Recording an Orchestra Rehearsal in a Small Room

[chris319]

Originally Posted by mixedupsteve

I haven't done the math but it would seem to me that ORTF in a small room like this would result in your mics pointing at the side walls. If so, you would get a lot of cancellation right at the mic location. The wave sounds better so I guess your mics are OK.

Thanks for listening to the wav. The mics were pointed partially toward the walls, plus they were up against those cupboard doors. I'm going to get one of these:

http://www.fullcompass.com/common/fi...B9600_List.pdf

and dangle an overhead mic from it, not too close to the string section.

[rumleymusic]

If it was recorded in OTRF and then summed to mono that could explain a little of the "phaseyness".

Correcting my typo: ORTF. Don't want to sound like a dummy.

Thanks for listening to the wav. The mics were pointed partially toward the walls, plus they were up against those cupboard doors. I'm going to get one of these:

http://www.fullcompass.com/common/fi...B9600_List.pdf

Those are very nice stands for the price. I have a couple of the solid base version.

I'm sure it would help to get it away from the wall, try to point the mics somewhere in the middle of the orchestra from the conductor position. The poor winds and brass need some serious help. Young wind musicians have a habit of playing into their stands, esp. brass, rather than projecting over the orchestra. It is much easier in a concert hall because the winds/brass are usually on risers.

[chris319]

There are advantages to living two miles from the main Guitar Center store in Hollywood :-) I got the stand and it is all set up in my living room. I need to get the auxiliary counterweights which Full Compass sells, but it looks like it will work fine. Now I have to decide which mic to use with it. I need something with a tight pattern. I do have an unused MKH 416 which requires a 12T power supply which I might build and try. I also have a Rode NT1A I could use with it.

The conductor said three of her clarinets were absent when this was recorded. And we need to hear more brass.

[rumleymusic]

The Rodes are pretty good for this kind of thing, nice and bright. You might want to get another to use as an XY pair for better coverage (if you are going to sum it to mono, I would not use an ORTF configuration, the space between the mics could cause high frequency phase problems.)

I also wouldn't give up on your PZM idea.

[mixedupsteve]

Originally Posted by rumleymusic

You might want to get another to use as an XY pair.

That's what I would try.

[chris319]

I'm going to try to get some sparkle into the mono recordings first, then try stereo after I'm able to do that. If I go back to stereo, I will go back to the MXL 990s of which I own a (non-matched) pair.

Yes, the PZM idea is still going to happen. I've already ordered a Crown PZM.