Live From Abbey Road - Acoustic Micing

[StevieRaveOn]

Hey guys,
I just wanted to see if anyone knew off hand which technique they were using on acoustics for the most part. I was just watching at episode and noticed on two different groups they were using a stereo mic right about the middle of the acoustic, but I couldn't tell if they were going for MS or XY. It looked as if the top diaphragm was aimed straight on at the center of the acoustic, so I was guessing MS. But, as you can tell, I'm a super newb, so I just wanted to check with you guys.

Thanks for your time.

[kats]

Who knows, I saw the other day where the acoustic was mic'd like an XY in the vertical plain - yet they were spaced about a foot apart Looked like ORTF but with the mics facing the wrong direction.

Seems to me like someone is listening to the cans and placing mics where they sound the best regardless of how odd it might look.

[StevieRaveOn]

Originally Posted by kats

Who knows, I saw the other day where the acoustic was mic'd like an XY in the vertical plain - yet they were spaced about a foot apart Looked like ORTF but with the mics facing the wrong direction.

Seems to me like someone is listening to the cans and placing mics where they sound the best regardless of how odd it might look.

I hear ya, I've had that happen before at least a couple times... you look at pics of the mic setup and just go, "WTF???", but it worked great.

It just grabbed my attention because I thought it sounded really nice for both acts I saw and kinda wanted to tuck a starting point away in my mind to play around with to see if I could hopefully learn something new. :)

Peace.

[Steve G]

Who was the artist? I'm sure there are a few different engineers doing that show, which would mean different mic set ups.

Steve

[Graham B]

Hi,
I'm the engineer who makes most of the mic choices for LFAR, (apart from when bands bring their own mics and monitor rig...) Just saw this thread and thought I'd join in.
Mostly, when possible, acoustics were mic'd with a C24, positioned near where the neck joins the body. It's actually XY with one capsule pointing directly at the neck, the other across towards the body. Has become a favourite for me. Even panned wide, it's quite a subtle stereo image.
The two km56's in a vertical array that kats mentioned was suggested by Pete Huttlinger the guitar player. He said someone (I think it was Allen Sides!) had recorded him like that and it sounded great. Didn't do much for me..

G

[StevieRaveOn]

Originally Posted by Graham B

Hi,
I'm the engineer who makes most of the mic choices for LFAR, (apart from when bands bring their own mics and monitor rig...) Just saw this thread and thought I'd join in.
Mostly, when possible, acoustics were mic'd with a C24, positioned near where the neck joins the body. It's actually XY with one capsule pointing directly at the neck, the other across towards the body. Has become a favourite for me. Even panned wide, it's quite a subtle stereo image.
The two km56's in a vertical array that kats mentioned was suggested by Pete Huttlinger the guitar player. He said someone (I think it was Allen Sides!) had recorded him like that and it sounded great. Didn't do much for me..

G

Cool man, thanks a heap for the post. The sound is excellent... For an amateur like me, the show's been really inspiring from both the engineering and musical standpoint. We're actually filling up the DVR at home with episodes.

Really, thanks again for posting.

[Marty J]

Originally Posted by Graham B

Hi,
I'm the engineer who makes most of the mic choices for LFAR, (apart from when bands bring their own mics and monitor rig...) Just saw this thread and thought I'd join in.
Mostly, when possible, acoustics were mic'd with a C24, positioned near where the neck joins the body. It's actually XY with one capsule pointing directly at the neck, the other across towards the body. Has become a favourite for me. Even panned wide, it's quite a subtle stereo image.
The two km56's in a vertical array that kats mentioned was suggested by Pete Huttlinger the guitar player. He said someone (I think it was Allen Sides!) had recorded him like that and it sounded great. Didn't do much for me..

G

Hi Graham, that's a great show. I really appreciate you taking the time to post here. Any more nice tips you'd like to pass on?

[rmx16]

Graham
Were they the orginal Coles 4038's that were used in the Beatles sessions?

Peace
Rob

[steins]

I missed this series. Are there any DVD releases planned?

Stein Tore

[steins]

I´m going to answer my own question.....according to Amazon UK, DVD 1 is released today! I ordered a copy.

Stein Tore

[Graham B]

DVD released already?! It was being edited only a few weeks ago..

4038's? I think all of their (at least 15!) 4038's are vintage. It's luck of the draw if you happen to use one that was on a Beatles session. Quite likely though I'd have thought, although I think their U47's got a lot more use on those sessions.

It's a shame, but I most often have to use stage mics on the shoots as so many bands want to use stage monitoring. Even on cans, huge drum spill also gives us problems when trying to use studio mics.

[corworld]

I notice there is a real split between the acts that treat it like a session and acts that treat it like a live show. Of course I prefer the session attitude. We get to see more of the good mics that way.

[-Noodles-]

+1 for the awesome job, Graham!!

[Graham B]

Thanks for the appreciation guys, we work really hard on the mixes..
It's certainly harder to mix the acts that treat it as a live show. Stage mics need so much eq!

Very cool that often the bands on tour give a more exciting and cohesive performance than on an album recording. Amos Lee was a particularly brilliant session in that respect, and they treated it as a recording session (studio mics, cans, no wedges) but with no overdubs.

Season 2 is about to get underway. I'm really looking forward to it, it's a brilliant project to be involved with!

G

[marty lester]

Graham-

i just discovered this show the other day...i believe "The Good, The Bad, and The Queen" (is that their correct name?) was featured. great stuff...and very
well presented all around. we tried a TV show pilot of similar nature (but with
a live audience) and no one ever picked it up...so glad (and jealous) you and
the show producers are doing something like this.

cheers,
marty.

[js1]

Originally Posted by Graham B

It's a shame, but I most often have to use stage mics on the shoots as so many bands want to use stage monitoring. Even on cans, huge drum spill also gives us problems when trying to use studio mics.

Ah, that explains it. Wasn't obvious to me in all cases. But things still sounded great.

Originally Posted by Graham B

Very cool that often the bands on tour give a more exciting and cohesive performance than on an album recording. Amos Lee was a particularly brilliant session in that respect, and they treated it as a recording session (studio mics, cans, no wedges) but with no overdubs.

Just saw it last night - the segment blew me away. Even made my wife stop in her tracks (which never happens).

If someone can work out the record company mechanics of getting the songs released on ITunes (preferably at 256K), I'd buy. There was a number of performances that I thought seriously slayed the original recordings.

Anyways, cool project, Graham, and thanks and hats off to all involved.

js

[wanderlust8]

Graham! This is my favorite thing on the TV. I tape each episode and impatiently wait for the the next.

What Mic's (Vox and AC Gtr)were you using and what techniques was used on Ray LaMontagne and Dave Matthews?

Thanks so very much... please continue the awesome work!

[Kris]

I've caught bits and pieces of the show and thought it sounded fantastic... Nice job Graham!