An Informal Comparison between Surround-sound Microphone Techniques

There is currently a lack of recorded test materials in five-channel surround format. Particularly lacking are recordings made simultaneously using different microphone arrays that would allow comparative switching between different recorded versions of the same acoustical event. An ambitious pilot experiment was conducted involving the recording of various different programme items using eight different recording techniques simultaneously. This was undertaken to determine the practicality of making of such recordings, to allow informal comparisons between microphone techniques, and to create a set of simultaneous multichannel recordings for subsequent perceptual evaluation. This paper details experimental design considerations and practical limitations, as well as reporting initial observations regarding the resulting recordings.