Posted by Rick Denney on June 24, 2003 at 14:46:44:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Any DAT's fs? posted by tigersound on June 24, 2003 at 13:09:56:
Actually the 822 is a bit more directional than a pure binaural, but not by much, and no nearly as much as the typical cardioid stage microphone. It has two wide-pattern cardioids at a 120-degree separation angle. Each pickup is nearly as sensitive to the side as straight ahead, but they reject signals from behind them like a cardioid does. This gives nearly complete omnidirectional coverage, but still with good stereo separation. It's a good arrangement for minimizing the echo off the back wall but still getting a lot of room in the mix.
I fear the problem with your minimikes might not be the need for a low-sensitivity setting, but rather the mechanical bottoming out of the transducer at loud SPL. This is a physical problem that can't be fixed by downstream electronics. A mike trimmer can't fix it--mike trimmers are used to control overload into the mike input on the mixer or recorder, which is upstream of the level slider on the mixer and therefore needs to be separately protected if the mike puts out a high peak signal. Unless the low sensitivity setting shields some of the sound from reaching the mike in the first place, it won't help if the SPL is too high. What is the SPL rating of the minimike? Tubas and trumpets put out lots of sound.
Rick "who thinks getting more room sound with an AT-822 just requires backing it up" Denney