I had a gig recording a piano & flute/recital yesterday.
Used the following set up:
Recorder: H4n - 48v phantom power on. - gain set at 40%
Mic: BP4025
Venue: Large resonant church
Subject: Piano (full stick) with flute in crook.
Mic placement: Looking at the piano and flute, the mic is off to the right, about 6' 6" in the air, about 4' from the flutist. Mic is directed toward the flute with the open piano directly behind.
I did a sound check before the recital. The gain level was about perfect. Using headphones though, the sound was almost mono to my ears. I checked connections and settings. It really sounded like mono.
I had brought along my old warhorse Shure VP-88 set to wide field and swapped it out with the 4025, using the same cable, and taking care to maintain the exact same mic placement. The only change was I raised the gain to 75% to make up for its lower signal outpuut. VOILA. The stereo field was suddenly there. The flute was centered, the piano surrounded the flute, and the room ambience surrounded everything.
Unfortunately I deleted the files with the 4025 sound checks, so I cannot compare the sound on speakers at home. I'll save them next time.
I have not given up on the 4025 yet, but this was very discouraging. I'll be trying other recording situations soon to see if I'm doing something wrong. Any suggestions on getting a palpable stereo spread?