Recording - July 2012 - 59

For big ensembles like orchestras you can probably stop at a maximum of 12 feet above the stage floor. The mics need to be high enough so that they can “see” all the instruments in the ensemble and do not pick up too much of the reflected sound off the floor. See Figure 6 for a simple example with a grand piano.

front of the spot mics and delay their tracks so that the hand claps line up with the arrival time at the main pair. For more information on time aligning, see our video at www.recording mag.com/videos/videoDetail/13.html. Pan the spot mics to match where you hear those instruments in the stereo panorama of the main pair, and bring Figure 6

Speaking of orchestras, that happens to be a specialty of mine. I used to use a setup called a Decca Tree (a three-point pick-up array using omnidirectional microphones in a triangle, often equilateral, pointed at the sound source), but lately I’ve been recording orchestras with a 3 foot spaced pair of omnis, Schoeps MK2 S, DPA 4006 or Sennheiser MKH 20, 8 feet away from the front of the orchestra and 12 feet above the stage floor, panned hard left and right.

the faders up just until you can tell that they are there, then adjust to taste. Be careful not to throw off the balance of the orchestra or Maestro will scream at you in Italian.

Where else?
Consider using stereo pairs in front of a group of singers, a horn section, or hand percussion. Use the pair in addition to, or even instead of your usual close mics. Try a spaced pair 6 to 8 feet from a drum set and mix it in with

Recording stereo with only two microphones can produce recordings with stunning depth and realism.
This pair does not cover the outside edges, so I add a really wide pair of omnis at the 25% and 75% points across the width of the group, same distance and same height as the main pair, also panned hard left and right. I aim the mics down so they point at the instruments halfway back in the ensemble. (Even though they are omnis they are a bit more directional at higher frequencies.) With a good orchestra in a good hall, this is all I need. But if there are balance problems or I want some mixing flexibility I will add spot mics or pairs in front of sections. For example, I might put a spaced pair in front of the woodwind section and maybe a single mic 2 or 3 feet from a harp if there is one. In film scoring sessions it is common to place spot mics in front of all the sections of the orchestra. I always time-align these spot mics because they pick up sound way earlier than the main mics. I record hand claps in the regular drum mics. Again, I will delay the mix of the close drum mics to the more distant pair. Try a pair in front of your lead guitarist’s amp to mix true stereo ambience with the close mic. A stereo pair centered in front of the horns in a jazz big band works well, with a few spot mics on the rhythm section and soloists. You can even place a pair by the sound board in a club and mix it with the feed from the board, again delaying the dry to match the distant pair. You may be surprised at the quality of the live recordings you can get this way. There are lots more places where these basic principles can be applied to your recordings. Please experiment and report back! Michael Schulze (schulze@recording mag.com) is the Director of the Audio Production Program at the University of Denver’s Lamont School of Music.
RECORDING JULY 2012

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Recording - July 2012

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