[hollywood_steve]

Thanks for the replies, but I just learned that the production was cancelled. I'm kinda bummed as this was going to be my first chance to record an opera, live in a good facility. They have invited me to work on their next production, but it isn't scheduled until next spring. I was really looking forward to the challenges of this type of recording, but I should be better prepared (as far as gear is concerned) next spring. I guess I should be relieved that I found out today as I had planned on ordering a few 100ft mic cables next week - and I really have never needed cables that long on any of my other work (I have one 100ft cable and I've never had any reason to uncoil it).

As the opera season is coming up later this fall, I might consider offering a freebie to some smaller local company. Something tells me that I will learn a lot the first time I work on a project like this, and its probably better to get those lessons learned before you are working on a client's nickel. I know that I was getting in a little over my head with the now-cancelled job, but it was too good of an opportunity to turn down. But now that the original job is not gonna happen, I want to be really ready the next time this type of gig comes along.

Anybody out there done any live opera gigs with simple stereo mic arrays with, at most a couple of flanking spots? I understand that a complex production like an opera is usually recorded with an extensive amount of spots, but I have heard some remarkable 50's era recordings that were supposed to be done with just a single pair. I think that the challenge of trying to capture everything with a single pair would be more fun than throwing up a dozen mics.