Mono or stereo sound?

[Jon O'Brien]

Maybe this is a dumb question. Too bad if it is. Thought I'd ask.

I've got a little job, this time filming a string quartet for a brief online ad.

I will be recording the quartet with two Rode NT5 microphones, in an X-Y stereo array (the two capsules of the mics immediately above each other).

This ad will likely only ever be viewed/listened to on either a phone, or a computer.

Is mono or stereo sound better for the finished video? I'm thinking mono.

[Brian Drysdale]

Usually dialogue, spot effects are recorded mono, with the atmos track recorded in stereo. 

Normally, there's no reason why you can't record the action dialogue and V.O. in mono and just have the music in stereo.

In this case, you should check the delivery requirements. Bear in mind that computers can have external stereo speakers and phones can have ear buds. 

[Aapo Lettinen]

No reason why it can't be stereo.

I am often recording single instruments for my own stuff with a stereo pair behind of which is a large diagram studio mic centered a little farther away. Then mixing the ldc to center and stereo pair to their own channels, often not fully panned but maybe 60 or 70% width. With convolution reverb added sounds really nice and one can adjust the balance between width, depth and detail. If guitar type instrument will often add fourth mic to the neck or bridge position to get the basic sound.

I am recording a lot of improvised stuff at the moment so four mics is common for me to get enough adjustment possibilities afterwards. Because I may not be able to play it exactly similarly again

[Aapo Lettinen]

If possible, for the string quartet it could be a good idea to try adding two extra mics if you have them depending on how good acoustics the room has. If the xy is capturing the quartet directly it could be useful to try to get more room acoustics with a ldc pair and you can then mix in that super wide stereo pair for extra width if needed

[Jon O'Brien]

Thanks for the responses!

3 hours ago, Aapo Lettinen said:

If possible, for the string quartet it could be a good idea to try adding two extra mics if you have them depending on how good acoustics the room has. If the xy is capturing the quartet directly it could be useful to try to get more room acoustics with a ldc pair and you can then mix in that super wide stereo pair for extra width if needed

It will be filmed in an acoustically fairly awful building, with corrugated iron roof. It was the best we could get. The NT5s are cardioid. You can get omni capsules for these mics, but at this stage I don't want to spend any more on audio gear, so what I have will have to do. Plus, I've been told that since the acoustics of the room aren't great then cardioid mics are better as omnis will pick up too much of the room acoustics.

Does anyone know if X-Y or ORTF configuration might be better? I have a Rode stereo bar for putting the mics on. I will be setting up a C stand, with boom holder, long extendable boom, and the stereo bar with the two NT5s on it.

I should add, that the quartet will be playing contemporary 'pop' type music.

I also have a Deity short shotgun mic, the S-Mic2s, so will take that along, and set it up as well.

Edited January 16 by Jon O'Brien

[Aapo Lettinen]

23 minutes ago, Jon O'Brien said:

Thanks for the responses!

It will be filmed in an acoustically fairly awful building, with corrugated iron roof. It was the best we could get. The NT5s are cardioid. You can get omni capsules for these mics, but at this stage I don't want to spend any more on audio gear, so what I have will have to do. Plus, I've been told that since the acoustics of the room aren't great then cardioid mics are better as omnis will pick up too much of the room acoustics.

Does anyone know if X-Y or ORTF configuration might be better? I have a Rode stereo bar for putting the mics on. I will be setting up a C stand, with boom holder, long extendable boom, and the stereo bar with the two NT5s on it.

I should add, that the quartet will be playing contemporary 'pop' type music.

I also have a Deity short shotgun mic, the S-Mic2s, so will take that along, and set it up as well.

If the building is acoustically bad then no reason to record room acoustics. 

You could maybe try to make it better by hanging huge pieces of molton on stands behind the camera and mics, might help with the sound bouncing back to the mics from other end of the room depending on how large space it is. Can help a lot with the awkward reverb if you get tons of surface area on the molton.

Using the kind of micscreen sound absorber behind the mics they sell for home studio vocal recording might help too if the mics are not seen in the video, I use them behind mics when recording guitalele and other instruments in living room and help a lot with acoustics even if there is nothing else. I like to put a fleece blanket on top so that the mic does not capture bounce from ceiling

Edited January 16 by Aapo Lettinen

[Tyler Purcell]

Yea, for sure do stereo, mono should only be used for dialog. 

[Tim Gillett]

Given the poor acoustics, mic placement will be important. I'd place the cardioid mics relatively close to the quartet because it's  not easy to remove  excess reverb in post without damaging the wanted sound. Mono compatibility is important and these days is often missed, The  true XY  stereo  pattern has very good  mono compatibility, useful if people are listening on a single speaker such as a mobile phone or single bluetooth speaker.

But even though they're cardioid, the XY config isnt ideal for a very noisy venue as  often each cardioid mic isnt aimed optimally to reject unwanted room reverb. An additional coincident single cardioid mic, but recorded to a separate track,  pointing directly at the quartet and rejecting the room reverb behind it can offer extra safety.

 

Edited January 21 by Tim Gillett

[Jon O'Brien]

On 1/22/2026 at 7:24 AM, Tim Gillett said:

Given the poor acoustics, mic placement will be important. I'd place the cardioid mics relatively close to the quartet because it's  not easy to remove  excess reverb in post without damaging the wanted sound. Mono compatibility is important and these days is often missed, The  true XY  stereo  pattern has very good  mono compatibility, useful if people are listening on a single speaker such as a mobile phone or single bluetooth speaker.

But even though they're cardioid, the XY config isnt ideal for a very noisy venue as  often each cardioid mic isnt aimed optimally to reject unwanted room reverb. An additional coincident single cardioid mic, but recorded to a separate track,  pointing directly at the quartet and rejecting the room reverb behind it can offer extra safety.

 

Thank you Tim, that is very helpful. Thank you to Aapo and the others too.

Tim, I'm trying to avoid having to hire or buy an extra mic just at the moment, so have another question for you. I don't have an additional NT5 mic, however I do have a fantastic little shotgun mic called the Deity SMic-2s which I usually mount on top of a Canon C300.

It's very good at picking up live acoustic music. Beautiful sound. Do you think this mic will do, as an additional mic, recorded to a separate track? I will no doubt set it up anyway, as what do I have to lose.

This paid gig seems to have been postponed. All good. Gives me more time to figure out the mic situation.

Edited January 29 by Jon O'Brien

[Tim Gillett]

Yes if you have the mic and a spare channel, why not? With live, one off gigs, another mic track is usually worth adding. Worse case  you have some redundancy built in.  No experience of that mic but  being supercardioid it's probably not so narrowly directional as to cause serious response problems.

Edited January 29 by Tim Gillett