Help me tweak my mic position for tonight!

[DCtoDaylight]

Hey everyone - this is kind of last-minute, but I wanted to tap into the massive collective intelligence as I prep for a session this evening.

I'll be recording a chamber orchestra + piano concert; I did a similar recording last year of the same ensemble in the same hall, and have attached a short sample. I used an NOS pair 12 feet above the stage and 2 feet upstage from the stage's front edge.

For tonight, I won't have any chance to play with the positioning - I'll have to set up and go. Not ideal, but that's how it worked out, and the goal is just an archive recording, not for release, and they say the ensemble setup should be identical. We'll see, I suppose!

Anyway, I'm fairly happy with last year's capture, but wanted to see what folks thought of the piano-orchestra balance, and whether it might make sense to move the mics back a little to possibly get a little more blend between the two.

Thanks in advance for comments!

[jnorman]

ORTF/NOS main pair should be good for the ensemble. i would consider adding a spot or stereo pair on the piano for a bit of enhancemnet during post if needed.

[csbarnet]

I think the piano/orchestra balance works nicely for this Shostakovich piece. On a different piece (say, pre-Romantic) I might want slightly less piano in the equation. Sounds great!

[mixedupsteve]

It sounds great.
What, if anything was done in post?

[DCtoDaylight]

Hey, thanks for the encouraging inputs, y'all - I just got home. Turned out the piano was set up a bit further downstage this time, so I ended up moving the mics about 4 feet further out over the audience, and just a touch higher, and it seemed to come out pretty nicely (though I haven't gotten to listen to everything yet).

@ mixedupsteve - that sample I posted had almost nothing done after the fact. I added a limiter, but it only kicked in once or twice for a second or so, to take a couple db off the peaks of a *very* dynamic trumpet part so that I could run the overall level higher. The hall is a real sweetie, which makes the job a lot easier.

If anyone's interested, I'll put up a sample of the new recording over the weekend.

[ZEBRAAA]

lets us hear it

greetz

[DCtoDaylight]

OK, since someone asked.....it's pretty similar to the previous one, really, maybe the piano is a touch brighter.

As always, comments and suggestions appreciated!