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6. Spaced pair overhead miking: spreading the overhead mics further apart captures a wider stereo image of the kit

For a wider stereo image, spreading the mics apart as a spaced pair is more effective. However there is now a risk of phase cancellation – where the signal from the source reaches each mic at different times, thereby cancelling itself out. We can check for phase cancellation by taking two channels and using the pan control to sum them to mono. With one fader up as the other is blended in, the sound should remain full

with good bottom-end. If out of phase, the two channels will sound hollow when heard together. The solution is to either move one of the mics until this improves, or reverse the polarity of one mic. In the digital domain the waveform can be inverted after it is recorded for the same effect.

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