Volker Straus

The Straus package is a well known in audio engineering at the sound recording double - microphone combination of graduate sound engineer Volker Straus.

Construction

Volker Straus used it two microphones of Georg Neumann with different directional characteristics very close to each other (hence " package"), namely the miniature microphone KM 83 Omnidirectional Miniature Microphone and KM 84 with cardioid characteristic. These two transformer - balanced microphone outputs were measured with a cable adapter used in series and put together in only a microphone input; So no parallel and no separate control option. Thus, adding the cardioid and omnidirectional polar pattern and result in a " wide cardioid ". However, all microphone developers agree that the electric microphone data are not guaranteed to function properly by this circuit. Since then, however, the type of microphone as Neumann Microphone KM 143 is " wide cardioid " on the market, was by Volker Straus no " package " is used more, but only the new width - kidney type as a single microphone with a reverse attenuation of about 11 dB.

Standing enough regulator and tracks are available, then the cardioid and the omni can be naturally recorded separately and to handle thereby electrically inelegant series, which of course is then no Straus package more. But that it is possible to subsequently alter the signal ratio of the signals of ball-to cardioid microphone and practically set any single directional characteristic between omni and cardioid. At high frequencies, the addition by the shifted phase (duration ) is not quite perfect, because the package microphones mechanically at a distance of about two inches.

The Straus package is really the result of a crisis at a time when there was no microphone types with the specific directivity " wide cardioid " between omni and cardioid on the market.

Circuit

Straus packages were not used to produce a main stereo microphone system thereof. Each "package" was only like a single microphone used in the effective form of a "wide - kidney " support microphone.

The case often adopted "Parallel connection " of two microphones is wrong. Microphone developers warn of the thus no longer guaranteed microphone data. A microphone has virtually work at idle, that is, under low load. With the parallel connection of the source resistance of a microphone is wrong too strongly by the source resistance of the other microphone.

The secret to Straus package is not based on the strange generation of the directional characteristic " wide cardioid ", but rather on an abstruse Recording Philosophy of Volker Straus and a certain admixture of multi-track recording under import signals in a church in Holland. It often happens that the name Straus with two "s" is spelled incorrectly as Strauss. More thoughts on the " Straus " package can be found, see links in the questions link.

Volker Straus never want to have a main microphone system with a kidney - ball combination. Nevertheless, one can test basis with adjustable in level microphones try something sometimes.