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[Strummer]

Yes, I was copying the figure 8 to a new track and inverting phase.

Or as of late, I send the sides input channel to two tracks, one with the phase flipped. I can listen on the headphones for one loud side.

After more experimentation I'm wondering how well matched my mics are. I said earlier it had worked "great" twice, but going back and reviewing, twice it didn't suck as much as other times.

It's critical that the mics frequency response match, correct?
I have two Rode K-2's, but purchased a couple of years apart from different sources.

The m-s sound with two different mic models has definitely sucked for me, but I can use different models in X-Y and have a happy day after some placement tweaking.

[jimmyjazz]

I've never tried to "match" the two mics.  For instance, I often use a Royer 121 ribbon for the figure-8 mic, but I vary my mid mic between several, including a large diaphragm U47 clone, a Microtech-Gefell small diaphragm condenser, and I think an Earthworks omni.

I'm wondering if you have some sort of a processing problem going on, or maybe some bizarre acoustics (close to a sidewall, etc.).

[Strummer]

Thanks Jim, I've been thinking about this.

I tried the setup in several places, one was in my great room, which is huge with a tile floor. There would be long reflections and perhaps close floor reflection but no close side reflections. Today I was in the studio, put the setup about 5 feet high, carpet floor, but rotated 90 degrees from my previous setups. I sat on a stool rather than a chair so I gained about 24" of height for the source, and it was incredible, just what I've been trying to do.

I'm wondering if it wasn't reflections off the floor and the source was too low?

I have had the guitar at least 4-5 feet from the mics to avoid proximity effect, as well as setting the mid mic a notch towards omni (or in full omni).

I'm going to do some more experimentation and see what I can learn from this.

Thanks to all of you who responded.

[jimmyjazz]

What do you mean when you say you rotated the setup 90 degrees?  I'm sure you realize that the null of the figure-8 mic HAS to point directly at the instrument being recorded.

4-5 feet seems like it could be excessive distance in all but a really big room.  Proximity effect in cardioid probably doesn't get to be a problem until you're inside a foot or so, right?  Good trick moving towards omni to knock that down further, but of course, now you're grabbing even MORE of your room with the mid mic.

Keep us updated . . .

[Strummer]

Jim, when I say rotated I mean I turned the whole shebang 90 degrees in the room, me, guitar, mics, etc. I had been set up with the null side facing a large opening in the wall into another room. The + side was approximately the same distance from a side wall both ways.