I'm always looking to shrink the size and weight of my rig. I just love carrying the minimum amount of equipment!  I did this test to see how small I could go with microphone separation without sacrificing quality. All configurations were Clippy EM172 stereo pair to Sony PCM-A10.

My conclusion is that AB40cm rig with simple Rycote lav wind protection gives me a great sound with a very small and light footprint but not great wind protection. The quasi-binaural rig gives perhaps a more accurate stereo field with the advantage of excellent wind protection (it is housed in the equivalent of a blimp with proper windjammer). To get better wind protection for the AB40cm rig would require a massive and heavy (by my standards) blimp.

1. AB20cm - narrow, too narrow...
2. AB30cm - getting wider, pretty nice...
3. AB40cm - wider still but nice balance of width and centre-image?
4. AB60cm - very wide but hole in the middle?
5. Quasi-binaural (20cm spacing with foam cylinder baffles) - improved placement of sounds in the stereo field?

Would be very interested to hear what other folks think. Please comment if you care to.

Omni Spacing Test

Stereo soundscape recordings. Sometime nature, sometimes people, sometimes machinery. Sometimes quiet things like a single branch creaking in the wind on Dartmoor, sometimes odd moments in the city. Mostly local, but sometimes travelling. 

Omni Spacing Test

Douglas Langley