Are the acoustics nice? One thing I have not seen is a really nice hall at a high school. At least in this part of the US. When I was in high school we played in the cafeteria . Sounded terrible.
It really depends on the facility in these parts. A lot of the groups I record rehearse in the cafeteria. But for one it's the size of a HS gym and treated for sound since it's the band room. And as bad as it COULD BE, it's really not that bad. Another one rehearsals are in a cafeteria, complete with tables, support poles, and other structural oddities that do affect the end result. And other things like a low ceiling so you really don't have much choice in mic placement. And you look forward to the summer OUTDOOR rehearsals as the acoustics are far superior. And many of the community groups rehearse / perform on stages geared for acoustics. Even if the location just happens to be a school for the deaf and blind.
This is a response to XLR2XLR who bravely posted his first classical remote recording () using "2 x NT1A's and SM Pro Audio PR8E preamps" here: Classical music recording....
In the spirit of his post, I offer one of my own first recordings. Provided my memory is serving me correctly, here are the details:
Early Music Ensemble presenting a concert of Bach Trio Sonatas (numerous arrangements)
Gear:
MXL990s (main pair as spaced cardioids, several feet between)
MXL 993s
An SM57 or two (at least one on violin!)
Maybe a Rode NT3
From a learning standpoint,,, do yourself a favor and put on "ignore" anyone that tells you you need to spend a certain amount or use a certain brand or even level of gear.
__________________
Recording Engineer, Arts Laureate
I-95, I-64, I-85
Given the acoustics of the high school stage and auditorium, I'm pleased with it. It doesn't floor me, but it sounds better than the performance actually (and what more can you ask for?). I know there have been some Grammy winning opera recordings done with just Blumlein or Blumein m/s, but in my case, the extra mics helped to compensate for some of what the hall was lacking.
3) Weird things happen when you've got a ton of stuff set-up. Both an AT4050 and an AT4033 started acting up. The 4050 dropped out altogether and the 4033 was coming in and out. I replaced them with NT5s during the session (after also attempted switching cables), retracked one of the songs, and everything was fine. At the end of the night, I tested the mics, and they worked no problem.
4) Rode NT5s have hot outputs relative to other mics.
5) Pizza break in the middle of a session = awesome idea.
6) If only recorded loud music like this (instead of super-quiet live concerts most of the time), I'd probably spend more money on microphones and less money on preamps. It's nice not to have to worry so much about the noise floor.
3) Did you use the ART preamps? I have one too and have a simular problem. Changed the tube and still I hear crackle...
4) indeed, I have XLR-plugs with a 20db pad. It's just a XLR-f to XLR-m plug with no switch. There available in 10db or 20db. Bought them for the NT-5's but saved me more then once on other sources too.... (mine are from "highlite", I think it's a german company)
5) or french fries....
6) On loud 'hard' sounding instruments like trumpets I prefer a soft mic like ribbon or dynamic. I a ensamble (like the bigband) even a simple sm-58 sounds more focus and in the face then a condenser.
Re: 4) I didn't use ART DPSs on that jazz session, though I've never had a problem with them. I think Steve hit the nail on the head in suggesting that the Octopre can only handle phantom powering so many power-hungry condensers at once. I'm happy to report that I have since purchased a Grace 801 (classical recording duties call...), so hopefully that won't be a problem in the future. Here's the big band CD:
And I noticed Thomas W. Bethe is on 999, so I'd like to wish him a happy 1K-day as well.
To answer your question, I've come this far because I've tried to be friendly, efficient, and affordable. I took a good look at my community and the market and set my prices accordingly. I started out with two MXL mics (read/listen above) and used my recording hobby-turned-business to fund new purchases each step of the way, never going into debt.
Thanks for noticing, by the way. The more I used my stellar Great River, the more discontent I became with any less-than-stellar preamps for classical recording. So more pristine-preamps gradually rose to the top of my priority list, and when I ran across the 801, I couldn't pass it up.
This is a response to XLR2XLR who bravely posted his first classical remote recording () using "2 x NT1A's and SM Pro Audio PR8E preamps" here: Classical music recording....
In the spirit of his post, I offer one of my own first recordings. Provided my memory is serving me correctly, here are the details:
Early Music Ensemble presenting a concert of Bach Trio Sonatas (numerous arrangements)
Gear:
MXL990s (main pair as spaced cardioids, several feet between)
MXL 993s
An SM57 or two (at least one on violin!)
Maybe a Rode NT3
Norse, thanks for posting your starting gear. It's nice to see that not everyone starts out with all the gear they want. I love remoting but I'm still going to school so there's not much cash coming in right now. Here's my gear i used recording a church choir last sunday and a sample.
I used MXL 990 and 991 in ORTF for the mics which only kind of worked since the 990 is super cardiod and the 991 is almost omni (but the still call both of them cardiod) Don't even have a stereo bar so I used a boom stand with the boom horizontal.
Ran them (using borrowed cables) into a my Line6 UX2 into Live on my laptop. I'm using protools in the school's computer lab that I work at for the final mix down.
So not the most ideal setup... but adding to it soon with a pair of Avantone CK-1s and hopfully change the UX2 out for a firepod when I get my tax refund
Here's two pics of my Live/Recording rack. I did sound for a 750 person youth retreat. 4 bands - Sat. night, Sun. morning, Sun. night, Mon. morning. Decided to multi track to PT for the whole event. Unfortunately I had to use the Dir Out on the board to feed my 003 and ADA8000. It was a lot of fun if not crazy since I was doing quad duty as FOH, Monitors, Recording, and Stage tech.
It was at a beautiful facility in the Pocanos run by the Salvation Army.
The rack is my modified recording rack with added 266's and Verbs for Live use. I removed my Tube pres and headphone amps. I used the house system augmented with my own mics and other equipment.
__________________
Make it safe to do something unusual cause it might sound amazing.
Insanity Recordings - Facebook Profile - Mobile Recording, Mixing, Voice Overs, and Audio Post Production.
HTAV PROS - Entertainment Simplified - Custom Home Theater, Audio, Video, and Networking. http://www.htavpros.com
Just thought I'd share my latest project with you. Until now, whenever i've had a gig, I had to cram everything into a clear Tupperware box and a backpack, which never worked so I'd end up carrying a bunch of stuff by hand and had to make several trips in and out to the car. But not anymore!
i went and bought a $12 duffel bag from Wall-mart, and made a trip to Home Depot and got some hardware cloth, and then a trip to a fabric store and got some high density foam and some fleece.
I made a cage out of the hardware cloth the dimensions of the bag.
Attachment 1
The stuff isn't super sturdy but it's enough to give the bag some structure.
Next, I cut out the foam to fit into the cage, here is one side
Attachment 2
Then, I had my wife show me how to use a sewing machine and practiced sewing the fleece to the foam before I did the real thing, and as you can see, it's a good thing I did.
Attachment 3
Had to hand sew the partitions because they were to think for my wife's sewing machine, here you can see the "excellent" stitch quality
Attachment 4
And done!
Attachment 5
The partitions are removable so I can rearrange as more gear is added. I was also thinking of making individual pockets for all the mics instead of leaving them in boxes, but this works for now cause my fingers are sore from sewing.
The Session was tracked Live at The Diana Wortham Theater in Asheville NC.
The Capture was done with 2 Metric Halo ULN-8s into the onboard preamps.
Drums were done as such...
Charter Oak s600 pair for overheads.
Milab Bdm-01 Kick
Audix I-5 snare top.
cant remember which SDC for snare bottom.
CAD 177s Toms.
Bass: Avalon U-5 DI + AT 4047 on old Kustom amp.
Guitar: Michael Joly - MJE-K47H on a Rivera 112" combo + D.I.
Pans. Pair AKG 3000s Close up.
There was almost no reverb needed as I utilized the Bleed from the pan mics
to create drum ambience. The Mixes were dumped from MIO record panel
into logic. In Logic I used Slate's Neve console emulation on each channel
to add Fur. I then routed all channels to the MIO mixer and applied EQ, gating and compression . At the mastering stage I created a nice multi band comp
and eq in MIO and then hit Slate's FX-G for gain. I used to use a bunch of high end outboard but at this stage I am convinced I can do without most of it.
Hi fellow remotesters! I'm not very good with posting but always enjoy reading on here! Here's a picture of the gear used on my latest mobile orchestra session and even a video clip! There are multiple cameras but for the sake of sharing only the main camera was used. Main mic was an Neumann SM69 with two MKH 800 outriggers and a TLM170 "LFE" mic.
The musicians are high school students from Rancho Bernardo High School in San Diego, CA YouTube - ‪Rancho Bernardo High School 2011 ET John Williams‬‏
This one at a different end of the scale - excuse the photo quality being just from the phone camera which was handy.
The location is the Malvern Town Hall, a typical late 19th century municipal hall, shoe box dimensions with a CURVED roof. The orchestra is the Stonnington Symphony, probably the top community orchestra in Melbourne conducted by Maestro Barry Tuckwell (apart from the UK, residents of MD may remember him). The rig is C426B as the main (HC90 works best here) with an alternate main (for trial) of a Faulkner array - two parallel C414 B-ULS spaced 20cm to try and get rid of the curved roof and parallel walls. Outriggers are Schoeps MK2S, and one can just discern the NT55 as a tymp spot. (No wood spotters on this occasion). Program was Nielsen, Janacek and Sibelius.
The real reason is to show my Control Room. (Sorry for the motion blur). It is also the sprinkler control room and the blower room for the resurrected Wurlitzer (the wooden chest on which the gear is sitting!). Note the convenient access to the percussion section just outside the door. Apart from the odd passing double bass or tympanum during setup, I'm pretty much left to my own devices - which comprise RME UFX and BG2 (the small box is the control for the C426B). The location also requires the minimum footsteps between there and the parking spot for the gear wagon.
I shall make some comment later on the effectiveness of the Faulkner array in controlling the acoustic excesses of the hall. Right now a dose of lurgi means my ears are most unreceptive to quality sound.
I have worked in worse conditions - including much more lavish control rooms surrounded by unsympathetic and antagonistic venue staff. Here at least they are quite friendly, and they say 'thank you for coming along'. Anyway, this is a touch of real world for a change. Enjoy!
__________________
A little nonsense now and then
Is relished by the wisest men!
Hi fellow remote-sters! I'm not very good with posting but always enjoy reading on here! Here's a picture of the gear used on my latest mobile orchestra session and even a video clip! There are multiple cameras but for the sake of sharing only the main camera was used. Main mic was an Neumann SM69 with two MKH 800 outriggers and a TLM170 "LFE" mic.
The musicians are high school students from Rancho Bernardo High School in San Diego, CA YouTube - ‪Rancho Bernardo High School 2011 ET John Williams‬‏
New Reply 
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
. Sounded terrible.
) using "2 x NT1A's and SM Pro Audio PR8E preamps" here: 
but adding to it soon with a pair of Avantone CK-1s and hopfully change the UX2 out for a firepod when I get my tax refund
