2L-Cube Reference

Concept

2L-Cube is a microphone array developed by Lindberg mainly relying on interchannel time difference
(ICTD) for imaging. It employs nine omni microphones in a cube arrangement for a 4+5+0 reproduction
(Fig. 4). The width and depth dimensions of the cube could vary from 0.4m to 1.2m depending on the size
of the ensemble, while the height dimension is kept constant as 1m. The front center microphone is
placed slightly in front of the base point between the left and right microphones (the exact spacing is not
specified.). In Lindberg’s recording sessions, a large musical ensemble is usually arranged in a circular
layout and 2L-Cube is placed at the center position to achieve a 360◦ source imaging. He also tends to
adjust the distances of individual musicians from the microphone array in order to achieve an optimal
level balance for each different musical work

The choice of omni microphones for 2L-Cube is more for their tonality rather than the polar response
itself; an omni microphone would typically offer a more extended low-end in the frequency response
compared to a unidirectional or bidirectional microphone. Furthermore, the exact vertical orientations of
the upper layer microphones depend on the desired tonal characteristics. He often utilizes acoustic
pressure equalizers2 to increase the directionalities of the microphones at high frequencies. This would
produce some ICLDs vertically, which might be useful for avoiding the upward-shifting of source image in
the vertical plane.

Fig. 4. Top and side views of 2L-Cube. The solid black and dotted grey circles represent the middle and
upper layer microphones, respectively. All microphones are omnidirectional.
In practice (credit Morton Lindberg)
Sources (available on PROD4 Team Files)

● H. Lee and D. Johnson, “3D Microphone Array Comparison: Objective Measurements” J.

Audio Eng. Soc., vol. 69, no. 11, pp. 871–887, (2021 November). DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17743/jaes.2021.0038
● H. Lee, “Multichannel 3D Microphone Arrays: A Review” J. Audio Eng. Soc., vol. 69, no.
1/2, pp. 5–26, (2021 January/February). DOI: https://doi.org/10.17743/jaes.2020.0069