Spot Mics, Ex. B, Two Violinists

TOR / ODESSA Montreal / Subject 1 / Anatomy of a Mix / Spot Mics / Example B

Because this violin spot is picking up both violinists as a mono source, their sounds are not spatially distinct from each other in the context of a stereo image. Part of this is simply a numbers game (there are far too many string instruments to effectively mic all of them) but it also has to do with the role of the violin in the orchestra. Compared to the contact microphone, this a musically "useful" sound (for the purposes of mixing a classical recording). From this perspective, it's clear that the second violinist is following the phrasing of the concertmaster. Notably, the second player is also not captured breathing as deeply as the concertmaster, either.