RE: stereo mic.

["Goddard, Duncan" <goddard.duncan@mtvne.com>]

>>which are the troubles by using two mics to record in an x/y stereo
configuration (or other stereo mic technique) if they are not "a matched
pair from factory" providing that they are the same brand and model.<<

are your ears a matched pair? :-)

I use a non-matched pair of audio-technica 4033s as a stereo pair in
front of a drum-kit, with a close-mike (usually a beta 87) near the
snare. I find I can get a good mixture of separation & live-sounding
drums even when the kit is in the same room as the other instruments; I
have the stereo pair about three feet apart & level with the toms. any
higher, too much metal & not enough of the kick.

the effect is like standing in front of the kit, in the room, & I
generally keep the snare mic backed off unless something needs
accenting.

but I digress. I only mention this because I get better separation like
this than in x-y.


now, if you were recording m-s stereo instead of x-y, you could even use
two different sorts of mic & still get great results. 
I used to work on a soap-opera, right at the start of experiments in
stereo sound in british tv. we decided the best way to record dialogue
was to equip the boom with two mics in m-s configuration instead of
trying to follow the action with two booms. the mics were a sennheiser
416 & a schoeps figure-8, I forget the model. we decoded the results to
left & right & used the contribution level of the schoeps to set the
width.

but I'm digressing again. 

d.