mics in matched pairs

[rainguitar]

I recently bought a Rode M3 as an acoustic guitar mic. When I went into the store to pick it up--it was an online order-- the salesman told me that they had 8 Rode M3s in stock, but mine had to be brought in because the others were all "matched pairs". Although I currently intend to record my guitar in mono, I am curious about this concept of "matched pairs". How, for instance, would my set up be negatively affected if, for instance, I were to purchase a second Rode M3 in the future and use it along with the other M3 to mic my guitar in stereo? Why is this "matched pair" thing important?

[pantomimeHorse]

The main reason for wanting true matched pairs is

when you're doing crossed-pair stereo recordings

and you need to be sure that both mics have exactly the

same characteristics.

 

It's worth having a few if you get asked to do this kind of

stuff, but probably overkill for most home studios or

anywhere where this work isn't your stock-in-trade.

 

-

C

[marcel72]

Nowadays, I think that's mostly marketing hype. If the mics are good quality, modern manufacturing tolerances should make any pair of the same mic match-able. If you're talking a pair of C-12s from the '60s, I can understand it, but...

 

If you're buying cheaper Chinese or Russian condensers (where manufacturing tolerances are less stringent) and you want to use them in matched applications, I guess it would be good to try several to see which pairs' response is closest.

[STILL]

I dunno about that, I think if you're going to do true pairs work, you want them as close as possible to clear up phase issues, which has MANY benefits.....