recording setup for classical voice/piano duo

[mightypants]

I'm fairly new to recording in general, but especially unfamiliar with classical ensembles. I'll be recording a voice/piano duo in a small recital hall at a local conservatory this week and could use some advice on setup, etc. Here's what I have to work with:

a pair of SM81s
AT 4050
Cascade Fathead
AKG D1000
Apogee Ensemble

Is it standard to just set up a stereo pair in front of the ensemble and call it a day? Or should I do any spot miking? Also, this will be the first time I do a remote session, can anyone recommend things I'll need to be aware of to handle this situation? I'm going to make a checklist of everything I need beforehand, what else should I do to prepare?

Thanks.

[joelpatterson]

I'd suggest you treat it like a *concert* except that you've got more leeway to place the mics where you'd like.

A stereo pair and the day call-- surefire formula for a generic and listless although "extremely defensibly pro" result.

Firstly, the performers will likely have a way they position themselves so that their communication is unhindered. Let them. The singer will probably be somewhere out infront of the curve of the piano. My impulse would be to mic the piano, which has its lid fully open, in stereo, one mic about 8" above the longest rib of the harp down at the skinny end of the box, the other 8" above the second-to-shortest rib, not-exactly-at-but-nearby the hammers. This way, you'll get a thrilling, *immediate* and enrapturing version of the playing, capturing the sensitivest nuances. The 81's, mayhaps? Then, this is probably difficult to get exactly right the first time... so maybe the ribbon, at the midpoint, placed where if there were an imaginary sheet of Saran wrap from the edge of the open lid down to the edge of the box, the mic would be against that sheet of Saran wrap? If you're any further than a few feet out from a piano, and the piano is a featured player, you'll end up with a chalky, indistinct sound. Which, there's a Greek chorus of advocates that really loves that sound... figure, meet go.

The 4050, three or four or five feet infront of the singer, might be ideal. It's going to be getting the wash of the piano as well, so keep it alligned directly at the instrument.

Other considerations? Noise-- bumbling janitors, well-meaning-but-clueless visitors, doors opening and closing, fire drills? Making sure the outlet you plug into is properly hot/neutral/grounded? Realizing that the first take is going to be the one they put their heart and soul into?

[mightypants]

Joel,

Thanks very much for your response. That is some good info. In this case, I wouldn't say the piano is heavily featured--it's more of a soloist/accompanist situation. Given that, would you suggest doing something else with the Fathead? Maybe use it for some room sound? Thanks.

-Jonnie

[joelpatterson]

It's hard to really give any advice that's going to specifically apply in a worthwhile way, once you get past the "basic approach" realm and need to customize things to the players and the situation. The piano may not be the focus of the endeavor, but at the same time, a thin, "lurking somewhere on the horizon" piano sound may be all the more distracting for its muffled, blurry quality. But me-- I like to hear a piano 'narrating' whatever it's got to say in a clear, upfront way-- it may also be the case that there are piano passages, phrases or introductory or concluding themes that play through the soloist's silence-- if the level of this is way down, I would identify this as "something is wrong."

"Room sound," I think I have a seasonal allergy when that phrase comes up: most any non-dynamic mic you can think of will get lots of "room sound" if it is indeed in the room-- there's no way to stop that. Will it get enough "performer sound"? That seems to be the issue I always face.

Again, I'm giving you the benefit of my own, unique, quirky way of looking at a recording job: the challenge, the difficult thing, the thing that won't happen automatically, is getting tracks that you can mix down into some kind of entrancing, captivating, "fool you into thinking you are there" end result. So I'd tilt things toward closer-rather-than further miking, concentrate on capturing the subtleties of the performances... and let the room and everything take care of itself.

[chris319]

My allergy to room sound is year-round, not seasonal.

What Joel said, but I would put the AT4050 (in the cardioid setting) much closer to the vocalist than he would. I suspect you will pick up A LOT of piano on that mic if the lid is open. Another thought is to place the singer off either end of the piano in the hope of isolating the singer's mic to some degree, if that is amenable to the singer.

would you suggest doing something else with the Fathead?

Yeah, leave it at home. I have no use for Cascade or its products unless you've sent your mic out to have the ribbon properly tensioned by someone else. One way I could see a bidirectional mic fitting into this picture is if the singer were facing the piano. Place the mic in between; one side would get the piano and the other the singer, but singers generally face away from the piano. That would give you a lovely monaural recording