Earthworks Omnis
By Rich Tozzoli (rtozzoli@aol.com)

"What in the world are those things?", I often hear when setting up my Earthworks TC-30 K’s and QTC-1’s for a session. Frequently called space needles, dental tools and worse by the unknowing artists, these microphones are never again questioned when playback comes through the headphones. Whether it’s an Al DiMeola overdub session or the Joni Mitchell Central Park tribute, these mics are one of the few tools I insist using on EVERY project I do. Once they record with them, artists’ begin insisting on using them as well.

As a producer/engineer/mixer specializing into multichannel sound, I seek superior quality and consistency in anything I use. When traveling to a session, especially at an unfamiliar studio, what ou bring with you may make the difference between an average session and a killer one. With a pair of QTC-1’s and TC-30k’s in my arsenal, I can be assured I am capturing exactly what I hear when standing in front of an instrument; be it acoustic guitar, piano, violin or a full world/percussion drum set. Musicians also respond to these microphones, often commenting they have never heard their sound captured so accurately. (It’s nice when they give you the credit but I know it’s the mics…. well, maybe it’s me a little bit….).

When giving seminars on multichannel recording and mixing, I am repeatedly asked how I recorded tracks that sound so ‘real’. I describe my careful use of Earthworks omni’s, combined with high quality preamps and cables, a great room, and of course, great players! I have also noticed many younger students are not adept at using Omni’s, or have been told to avoid them (literally!). "Omni’s are your friend," I will say, and the playback of a surround session captured with my four Earthworks never lies. I go on to explain that I often find cardioid microphones limiting, and that high-quality omni’s capture sound in a more realistic (Earthlike) fashion (especially important for surround recordings).

Let’s take the aforementioned world/percussion drum kit for example. A beautiful session I tracked for surround was at a top-notch acoustic space called the Clubhouse Studios in Rhinebeck, NY. I began by listening to the room before placing the kit, to find the sweet spot for a surround capture. After placing the kit, I set up a pair of QTC-1’s about three feet in front of the kit, approximately 6 feet apart. Then the same exact setup behind the kit, about a foot wider, but using the TC-30k’s. Both setups were about three feet above the highest cymbals. Additional spot mics were used on hi-hats, kick, Cajon and djembe, etc, but the four Earthworks ‘quad’ mics were my priority. The mics were pointed towards the kit (I know, omnis are not supposed to be directional!), as I wanted the initial soundwaves to hit the small capsule before any room reflections did.

I ran the Mogami cabled mics into a Sony DMX-R100, then straight to Pro Tools via AES/EBU at 24-bit /48kHz. That it..short and sweet, and the mics coincidentally were positioned in the exact spacing and distance as my Genelec surround monitors in the control room. Therefore, what was captured was a highly accurate representation of a world/percussion kit that sounds absolutely stunning in surround. To cover the center channel, I simply widened the pans slightly, but you could even use one more Mic if you had it! I have found the quad percussion setup leaves me space to place other instruments tighter into the center channel. The drummer even panned his own shakers in real-time around the mics, an effect that could never be duplicated with hardware panners.

Another application with surround omni recording in the same studio was to run a full string ensemble back out into the live room through a pair of Hot House speakers. I then set up my QTC-1’s about three feet directly in front of the speakers and placed my TC-30k’s in the back corners of the room. This time I used the Earthworks 1024 four channel preamp, and ‘remiked’ a string section in surround. The results on playback were amazing, adding depth and warmth only a real acoustic space could give.

Don’t think that omni’s are just for multichannel use as well. When mixing stereo, I used the surround captures as real ambience instead of reverb, just bringing them in enough to create a natural space. Quite beautiful, and certainly noticeable in a mix. I have also begun to record mobile sessions with a TiBook laptop and an Mbox. Flamenco guitarist Romero, a big fan of Earthworks, is always blown away when we just have to use one QTC-1 in his basement to capture his guitar. I’ve also used my omni to capture amazing vocals, by positioning the tip near the mouth but on the side of the singer, not in front, avoiding any pops from direct air contact.Don’t be afraid to experiment! Once again, omni’s are you’re friend. Theyare a proven tool to capture accurate, detailed tracks. TRY THEM!