Recording - January 2011 - 48

A

coustic Live Recording
No close mics allowed? No problem!
By Michael Schulze Microphone choices Because we are placing mics farther from the instruments, we need mics with excellent sensitivity, smooth extended high-frequency response, and low noise. We also need mics that sound good even if they are not pointed directly at the sound source. Small-diaphragm condenser mics (1/2" or less) work best for this. Having decided on diaphragm size, we must now choose polar pattern. Cardioid microphones pick up sound from the front, less from the sides, and reject sound from the rear. Cardioids work very well in most situations and have the added benefit of gradually rolling off some low frequencies. This can help clean up the sound of a large room, where low frequencies sometimes build up and sound muddy. If you plan to record mostly classical music in spaces that are not too reverberant, you might consider using small-diaphragm omnidirectional mics, which pick up sound equally from all directions. An omni will pick up more low end than a cardioid, so consider your sound source carefully—if you hear a bit too much low end in the room, you might want to stick with the cardioids. Placement Now that we’ve chosen our mics, let’s talk about placement. The ancient gods of stereo recording have set forth certain easily repeatable mic configurations that will serve you well in most situations. These configurations are divided into three categories... Category 1—Coincident pairs: In this category we will set up a pair of small-diaphragm cardioid condenser mics so that their capsules are almost touching (coincident, as in close together). The left mic will point 45 degrees right and the right mic 45 degrees left. This configuration is called XY Cardioids. Because of the wide pickup pattern of the cardioids, this configuration will tend to pull your stereo image in towards the center, making it more narrow. However, if your sound source is small, like a solo acoustic guitar or guitar and voice, this solid center image might be just the thing. You can also use a pair of bidirectional or figure-8 mics, which pick up sound from the front and the rear. Figure-8 mics give you more room sound than the cardioids, but will usually roll off even more low end, which can compensate for potential boomy sound from the room. The stereo image will also be wider and more natural. It can be tricky to arrange a pair of figure-8 mics in this Blumlein configuration, but there are a few excellent stereo figure-8 ribbon mics on the market now. A ribbon mic’s sound will

Having seen Michael Schulze and his crew in action at the fabulous Gates Hall at Denver University’s Newman Center, I had to ask him to share some of his methods for this issue of Recording. He gets to record the oddest combinations of instruments, sometimes including vocal ensembles, often comprised of performers who would never dream of holding a mic or paying attention to one that is staring them in the face. When there is no PA or other amplification, no FOH mixer, no monitor wedges on stage—when a concert is purely acoustic, and the only microphones are there to record without getting in the way, Michael uses time-honored techniques to capture it all from a safe and discreet distance.—LzR Seems like these days, even the lowliest garage band possesses a level of tech acumen that was once only displayed by bigshot studio wizards. Basement project studios bristle with glistening hardware and glow in the cool green-blue light of stimulated silicon. Spectral grey studio rats like us bathe comfortably in this light, but many musicians are uncomfortable with technology. What do you do if you have to record something like a classical performance, or perhaps an unamplified acoustic folk group in a venue where a mic in every face would be frowned upon? Perhaps you need to record a group of African drummers, a Japanese Taiko ensemble, a classical guitar quartet... Balance In situations where the music is un-amplified and the room acoustics are good, experienced acoustic musicians can balance their levels all by themselves. African drum circles, bagpipes, and European violins already sound fantastic in the room (well, maybe not the bagpipes), and don’t need the close miking, equalization, and compression that we are accustomed to using in our familiar high-tech studios and rock clubs. In situations like these, the best approach might be to try to capture an accurate recording of the natural balance between the instruments and their interaction with the acoustics of the room, rather than placing a mic on every instrument and trying to avoid the sound of the room. To capture the kind of balance of direct and room sound heard by an audience member, we might be able to place a pair of microphones some distance from the musicians and record their signal to a single stereo track or two mono tracks, panned far left/right. Using this old-school stereo mic technique, correct microphone selection and placement results in a stereo image that mimics the actual placement of the instruments on the stage.
48
RECORDING JANUARY 2011



Recording - January 2011

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording - January 2011

Recording - January 2011
Fade In
Contents
Talkback
Fast Forward
PreSonus StudioLive 24.4.2
Recording Live Performances—Your Options
Audio-Technica AT4080 and AT4081 Ribbon Microphones
Roland R-05 Portable Recorder
DAW Details
Yamaha Pocketrak W24
Reviewed and Revisited: Zoom R24 Recorder/Interface/Controller/Sampler
JoeCo BBR1 BlackBox Recorder
Korg MR-2 High Resolution Mobile Recorder
Acoustic Live Recording
Capturing Live Music For The Internet
It's Your Music—Know Your Rights. Chapter 10: Managers—Part 1
Readers' Tapes
Advertiser Index
2010 Annual Index
Fade Out
Recording - January 2011 - Recording - January 2011
Recording - January 2011 - Cover2
Recording - January 2011 - 1
Recording - January 2011 - Fade In
Recording - January 2011 - 3
Recording - January 2011 - Contents
Recording - January 2011 - 5
Recording - January 2011 - Talkback
Recording - January 2011 - 7
Recording - January 2011 - Fast Forward
Recording - January 2011 - 9
Recording - January 2011 - 10
Recording - January 2011 - 11
Recording - January 2011 - PreSonus StudioLive 24.4.2
Recording - January 2011 - 13
Recording - January 2011 - 14
Recording - January 2011 - 15
Recording - January 2011 - Recording Live Performances—Your Options
Recording - January 2011 - 17
Recording - January 2011 - 18
Recording - January 2011 - 19
Recording - January 2011 - Audio-Technica AT4080 and AT4081 Ribbon Microphones
Recording - January 2011 - 21
Recording - January 2011 - 22
Recording - January 2011 - 23
Recording - January 2011 - Roland R-05 Portable Recorder
Recording - January 2011 - 25
Recording - January 2011 - DAW Details
Recording - January 2011 - 27
Recording - January 2011 - 28
Recording - January 2011 - 29
Recording - January 2011 - 30
Recording - January 2011 - 31
Recording - January 2011 - 32
Recording - January 2011 - 33
Recording - January 2011 - Yamaha Pocketrak W24
Recording - January 2011 - 35
Recording - January 2011 - Reviewed and Revisited: Zoom R24 Recorder/Interface/Controller/Sampler
Recording - January 2011 - 37
Recording - January 2011 - 38
Recording - January 2011 - 39
Recording - January 2011 - JoeCo BBR1 BlackBox Recorder
Recording - January 2011 - 41
Recording - January 2011 - 42
Recording - January 2011 - 43
Recording - January 2011 - 44
Recording - January 2011 - 45
Recording - January 2011 - Korg MR-2 High Resolution Mobile Recorder
Recording - January 2011 - 47
Recording - January 2011 - Acoustic Live Recording
Recording - January 2011 - 49
Recording - January 2011 - Capturing Live Music For The Internet
Recording - January 2011 - 51
Recording - January 2011 - It's Your Music—Know Your Rights. Chapter 10: Managers—Part 1
Recording - January 2011 - 53
Recording - January 2011 - Readers' Tapes
Recording - January 2011 - Advertiser Index
Recording - January 2011 - 56
Recording - January 2011 - 57
Recording - January 2011 - 58
Recording - January 2011 - 59
Recording - January 2011 - 60
Recording - January 2011 - 61
Recording - January 2011 - 2010 Annual Index
Recording - January 2011 - 63
Recording - January 2011 - Fade Out
Recording - January 2011 - Cover3
Recording - January 2011 - Cover4
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