How to Setup the Zoom F6 for Mid Side Recording

 

If you're new to Mid Side recordings, here's a quick explanation: 

Mid Side or MS is a microphone technique made up of 2 mics to create a stereo signal. The mid microphone, usually cardioid or hypercardioid, is facing the centre of the sound source. While the Figure-8 microphone is positioned 90 degrees off-axis from the sound source.

When combined and decoded, the two separate mics create a stereo signal with a wide stereo image and a strong focused centre.

Below is a diagram of a Mid Side setup

Setting up the Zoom F6 for Mid Side Recording Method 01 (my preference)

Plug the mid mic into Channel 1 and the side mic into channel 2.

Make sure channels 1 & 2 are active and panned to the centre.

Click the menu (the 3 lines top left)

click output

then headphone out

and then routing.

On channels 1 & 2 scroll until you get to MS and click it. This will make you monitor channels 1 & 2 through your headphones as a decoded MS signal without decoding the actual file.

Come out of the menu and return to the main screen.

Fader 1 will adjust the mid level and fader 2 will adjust the side level. Increase or decrease fader 1 & 2 to make the stereo image wider or narrower.

This method basically means that when you bring your recording into your editing software, you will need to use a Mid Side decoder to decode the audio file so you can hear a proper stereo image. 

For this i use a free decoder called MSED.

I prefer this method because it gives me the most flexibility after I've been recording sounds. I can easily manipulate the sound further. If I want to, I can increase or decrease the stereo image and move the focus of the Mid microphone.

Adjusting the Side Gain

If for example the Mid microphone wasn't pointing in the exact direction of the sound source and the recording sounds unbalanced, I can adjust the pan of the Mid microphone so it sounds more in the middle and even.

Adjusting the Mid Pan

Setting up the Zoom F6 for Mid Side Method 02 

This Second Method decodes the file and leaves you with a recording that is permanently decoded.

First of all, reset all the settings if you previously changed the output routing. Make sure its just set to 1 & 2 for Left & right.

With the mid mic plugged into channel 1 and the side into channel 2. Click the menu button, scroll to Input,

then down to Link Settings.

Now click Input Link

and change channels 1 & 2 to MS.

The Zoom F6 will decode the mic configuration leaving you with a stereo file (it’ll sound like a normal stereo recording)

When you bring this into editing software there will be no need to use a decoder like I previously mentioned because the file has already been decoded and you’ll be hearing a proper stereo image. 

Here on Cubase you can see two separate recordings. Recording 1 is the first method and recording 2 is the second method. 

Recording 1 needs a decoder. Recording 2 doesn't because its already decoded.

Listen to an example of the two seperate recordings

Which method would I recommend?

Well, it's less work to use the second method because it skips having to decode the file in the edit stage, however if you want to tweak the stereo width, say you had it set up too narrow or your source was slightly off centre. It's way easier to change that in the first method with some tweaking in a decoder like MSED. That's why I prefer it.

 

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