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I found the description of the Calrec Soundfields in the mic section of this site to be fascinating. Do you have any real-world examples of where these are often used? Any recordings you can point to?

Thanks!

P.S.: The write-ups in the entire mic section are more invaluable than you may know...

I read an interview in which Steve said he used a Soundfield mic for the cello on Nirvana's In Utero album. Maybe you can get some sense of it from that recording... However, the cello may be too obscured by the rest of the instruments to get the true sense of the mic.

I guess we'll just have to wait until this site provides sound samples of every microphone as well as complete lists of every mic used to record every instrument on each of the studio's albums!

The most famous recording that utilized just the Calrec mic in a church and the band positioned accordingly was The Cowboy Junkies 'Trinity Sessions' album. It wasn’t recorded at Electrical or the staff but it does give you an idea on what the mic sounds like. I know they've been used for film i.e.-stadium crowd ambience and such.

--Adam Lazlo

Hi,

I play in a band called Silkworm that has done many records with Steve. Before about 1997 he used to use the Soundfield all the time on our records. Then he started using even more expensive mics despite my repeated requests for the Soundfield.

The best example of Soundfield is on our 3rd record "Libertine". As I recall, the drums on that song are recorded with just a bass drum mic and the Soundfield in a very small, very dead room. The vocals on that song are soundfield too. He used it a lot on other songs on that record and several of our others, but then it is usually on instruments that are mixed with others. It is truly an mazing mic, Steve would sometimes electronicall move the capsules while someone was playing, and it was like someone was actually moving the mic closer or farther from the instrument! As I recall, it has a pretty flat frequency response, or is a little on the bright side.

Dogrange wrote:The best example of Soundfield is on our 3rd record "Libertine". As I recall, the drums on that song are recorded with just a bass drum mic and the Soundfield in a very small, very dead room. The vocals on that song are soundfield too.

Hi Dogrange,

Thanks for this. I look forward to tracking this album down.

Best,
E. Shaun Russell

Sorry, I meant to say that the song is "Grotto of Miracles" on the album "Libertine". That's the song with the most obvous soundfield use.

I'm sorry if anyone has mentioned this before.

On Shellac's "The bird is the most popular finger" a Calrec soundfield was Utilized. I know this because of the key.

ben adrian
oakland, ca