The ORTF stereo technique, also known as ''side-other-side'', is a

microphone A microphone, colloquially called a mic or mike (), is a transducer that converts sound into an electrical signal. Microphones are used in many applications such as telephones, hearing aids, public address systems for concert halls and publ ...

technique used to record stereo sound. It was devised around 1960 at the

Office de Radiodiffusion Télévision Française L'Office de Radiodiffusion-Télévision Française (ORTF; ) was the national agency charged, between 1964 and 1975, with providing public radio and television in France. All programming, and especially news broadcasts, were under strict control ...

(ORTF) at

Radio France Radio France is the French national public radio broadcaster. Stations Radio France offers seven national networks: * France Inter — Radio France's " generalist" station, featuring entertaining and informative talk mixed with a wide variety o ...

. ORTF combines both the volume difference provided as sound arrives on- and off-axis at two

cardioid microphone A microphone, colloquially called a mic or mike (), is a transducer that converts sound into an electrical signal. Microphones are used in many applications such as telephones, hearing aids, public address systems for concert halls and publi ...

s spread to a 110° angle, as well as the timing difference as sound arrives at the two microphones spaced 17 cm apart. The microphones should be as similar as possible, preferably a frequency-matched pair of an identical type and model. The result is a realistic stereo field that has reasonable compatibility with mono playback. Since the cardioid polar pattern rejects off-axis sound, less of the ambient room characteristics are picked up. This means that the mics can be placed farther away from the sound sources, resulting in a blend that may be more appealing. Further, the availability of purpose-built microphone mounts makes ORTF easy to achieve. As with all microphone arrangements, the spacing and angle can be manually adjusted slightly by ear for the best sound, which may vary depending on room acoustics, source characteristics, and other factors. But this arrangement is defined as it is because it was the result of considerable research and experimentation, and its results are predictable and repeatable. These interchannel differences are not the same as interaural differences, as produced by

artificial head Binaural recording is a method of recording sound that uses two microphones, arranged with the intent to create a 3-D stereo sound sensation for the listener of actually being in the room with the performers or instruments. This effect ...

recordings. Even the spacing of 17 cm is not strictly based on interaural ear spacing. The recording angle for this microphone system is ±48° = 96°. The ORTF-Stereo-Microphone System - pdf
Retrieved January 23, 2009.

References

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External links

Visualization ORTF Stereo Microphone System - Cardioid/Cardioid - 110° 17 cm Equivalence Stereo - SRA Recording angle
Microphones Recording Audio engineering fr:Office de radiodiffusion télévision française

See also

References

External links