10 08:04 AM
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Can anyone share w/me or point me to a site where I can learn about the different polar patterns of my dual diaphragm condenser mic. I am right now just wanting to get clean vocal takes.....it has a figure 8 pattern a cardioid and a circle pattern. should I sing into one side of the mic or use both diaphragms? ..Thanks in advance.......Jeff

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For 'clean' vocals don't use the fig 8 or circle.. just the single diaphragm.
Unless the room and acoustics are something you *want* in the permanent recording.. That is basicly what you gain. The reflections from the room and some ambeince, neither of which fits your 'clean' criteria .. unless you like the acoustics.
Go ahead and try them all on separate tracks, and compare. Maybe you'll hear something you like. Always experiment. Best way to learn new gear.


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Thanks rharv. That makes good sense


...........Jeff......
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Is the 'Single diaphragm the cardioid pattern? ....I cant find anywhere on the literature that says when to use each setting.


...........Jeff......
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Thanks ...the illustrations make it really clear...I have the pictures on my mic I just wasn't sure what they meant..


...........Jeff......
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Your mic should have come with some kind of instructions for this. Was there a particular reason you bought a dual capsule microphone? There really isn't much use for the figure 8 for solo vocals. Now, for singing 'in the round' the figure 8 pattern can be quite a boon.

One thing is certain, you don't want to put sources on the 'sides' of the 8 (as viewed from above).

Which microphone is it by the way?

-Scott

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More than anything else, it depends on which pattern sounds best to you! Cardioid may be the best choice for live performance but not necessarily for recording. In the studio (such as it is) I can actually get better isolation by using figure 8, as it has better rejection of sound from the side than a typical cardioid. I just point the back toward a spot where it won't pick up noise -- like a corner, preferably with some sound-deadening material in it. Or a closet full of clothes!


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It is a Berhinger b2 pro...I bought it because I thought it was a good mic. I have owned it for a few years. Just recently it has been becoming in sensitive and not really putting out the volume it used to. Also leaving little artifacts on the recording I dont use it for live just recording vocals. I wonder if the mic is going bad or my audio interface...This happened before and I replaced my audio interface and the problem seemed to be solved. i wondered if I was not using the mic right but it should not be doing this I think. Not a real expensive mic. not really made to last forever:)


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It's hard to diagnose without testing it, but I would suspect electronics further up the line, rather than the mic itself. Unless you drop it a lot...

Mics I've used tend to quit entirely rather than die by degrees.


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....That is good to know...I know interfaces are responsible a lot for adding artifacts to the sound. My last one just got louder and louder until it was no longer usable. I was thinking it was a mic cable issue, but I replaced the cable.And it got better for a while Maybe it needs another one already. I dont know of any mic droppers who are easy on cheap cables:)


...........Jeff......
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Come to think of it ...the reason for the signal cutting out might be that I forgot to turn off my internet connection or my avast virus protection while I was recording. Ive never thought about it but that might mess up the signal.


...........Jeff......
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That's good thinking, to test by turning off your anti-virus and internet connection. On one computer, I had to switch network interface cards to fix a problem.

If that doesn't stop the 'artifacts' you are hearing in your recordings, you could try running the DPC Latency Checker at http://www.thesycon.de/deu/latency_check.shtml It will show if there are any offending programs or drivers that affect your ability to work with digital audio. The site has good instructions.

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Thanks for the News. Hopefully it is not the mic @ all that would be great!


...........Jeff......
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