Some of the More Common Orchestral Recording Miking Techniques are:

• Spaced Omnis: Two omnidirectional microphones located from a few inches to a few feet apart, some distance in front of the orchestra.  Note particularly that these are omnidirectional microphones, not the unidirectional or cardioid microphones more commonly used in recording or PA.  Omnidirectional, unidirectional and cardioid refer to the directional pickup pattern of a microphone.  Unidirectional or cardioid microphones pick up sound mostly in front of the microphone and least from the rear.  Omnidirectional microphones pick up sound equally in all directions, in the front, sides and rear of the microphone.
  
  Spaced omnis depend mostly on method two to capture the direction of each instrument or sound.  If the spacing is more than a few inches, there may be some difference in levels, method one as described on the previous page.
  
  
• Blumlein: (Named after Alan Blumlein, the inventor of many stereo recording techniques.)   Two bidirectional (figure-8 pickup pattern) microphones, located together (usually one above the other on a common stand) one oriented 45 degrees to the left of center, the other oriented 45 degrees to the right of center.  As with spaced omnis, they are located some distance in front of, and even possibly slightly further away from the musicians. (This additional spacing also applies to the X-Y and ORTF techniques below.)
  
  Blumlein depends completely on method one of capturing directionality as described on the previous page.
  
  

More Stereo Mic Techniques on the Next Page