Ribbon mic for Live Rock Recording

stevennn · 27th December 2006

My band is playing a live show in a local bar. The venue is a good size and fits about 50-100 people. We have a two channels to record with, and will be using one condenser mic. For the other channel, I have a Shinnybox Ribbon mic with an upgraded transformer, but could use another condenser if the ribbon won't work.

What do people think? Since we are using only two mics, I need the ribbon to be able to pick up its side of the "action". Can it do that? Will it pick up most of the instruments, or will it just pick up the "dominant" sounding instrument. Any input on the use of the ribbon mic would be appreciated.

Our band has two guitarists, bass, drums, and a PA which carries the vocals. We play classic rock covers that lean a little heavy. The guitars are unmic'ed, including the bass guitar. For the preamps I'll be using a FMR RNP and RNC into a Sony Mini Disc recorder.

Thanks for the help,

steve

27th December 2006

Matched stereo pair of condensers is what I'd use, in an XY array in te sweetest spot in the room. Otherwise the two channels will be oddly different. But maybe you want them that way...

<L>

thedelugemusic · 9th July 2010

Hey, I know this was a while back...

...but if you encounter this same situation again, you may want to try using M/S technique. You'll need some kind of decoder, either hardware in between your pres and sony recorder, or better yet, import the file into a DAW and use a plug-in decoder, that way you can set the stereo image after the fact.

The only drawback may be that your ribbon and condenser have contrasting sounds, from what I understand, you want the two mics used in an M/S configuration to match as close as possible, sonically speaking.

27th December 2006	#1
stevennn Gear Head Joined: Apr 2006 Posts: 30 Thread Starter	Ribbon mic for Live Rock Recording My band is playing a live show in a local bar. The venue is a good size and fits about 50-100 people. We have a two channels to record with, and will be using one condenser mic. For the other channel, I have a Shinnybox Ribbon mic with an upgraded transformer, but could use another condenser if the ribbon won't work. What do people think? Since we are using only two mics, I need the ribbon to be able to pick up its side of the "action". Can it do that? Will it pick up most of the instruments, or will it just pick up the "dominant" sounding instrument. Any input on the use of the ribbon mic would be appreciated. Our band has two guitarists, bass, drums, and a PA which carries the vocals. We play classic rock covers that lean a little heavy. The guitars are unmic'ed, including the bass guitar. For the preamps I'll be using a FMR RNP and RNC into a Sony Mini Disc recorder. Thanks for the help, steve

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27th December 2006	#2
Lou Judson Guest Posts: n/a	Matched stereo pair of condensers is what I'd use, in an XY array in te sweetest spot in the room. Otherwise the two channels will be oddly different. But maybe you want them that way... <L>

9th July 2010	#3
thedelugemusic Gear Head Joined: Feb 2009 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 30	Hey, I know this was a while back... ...but if you encounter this same situation again, you may want to try using M/S technique. You'll need some kind of decoder, either hardware in between your pres and sony recorder, or better yet, import the file into a DAW and use a plug-in decoder, that way you can set the stereo image after the fact. The only drawback may be that your ribbon and condenser have contrasting sounds, from what I understand, you want the two mics used in an M/S configuration to match as close as possible, sonically speaking.