Dimension Strings: Close(r) Microphones

[Pixelpoet1985]

Hi there,

although Dimension Strings were recorded with close microphones, they don't sound that close to me. Is there some post-processing going on or some special technique while recording? In order to mix/blend them with the other VSL strings?

I'm asking, because I really like the very close (divisi) microphones in Hollywood Strings. Dimension Strings (and the other VSL strings) sounds more like the mid microphone instead of the close one. I read something about the equipment Shawn Murphy uses, and that's also an imporant part for the sound I'm after, I think:
https://www.analogplanet.com/content/movie-music-recording-king-part-i-0

So my question: Is it possible to imitate this closer sound with EQ or another plugin? I also read something about the proximity effect and that lower frequencies are boosted. But I'm not an engineer. :)

[Dietz]

As long as you don't use MIR Pro, MIRx or the "synchronized" version of Dimension Strings, there's no audio processing going on (apart from the necessary post-production steps during the creation of the sample sets themselves, of course).

Kind regards,

[Seventh Sam]

A little bit of this plugin applied to the dry signal should get you what you're after:

https://www.tokyodawn.net/proximity/

[Pixelpoet1985]

@Dietz said:

(apart from the necessary post-production steps during the creation of the sample sets themselves, of course).

Thanks, Dietz.

But what does necessary post-production mean? Is the sound still the sound of a close microphone? And what does close microphone mean during the recording of Dimension Strings?

Maybe it's imagination, but for me, as I said, the close microphones of other libaries sound (very) different. You can hear more of the bow, rosin etc. (if that's the right term to describe of what I'm hearing).

And from your engineering point of view: What would you do to make the sound closer, if this is possible or needed (certain frequencies etc.)?

Many thanks in advance.

[Pixelpoet1985]

@Seventh Sam said:

A little bit of this plugin applied to the dry signal should get you what you're after:

https://www.tokyodawn.net/proximity/

Thanks, I tried this, but can't hear any difference, or I'm doing something wrong. 

[Dewdman42]

I was trying to figure this out also and made another thread about this...  Even the close preset has the syncron room to some extent.

If you want totally dry, then you have to disable the convolution.  On the mixer in syncron player there is a little icon that looks like a wave, next to the reverb send button.  Click that to open a window where you can bypass it completely or lower the amount.  Disable the room and you will have totally dry samples out of syncron..no more syncron stage...  That may not be what you want though...

[Pixelpoet1985]

Thanks, dewdman42. I'm talking about the VI version. :)

But I noticed this with e.g. Synchron Strings. I don't like the presets, they are all too wet, for my taste, even the close microphones. Maybe it's Synchron Stage by itself which is too wet.

[Dewdman42]

so when you say they don't sound "close" to you, I guess there are two primary ways you might hear that.  One is if you are hearing early reflections.  The other is related to microphone proximity effect, which is mostly EQ.  If you want the "close" sound to sound more like the microphone is right on the instrument, then warm it up, bring in a bit more lows and highs.  As you get more distance from a mic, then the lows and highs roll off.  In my opinion, the VIPro samples were not recorded right on the mic, they were recorded in a way that already has given up some of the very close mic proximity effect that you might be hearing in other libraries.  that is not really a bad thing becuase in real use that is probably what you want, not the close on the mic warmth.  

You can use EQ or some other clever proximity related plugins that are out there to play around with that.

The early reflections are another thing...which are more related to the room.  In the case of ViPro, the ER's are not there at all.  You have to add them with MirPro or something else.  So if you are complaining about the dry ViPro sasmples, then I don't think we're talking about ER, we're talking about proximity effect.

With Synchron, they have embedded a convolution engine into synchron player which is taking the dry samples...which are not neccessarily close on the mic again (see above), and then adding ER's.  I agree they are a bit wet for my tastes, but you can adjust that in the way mentioned above, to a certain degree by controlling the wet/dry mix of the ER's.

In reality, we listen to an orchestra on a stage of some kind with ER's flying everywhere.  If you want the closest dry sound you can get, then turn off the ER's first and then play with EQ to make it sound like its closer on the mic if that's what you really want, but in most cases I do not think that will sound like what most people would expect, but of course there is no reason we have to make music that most people would expect!

[Pixelpoet1985]

@Dewdman42 said:

In my opinion, the VIPro samples were not recorded right on the mic, they were recorded in a way that already has given up some of the very close mic proximity effect that you might be hearing in other libraries.

That's what I wanted to know as I said in the initial post.

I'm not looking for the closest dry sound on its own, but I like Shawn Murphy's mixes and, although it's a decca tree most of the time, he often blends in spot microphones, which have a very specific sound (also due to his equipment). That's what I'm after, they definitely sound closer and warmer than Dimension Strings.

So, I think I will try some more plugins. Thanks.