Live recording of power pop trio....

[McPBrain]

New guy here. I hope I'm in the right room!



I volunteered to do a live recording of my buddy's 3-piece band. They consist of guitar, bass, and drums.... one lead vocal and one harmony. They aptly describe themselves as "twangy power pop". Oh yeah.... their stage volume is quite loud....

I'm going to track them with an Akai DPS16. I'm probably going to limit it to 8 tracks, but I may use the SPDIF ins for 2 more tracks if necessary. I have a small mixer with 8 mic pres plus an RNP. Also have an RNC, a 4 channel Multicom, and a DBX 266 comp/lim/gate that I would use for gates if necessary....


My very limited mic assortment consists of an AT4050, an Oktava MK-012, (2) Naiant MSH-2 omnis(on order), a Senn e609, an AT41HE dynamic, (2)SM57's, and (3)SM58's. I can probably borrow a kick mic too. The drummer's kit is comprised of: Kick, snare, rack tom, and floor tom with minimal cymbals. Also, his kick sports a resonant head without a hole.

Vocals will likely be tracked, but there's a strong possibility that they will be scratched and added at a later date in my project studio. Therefore, if I need those 2 channels for instrument mics, that is an option...

I'm looking for ideas on which mics to utilize and where to place them, please. Here's my thinking for what it's worth...

vocals - (2)SM58's
Guitar - e609
Bass - D.I.
Kick - AT4050 in front of resonant head...Which pattern? Will this give enough attack? The DBX's gate is pretty suspect. Should I still try to use it to minimize bleed?
Overheads - Naints in recorderman setup.
Snare - Oktava or SM57 under snare. What phase issues should I watch for with this and the OH's?

Any input is appreciated!

[Jim vanBergen]

2 Suggestions:

1 -Don't use the gate on tracking, only for mixing. I rarely print (record) dynamics while tracking, though I will do it depending on the situation.

2 -I'd use the dynamic on the snare instead of the condenser if they are indeed a power pop trio, unless you expect there to be brushes in which case you might want the condenser's sensitivity. When you put up your drum mics, solo the OHs and snare and adjust the snare mic to reduce phase issues. Since you are using omnis, you might consider doing a single overhead and a Steve Remote "drummer's knee" position with the other condenser to capture the kit... but that's a really personal approach.

Question: What is a Naiant? Can you post a link?

JvB

[McPBrain]

Originally Posted by Jim vanBergen

2 Suggestions:

1 -Don't use the gate on tracking, only for mixing. I rarely print (record) dynamics while tracking, though I will do it depending on the situation.

2 -I'd use the dynamic on the snare instead of the condenser if they are indeed a power pop trio, unless you expect there to be brushes in which case you might want the condenser's sensitivity. When you put up your drum mics, solo the OHs and snare and adjust the snare mic to reduce phase issues. Since you are using omnis, you might consider doing a single overhead and a Steve Remote "drummer's knee" position with the other condenser to capture the kit... but that's a really personal approach.

Question: What is a Naiant? Can you post a link?


JvB

Thanks, Jim.

I usually shy away from dynamics and gating while tracking too. I seem to have limited success(in limited attempts I guess) with plugin gates. I guess I just need to be more patient with them.

I'm a little nervous about using the omnis in this environment, but I think the ceiling is very high in the venue...

Here's a link to the Naiant mics. The have a really positive buzz on the net, so I figured is was worth the minimal investment to check them out....

Naiant Studio Store - Microphones