Samba bands

[Chris Adam]

Hello all,

 

Around this time every year, I get to mix a few samba bands and have always tackled it the same way, but I've never been sure that it's right or wrong. When it's all going strong, the levels can be +100db @FOH with the desk muted.

The biggest band I mix has a line up of:

 

6 x Surdos

8 x Timbas

Hand percussion (around 12 players)

6 x Snares

3 x Trumpets, 1 x Trombone and 4 x Sax

2 x Vocals / rappers

 

The way I usually mic this is:

3 x condensors: 1 between 2 for the surdos

2 x condensors above timbas with wide pickup

2 x condensors in front of snares

2 x condensors amid hand percussion

individual mics on brass / woodwind section (either SM58s, E604s, F10s or whatever I have in my box of tricks)

SM58s on vocals

 

Now, don't get me wrong. It sounds good. Very good in places, but I just thought I'd ask around to see what others would do.

The brass section always sounds a bit shrill when going at full pelt, but that's more down to how they are playing (8 brass players among 30 odd drummers makes them blast their instruments).

 

so - go for it - what do you think?

 

MODS: sorry - just spotted I posted in the wrong forum. Not sure how that happened. sleepy today. Can you move for me please. thanks.

[Bobbsy]

Frankly, that's not too far off the way I'd approach it (though I should say up front I've never done a samba band--I'm just thinking out loud).

 

If the brass is a bit shrill, you might want to have a look at the mics you're choosing for them--microphones designed for vocals like the SM58 often have an upper mid presence peak to add clarity to voices--but this almost certainly contributes to harshness on horns. Specialist instrument mics with a flatter response might help tame the problem. I have some old Rode NT3 mics in my kit which, on most things, sound a bit dull but I often trot them out for brass as that dullness comes across as silky and warm on a somewhat shrill source.

 

Otherwise, not much to suggest.

 

Bob