Cardas test lp version 2

Use the magnifying power of your ears. Play an LP with a well recorded, centered solo instrument or voice in the soprano range. Adjust azimuth for the tightest sonic image, so that Brunnhilde (or the clarinet) is life-sized from L to R, not bloated and fat sounding. A mono LP is easier but once you have the knack a stereo one works fine.

Note, TINY adjustments are necessary to really dial in azimuth, smaller than you can see without electron-microscope powers of magnification. This is why setting visually is just an approximation. Time spent trying to fine tune visually is time wasted.

It can be done with a multi-meter by adjusting L-only/R-only grooves to minimize crosstalk. But that takes longer than doing it by ear and it's no more accurate. I've done it both ways and by ear is better, if for no other reason than that it trains your ears and brain.

thanks, I will give it a shot.

Doug, that seems like excellent advice. I would add the following as potentially helpful: If the recording of that solo voice or instrument is in a dead space, it should sound life like in scale with no sounds (distortion), or exaggerated size outside of the immediate source of the sound. However, if it is in a live, reverberant space, then the voice/instrument should sound life size but there should also be a wealth of clean/clear sonic information all around that center image of the source. This will inform the listener of the size, shape and character of the space in which the singer/instrument is located.

I borrowed the Fozgometer? last night to check the azimuth on my arm. This is an expensive device that also requires the use of an appropriate test LP. It is quick and gets the job done. Sadly, my arm does not really have azimuth adjustability, but I was able to determine that the channel balance is spot on according to the meter and that my azimuth was extremely close.

I agree that learning to do it by ear is preferable and, it is certainly cheaper. There can be a learning curve, but it can be fun. I appreciate that people like Doug can explain how to do it and what to listen for.

Good additional sonic insights, Peter. A recording in a live space, rather than an anechoic recording booth, does indeed make it easier to hear the size/shape of the solo instrument/voice as well as the space itself. More sonic cues for the ears/brain to pick up on.

Many years before the Fozgometer I owned a share in a Wally Analog Shop, which also allows direct measurement of crosstalk when used with L only/R only test tracks. Minimizing crosstalk is one of the key goals of azimuth adjustment (channel balance is not, azimuth has little effect on that).

After several months, three of the Wally's four co-owners realized that he could adjust azimuth by ear about as well and much faster, with no expensive tools or test LPs. Using the device and seeing the numbers was fun in an audio-geeky way, but if we think for just a moment about what "minimized crosstalk" must sound like it's easy enough to work out what to listen for.