How do I set up my microphones for a stereo recording ? ORTF method The ORTF method is the second most common stereo recoding technique in use today. This setup yields very impressive results with bright, small diaphram microphones like the Schoeps Collette series and the B & K microphones. Due to the bright, strident sound of these microphones the sharp focused recording of the X-Y method exaggerates these characteristics. This yields a recording that can be difficult to listen to for "Golden Ears" on high resolution systems. However using the ORTF methods produces a sweet sound with lots of depth without allowing the strident nature of these microphones to be heard. I have mastered hundreds of shows using the Schoeps mics, with the ORTF method yielding stunning results. My attempts, with more natural sounding mics, using this technique have been less than satisfing.