Mixing In 6 audience shotguns?

[JayCrouch]

Most amateur attemps at a live type recording either try an Audio Technica stereo mic pointed at the audience, yet I've seen everything from beat up sm-58s hanging by their cables from the ceiling only a few feet above the crowd (and yes, I've seen hooligans snag the mics).

I often try to place a room stereo pair to pick up both the crowd and PA, yet strick crowd mics are a good call as well...

anyways, you have yourself 6 inputs of crowd - how to you go about making those inputs fit the vibe of the recording, and help re-create the feeling of the show?

[Remoteness]

In most live concert recordings, I use 4 mics. Two shotguns pointing out into the audience from downstage left & right with an other pair at the FOH position pointing towards the stage. On larger events, I may add an additional pair at FOH positioned towards the rear of the room. Or even hang them off the balcony.

In "sheds" (Amphitheaters), I like to have more mics upfront pointing out into the audience, then equal amounts at the front, mid or rear mic positions. Then, I may add a FOH mic or two depending on what kind of sound I'm going for. The rear mic(s) is then mixed under the balance of the front mics. I like to group them, so I have single fader control of the soundfield I just blended together.

This week, on the Strokes gig, I placed five mics across the downstage area towards each seating section and a rear mic at FOH. It worked very well for me and plan to do this at the next shed I record in.

Hey, if you only got an A/T stereo mic and/or a beat up old SM58 or two, go for it. If it's the only mics you got, then it's the best choice you have. Find a place in the room for them to work. Experiment a little. That's what soundcheck's are for.

To answer your question, I place the mics symmetrically and pan them according to the placement of the mics. I also try to keep the front mic further apart then the rear mics. I usually never go wider the a meter or so on the rear mics, but I may have the outer front mics up to 10 meters apart from each other.