The DijonStock Digital Home Recording Support Forum

I did trial recordings today to see if my gear was up to the task. It all went better than i expected. next wednesday the orchestra will perform live and i will be recording. Quite a show! Peter and the wolf with a narator of course, mission impossible, you got a friend in me and others. It's a very diverse act.

I will mix one of the trials in the next days and post a prequel. Recordings will be adjusted depending on what it all sounds like but i have good hopes.

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In a minute it might be gone. Life is a bear in a bubble.

http://www.soundclick.com/bearinabubble

I have done a fair bit of this type of recording, with good results usually. Did you use all 8 inputs?

I usually do a room mic with an intention to later utilize the signal as a Mid-Side array. With the other six inputs I use a stereo pair, back about where (just behind) the conductor stands. I usually have them spread, but inside the outer edges of the seating arrangement, and perhaps angled in a bit. I have also used an x-y right behind the conductor too. I try to get these mics up a bit too, but I just use regular stands and shoot the boom up to get that much height. depends on the auditorium. some have rising floors / seating as you go back, so you may gain height for the room mics that way.

The other four inputs I place strategically, but often two would be devoted to percussion. It depends on the piece. The other two would perhaps highlite sections, with placement to capture the "first" player if they are carrying a substantial "lead" role (perhaps with the motif of the piece). I am fond of having the bottom end stuff too for the mix, strings, tuba, baritone, trombone .... And then an overhead in the direction of the section(s) covering the melody (flutes ???).

When it comes to mixing, I calculate an appropriate delay to compensate for the distance from the closer mic'd stuff to the mid-side array's location back in the room. Before mixing, I insert an appropriate number of ms. of empty space at the start of the closer mics' tracks, to bump them along a bit in time and actually close to, but a tad behind hopefully, the Mid - Side tracks.

If you have never used a mid-side, give it a go if you can afford the luxury to experiment a bit.

The way i have described the set up, the mid-side need be created after the tracking. For tracking,Your mid side would have you point a cardioid (large diaphragm preferably) at the middle of the orchestra well back in the room and then also have a figure 8 pattern on a second mic at the same location directed 90 degrees to the orchestra (creative stand placement or a 2 capsule stereo mic required). The figure 8 is pointing at the walls.

To begin you r mixing, after you have recorded the concert/session, copy the figure 8 signal to a second track. ( I usually leave track 2 open for this when I assign the inputs>tracks during prep for the actual recording ) . Pan these tracks hard left and right. reverse the phase on one of them. Now play with the balance between the mid signal and the stereo pair that are the figure 8 signals. Amazing realism!! Now the closer, but delayed, stereo pair and the spot mics can be utilized to beef up your mix. I am not above using some creative EQing or a touch of verb on the spots either. The possibilities are endless.

Good luck with your project.

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Byron

Hi Byron,

Mighty generous of you to give me all this advice. As i said i have put up four microphones. Two large membrane and two small membrane condensors. Judging by the tests i need at least one extra in the back to get more detail on the percussion. That will be maxing out the inputs. I need three spares to get a narator, a singer and a soloist. Thats 8 and tge doesn't have any more. I can't run arround during the show moving mics.

I'll put up a few samples in the files exchange under the same title. The will be MP3 but they should give you and idea of what i got and what we should expect. At least the levels should be good. I was a bit anxious not to clip the sound levels when they start banging the big drums but that seems ok. I have put mild compression and limiting on the inputs to help maintain the levels.

I'm not sure i get the mid side thing. The figure eight won't be an option for lack of inputs/mics. I think getting to five or six was allready a big effort from my side.

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In a minute it might be gone. Life is a bear in a bubble.

http://www.soundclick.com/bearinabubble

If you need more inputs, the narrator, soloist and singer could perhaps all come through a mixer to the same track. this may be able to give you two more.

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Byron