Nails in Stereo: Brennan's Picks

Test 03, Station 07















Much like my other choices, this station exhibits very clear spatial differentiation. Only the pairs of 9 and 8 o'clock and 3 and 4 o'clock get slightly muddled together spatially, and this can probably be attributed to the station's forward-of-center positioning. This position can also be inferred through the dinstinctive percieved distance between 8 and 12 and 4 o'clock positions - the hit on 12 is clearly much closer to the listener. A somwhat distinct architectural impression can also be detected by comparing the longer echoes of the 9 and 3 o'clock dings (longer distance to the wall) to the more succinct reverberations at 11 (the portruding corner with the jaguar) and 12 (the very close front wall) o'clock.

Test 04, Station 10















I'm surprised I would pick something as gimmicky as a styrofoam head rig, but it probably had the most consistent and noticeable localization of any of the tests. Every single hit sounds like it's right where it should be in both depth and orientation. The station's left-of-center location can also be percieved by comparing the louder, more insistent left-hand and forward hits to the somewhat muted right-hand hits. Once again, the echo lengths tells a story of the room's shape - longer at the left and right and shallower at the front and front-left.

Test 09, Station 13















This PZM rig distinguishes it self from the other two (unsurprisingly) with its gain boost, particularly in the mid to high frequencies, that serves to give this recording a more airy feel with what seems like more distinct echoes. This higher gain is most likely the cause of the wince-inducing overload at 11 o'clock. However, this rig also exhibits great localization and somewhat consistent depth, although it does indicate a relative bias towards the 10 to 2 range - these hits seem closer even though they shouldn't be. Still, this rig seems to have a subtle element of space that makes the listener percieve themselves being in a large room. Maybe it's the airy, mid freqency boost from the PZMs.