Which Microphone Positions Should I Download?

SINEplayer allows you to choose only the mic positions you want to download. No need to load anything you'll never use. This is also great for mobile systems, where space is at a premium.

But which mic positions should you choose? Broadly speaking, there are two kinds of mic positions:

Unprocessed Positions:

These are standard mic positions, usually recorded in a specific pattern. They represent the way you would record those instruments in a scoring or recording session and they contain just the pure, unprocessed microphone signal.

Most collections have some or even all these positions and you may know them from other recordings, too.

Close

The Close position has a more direct sound with less response of the room. Raising the volume of the Close mics will also increase the playing noises made by the musicians, providing added realism for intimate settings. Some collections have multiple Close positions, which have subtly different characteristics, for example in the placement or the microphone used.

The number of used mics is dependant on the section recorded.

Spot

The spot microphones have been positioned as close to the instrument as possible and give you the driest and most direct sound.

Quite often these consist of pre-panned multiple mics positioned close to the players. The panning tries to emulate the space the players were seated in the room.

Mid

As the name says, the Mid position provides a middle ground between focus and ambiance.

Tree

The Tree microphones provide a balance between Close and Surround. Use them to add presence to the sound by allowing some room response in, while still keeping the sound relatively controlled. This is the recommended mic position and is often activated by default.

Sometimes, the Tree is split up into its L/R and C parts:

TREE LR: Left and Right position (hard panned LR) of the DECCA TREE setup. Captures most of the orchestra in a nice and balanced way and portrays the natural stereo picture of the sections in the room.

TREE C: Additional center mic of the DECCA TREE. Is usually added to fill in information in the stereo center that might be lacking in the TREE LR solely.

AB

The A/B position features a wide stereo image and is of great use as a supporting microphone.

Outrigger

Additional outrigger stereo setup a bit further back that is often combined with the TREE (LR+C) postion.

Wide

Similar to the OUTRIGGER setup, set up a bit wider from the orchestra and further back.

ORTF

The ORTF Position provides a tight and controlled, yet slightly ambient sound with a lot of character and presence.

Surround

The Surround positions provide a very ambient sound. The reverb will increase while the direct sound decreases. You can use them for literal surround speakers if you have such a system, but they are also great for just adding "more room".

Immersive F

In a 7.1.4 Setup this setup is ideal for routing to the front overhead speakers.

Immersive M

In a 7.1.4 Setup this setup is ideal for routing to the back overhead speakers.

Sub

Some instruments have a dedicated Mic channel for the Subbass microphone. This position is intended to be used together with other positions, not on its own as it only contains subbass information.

LFE

Low Frequency Effects, is idealy routed to the .1 position in a 5.1 or 7.1.4 setup.

Mix

Some collections use a special Mix mic position that is derived from a careful balancing of several source microphones. This Mix position is a perfectly balanced starting foundation and is great for mobile use.

Processed Positions:

Some collections have processed positions. These may be compressed, treated with reverb, etc.

Generally these positions are based on the unprocessed positions, which you can tell from their names. For the most part, processed positions are not intended to be used with their unprocessed counterparts at the same time! Essentially, processed positions provide one way of how a finished sound could be sculpted based on the unprocessed positions.

There can also be pure effect positions, like Reverb Only. You can always tell from their names, and of course their sound.