acoustic duo - spot mics or stereo pair?

jnorman · 30th August 2007

doing some audition recordings for a variety of instruments - mostly piano and violin, piano and flute, etc. in the past, i have always miced each instrument separately, with a single mic about 3 feet out from the soloist, and a stereo pair on the piano. lately, however, i have experiemented with just using a ORTF pair about 6 feet out from the duo like you might do on stage. as those of you who do this kind of stuff know, there are benefits and drawbacks to each approach. the close mics give a clean open studio kind of feel but can lack a certain cohesiveness between the players. the ORTF pair gives a much more cohesive sound, but at the expense of extraneous room noise, and is not as clean sounding.

that said, how would YOU do this kind of recording? thanks.

macleod · 30th August 2007

i have more then 2 inputs so i would do ortf and spot mics.

K

Jack Ruston · 30th August 2007

I'd try to do both...If you can get the 'whole' and then support it with some spot mics then you have the best of both worlds.

J

freestyle tromb · 30th August 2007

yeah, if you've got 4 inputs you could do a stereo pair and one spot on soloist, one spot on piano. i wouldn't think you'd have to use a stereo spot on the piano, if you're getting your main imaging from the main pair.

travisbrown · 31st August 2007

Depends on the players and the music style.

If I'm working with a bluegrass band that knows what they are doing, sometimes i'll do the single large diapragm mic thing and they step up for solos. Doesn't leave for a lot of control, but captures something about the band that you don't get with spot miking.

They have to be good, and it's rare that I work with good bands.

I agree with the other posts - spot mic and stereo pair. It will give you options. Sometimes in a good room with good players you can get a really nice stereo image from a stereo pair - something it's hard to duplicate with a mix.

30th August 2007	#1
jnorman Lives for gear Joined: Sep 2004 Posts: 1,807 Thread Starter 2 Reviews written	acoustic duo - spot mics or stereo pair? doing some audition recordings for a variety of instruments - mostly piano and violin, piano and flute, etc. in the past, i have always miced each instrument separately, with a single mic about 3 feet out from the soloist, and a stereo pair on the piano. lately, however, i have experiemented with just using a ORTF pair about 6 feet out from the duo like you might do on stage. as those of you who do this kind of stuff know, there are benefits and drawbacks to each approach. the close mics give a clean open studio kind of feel but can lack a certain cohesiveness between the players. the ORTF pair gives a much more cohesive sound, but at the expense of extraneous room noise, and is not as clean sounding. that said, how would YOU do this kind of recording? thanks. __________________ jnorman sunridge studios salem, oregon

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30th August 2007	#2
macleod Gear maniac Joined: Jan 2007 Posts: 267	i have more then 2 inputs so i would do ortf and spot mics. K

30th August 2007	#3
Jack Ruston Lives for gear Joined: Jun 2002 Location: Brighton UK Posts: 1,095	I'd try to do both...If you can get the 'whole' and then support it with some spot mics then you have the best of both worlds. J

30th August 2007	#4
freestyle tromb Gear maniac Joined: Jan 2007 Location: Nashville, TN Posts: 192	yeah, if you've got 4 inputs you could do a stereo pair and one spot on soloist, one spot on piano. i wouldn't think you'd have to use a stereo spot on the piano, if you're getting your main imaging from the main pair.

31st August 2007	#5
travisbrown Lives for gear Joined: Sep 2006 Posts: 4,140 9 Reviews written	Depends on the players and the music style. If I'm working with a bluegrass band that knows what they are doing, sometimes i'll do the single large diapragm mic thing and they step up for solos. Doesn't leave for a lot of control, but captures something about the band that you don't get with spot miking. They have to be good, and it's rare that I work with good bands. I agree with the other posts - spot mic and stereo pair. It will give you options. Sometimes in a good room with good players you can get a really nice stereo image from a stereo pair - something it's hard to duplicate with a mix.