Need some suggestions for recording my church's Christmas program. It will be the traditional choir with narration. Here is the instrumentation to be miked: Piano, Trumpet, Flute, 60 person choir. Currently the choir is being miked by AT853 small diaphragm condensers. The piano is on an SM81.
Here are the mics I have at my disposal:
AT2020
AT2021
SM81
SM57
AKG C414-B
Rode NTK
Where would you use this mics?
I was also thinking about buying a matched pair of condensors for the choir as a redundancy and to get a different sound. Any suggestions for a matched pair under $500 and what placement you would use?
Thanks!
Mic Suggestions
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Mic Suggestions
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BradLyons
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Well I'm sure there will be different responses here but personally with these mics, I would do the following:
C414 (in Omni)- Piano
SM81-Flute
NTK- Trumpet
For the choir, I can't recommend the Studio Projects C4's enough as they are oooh $300ish for the pair. I have sold many of these to churches for using as choir mics, drum overheads, instrument miking, etc. They are quite versatile giving you both an Omni and a Cardiod choice in capsule. I mix live sound for my church.... Full Drums, Percussion, Bass, Electric and Acoustic Guitars, (2) keyboards, Trumpet, Trombone, Sax, Flute, Lead Vocal, and (6) BG Vocals. I've used the NTK on trumpet many times.
C414 (in Omni)- Piano
SM81-Flute
NTK- Trumpet
For the choir, I can't recommend the Studio Projects C4's enough as they are oooh $300ish for the pair. I have sold many of these to churches for using as choir mics, drum overheads, instrument miking, etc. They are quite versatile giving you both an Omni and a Cardiod choice in capsule. I mix live sound for my church.... Full Drums, Percussion, Bass, Electric and Acoustic Guitars, (2) keyboards, Trumpet, Trombone, Sax, Flute, Lead Vocal, and (6) BG Vocals. I've used the NTK on trumpet many times.
Thank you,
Brad Lyons
db AUDIO & VIDEO
-Systems Advisor, CTS
Brad Lyons
db AUDIO & VIDEO
-Systems Advisor, CTS
I will second the C4s. I have been pushing these on people for about a year now. And, for good reason. They are relatively cheap and produce a very nuetral sound. You would be hard pressed to find a better pair (yes, they come as a pair) of small condensors for $350. I currently use them for high-hats, overheads, stereo ambient mics, beater-side kick, just about anything.
The C414 is definately a good piano mic, but I find that it excells as a room mic. It is also good for choirs when used in MS with another comparible mic. But, that is in the studio when you have seperation. It's one of them all purpose mics, as it is really neutral.
Yes, put that SM81 on the flute. It excels at high freq material. And, since you only have one, that is the best place for it. I guess you could pair it up with the C414 on the piano, but you are running quite lean on mics.
The NTK will be good on trumpet, but strangely enough, I have used 57s on trumpet with good success. I find it gives it that Miles Davis live sound to the trumpet. Not sure if that is what he used live, but that is what it sounds like to me.
You have the mics to get the job done, but I would recommend setting some money aside on your next couple of paychecks and get some of the standards. The mics you do have are definately top notch, but you need more. One SM81? These are almost always picked up in pairs. That C414 is one of the best all-purpose large condensor mics around other than the KSM44. Those AT's... I don't have them, so I can't comment. But, I would find out which one excels at room ambience and buy another. Because, you are going to need a stereo pair if you are going to make this sound like a live production. Good luck and I hope it sounds sweat when you are done.
The C414 is definately a good piano mic, but I find that it excells as a room mic. It is also good for choirs when used in MS with another comparible mic. But, that is in the studio when you have seperation. It's one of them all purpose mics, as it is really neutral.
Yes, put that SM81 on the flute. It excels at high freq material. And, since you only have one, that is the best place for it. I guess you could pair it up with the C414 on the piano, but you are running quite lean on mics.
The NTK will be good on trumpet, but strangely enough, I have used 57s on trumpet with good success. I find it gives it that Miles Davis live sound to the trumpet. Not sure if that is what he used live, but that is what it sounds like to me.
You have the mics to get the job done, but I would recommend setting some money aside on your next couple of paychecks and get some of the standards. The mics you do have are definately top notch, but you need more. One SM81? These are almost always picked up in pairs. That C414 is one of the best all-purpose large condensor mics around other than the KSM44. Those AT's... I don't have them, so I can't comment. But, I would find out which one excels at room ambience and buy another. Because, you are going to need a stereo pair if you are going to make this sound like a live production. Good luck and I hope it sounds sweat when you are done.
Joe
Thanks for the replies...I had already been contemplating the purchase of Studio Projects mics, and you guys just confirmed that for me...so should I use them in omni spread apart, or cardioid in an x-y or some other setup?
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sdemott
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it's probably too late for this advice but...
I'm not familiar with the Studio Projects mics, but as classical recordings are my bread & butter I would suggest using as few mics as necessary for the recording.
* You rarely need to spot mic a trumpet - they are loud.
* Same for piano - they seem to hold their own quite well.
* Setup the small diaphragm condensers behind the conductor in an ORTF pattern. Mics about 7" apart and angled out about 55 degrees. sort of : \---/
* Then place an omni at either side about 3.5' out.
* Spot mic the narrator and the flute (though you might not need the flute spot later on - but better safe than sorry).
drop them all to individual tracks and mix later when you can spend the time to make those kinds of decisions. Keep good notes as to the position of all the spot mics in the stereo field, as you will need to line them up later when you mix.
HTH
I'm not familiar with the Studio Projects mics, but as classical recordings are my bread & butter I would suggest using as few mics as necessary for the recording.
* You rarely need to spot mic a trumpet - they are loud.
* Same for piano - they seem to hold their own quite well.
* Setup the small diaphragm condensers behind the conductor in an ORTF pattern. Mics about 7" apart and angled out about 55 degrees. sort of : \---/
* Then place an omni at either side about 3.5' out.
* Spot mic the narrator and the flute (though you might not need the flute spot later on - but better safe than sorry).
drop them all to individual tracks and mix later when you can spend the time to make those kinds of decisions. Keep good notes as to the position of all the spot mics in the stereo field, as you will need to line them up later when you mix.
HTH
-Steve
Not all who wander are lost.
Not all who wander are lost.