Mic for recording band practice?

[twotimes]

I recently video taped my friend's band practicing. I used a good video camera with an external shotgun mic mounted on top (Sennheiser MKH-60). Of course, the sound was horribly distorted. It wasn't that the levels were turned up too high, it was simply that the mic is not designed to handle the wall of noise.

What would you recommend I do to get the best possible audio recording of the band practicing for cheap? Are there an minidisc/mic combos that would give me decent sound without ridiculous distortion?

I'm not looking for pristine sound and don't even mind if it is a little rough or distorted, but it has got to be better than the unusable noise I got the other day.

Thanks in advance.

-jim

[backhair]

i haven't used either of these, but nady makes a stereo mic for $40 and audio technica makes a similar one for $70. these may be better suited to capturing a performance than the shotgun.

then there's the zoom h2. this little gizmo seems too cool to pass up, and i'll probably be snagging one myself. it has 4 electret mics, SD storage, mic-in, line-in, usb, built-in limiter, and more.

there's a review with audio samples here, and it looks like a steal at $200.

but i suppose the determining factor would be to check the specs and see if any of these handle higher sound pressure levels than your current mic.

[Tapeworm]

I've had great results just hanging 2 ev 635's up at practice for a few years now.

They are Omni's so take that in consideration. They always sound way better than my drummer's mp3 recorder. You can usually find them on e-bay for $30.00 to $40.00 each (at least last time I checked).

[Shadow_7]

The Zoom H4 or H2 would be a good choice. Having an external sound track has advantages. If the camera sounds bad because of wind noise, or high spl's, you might try shielding the mic with a sock, or two. We used to put a bandaid over the condenser mic of cheap tape recorders to shield it from high SPL's. Not the best results per say, but better than having something that's not useable.

[BudgetMC]

+1 H2. I've got one, and it rocks for easy live recording.

[GordZilla]

For informal recordings of our band's rehearsals and brainstorming sessions I use an Audio Technica AT825 stero mic I scored for good price on eBay, plugged into an M-Audio MicroTrak stereo recorder.... works great!

Simple, easy, and sounds probably better than it needs to.

Cheers

[ZenKen]

Originally Posted by Shadow_7

The Zoom H4 or H2 would be a good choice.

+1

I've been using the H4 for rehearsal and show recording duties for the last year and it's awesome. Just learn how to set the levels right and you're off.

My only complaints are: the battery life is not as long as I'd like (but I generally use AC) and it's a little bulky, but he H2 is smaller and definitely more the thing you need. (The H4 can act as a four-track recorder and mic modeler etc, you don't sound like you need that stuff).

Good Luck!

[henryrobinett]

Yup. I dig my little H4.

[willsing]

I too really like my Zoom H4. Not only is it handy to carry around, but it sounds decent with the built in XY stereo mics. Really handy for songwriting when you just want to lay down a riff without firing up the whole big rig.

[PlugHead]

MicroTrak 24/96 is what I've been using. Direct import into PT is one of the reasons I bought it..

You still might need to buy their pad if it's blistering loud, but I've recorded a lot of open mic/jams and never a problem without the pad.

Best with it,