Today we are covering the XY mic technique. The XY micing technique utilizes two microphones that are positioned so that they come together at the point of the diaphragm. The benefit of this is that it allows you to put two microphones in the same place in space, where you can get an accurate spatial image for stereo recording without encountering phase problems. That’s the biggest problem that we have mic’ing anything in stereo. It’s also just a quick and easy technique to utilize. Use a stereo XY bar and just attach it on one stand and you’re ready to go. We recommend the Peluso P84 microphones, as well as Soyuz 013 FET, and Telefunken M60 FET SDC’s. We also suggest XY and the FET SDC’s specifically because they are going to sound excellent on acoustic instruments, they’re warm, detailed, and they’re also natural at the same time. 

XY techniques specifically with the Peluso P84, the acoustic instruments are going to be panned left and right so the vocal can sit in the middle. The XY technique is just a very future friendly method because you can get very narrow with that, you can go straight to mono, or you can pan them even a little bit wider, and still know that the microphones are going to be phase coherent with one another; specifically because the sound is arriving at both capsules at the same exact time. 

We also recommend the P84 because when you purchase a P84 stereo kit from Peluso, you get everything that you need to accomplish XY technique recordings right out of the gate. The kit includes the stereo bar, the two mics, and the shock mounts. It’s a great example of what you can accomplish with different mic’ing techniques when you buy a P84 stereo kit.

In this video we discuss the XY miking technique using the Peluso P84 SDC Stereo Kit on mandolin and dobro. The XY technique is one of the few coincident miking techniques that minimizes phase issues, as the sound is arriving at both microphones at the same time when the mics are arranged correctly. Because of this, the XY technique is an excellent technique for quick and easy recording setups or when the panning of the mics in the mix is not yet determined during the recording stage (the mics can be summed to mono or panned wider without fear of comb filtering).