Stereo recording angle
Recording angle, ensemble fit and phantom source positions for XY, ORTF, NOS, DIN, Blumlein, AB or your own pair.
Does the ensemble fit?
The ensemble roughly fills the recording angle: a good match.
Where does a source appear?
Model: an 18 dB level difference or a 1.5 ms time difference alone places a source fully in one loudspeaker; each cue is mapped to a share of the way with a curved localisation function, and the shares add. Results agree within a few degrees with published calculators for the standard setups. Treat them as a starting point; listening decides.
How it works
Stereo microphone pairs create level differences (through their pickup patterns and angle) and time differences (through their spacing). Both decide where a source appears between the loudspeakers.
The recording angle is the width of the sound field that fills the full stereo base. Sources outside it are reproduced in one loudspeaker. Compare it with the angle your ensemble covers to find the right distance.
This tool models localisation with curves that reach full panning at 18 dB or 1.5 ms. For the standard setups it lands within a few degrees of published calculators. Listening still decides.
Formulas
- ΔL = 20 · log₁₀( g(φ − α/2) / g(φ + α/2) )
- Δt = s · sin φ / c
- share = 100 % · sin( π/2 · min(1, ΔL / 18 dB) ) + 100 % · sin( π/2 · min(1, Δt / 1.5 ms) )
- Recording angle = 2 · φ where the share reaches 100 %
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