Jivemaster Posted November 14, 2014 Share Posted November 14, 2014 I may need to mic (to record) a string quartet playing live. This is to produce a simple stereo CD. What microphone(s) or mic system, would be a good choice? Two violins, viola and 'cello is the lineup, music style will be Baroque. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
revbobuk Posted November 14, 2014 Share Posted November 14, 2014 I'd go for a coincident pair of large diaphragm condenser mics at about the spot where the conductor would stand if there was one. Let the music have some space to breathe, and trust the performers to balance themselves - which they will do if they are any good. Even better would be a Soundfield mic like the DSF-1, then you could adjust the stereo image afterwards. Depends on the acoustics of the performance space though. The Rode NT-4 would be a handy way to get good results without too much kit on display, or the Audio-Technica AT4050ST as another option. Just don't close-mic the instruments and hope to get a coherent sound stage (that's my personal opinion, you understand!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulears Posted November 14, 2014 Share Posted November 14, 2014 revbobuk is right - I'd do the exact same thing. The only real things are the mic placement, and the musicians placement. The room is critical, and it's getting the balance of everything to everything else right that really matters - and we're talking of small adjustments not huge ones. If at all possible - some monitors in a nearby room work great - then you listen for the wrong things, and then adjust, repeat, adjust, repeat as many times as you have to. Expect weird issues - creaky chairs, music turning noises, and one or more instruments too loud or too quiet - the 4 of them will be in an arc, and this can be extended or shortened, and perhaps even the usual 90 degrees separation on the mics adjusted. It's very hard work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldradiohand Posted November 14, 2014 Share Posted November 14, 2014 Yeah, co pair. if it's a bit dead try some fig8s - moving them back gives instant stereo reverb! A pair of decent condenser cardioids (small or large diaphragm) in a good acoustic will sound good but play with angle, distance from artists and height. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jivemaster Posted November 14, 2014 Author Share Posted November 14, 2014 What about a http://tascam.com/product/dr-05/ Digital recorder? £80 from Richer Sounds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sam.spoons Posted November 14, 2014 Share Posted November 14, 2014 Depending on the final purpose of the "simple stereo CD" you mention, it may well do the job (probably pretty well too, they are remarkably good for the money), but the mics aren't as going to be good as a pair of decent studio condensers, each of which may cost several times the price of the Tascam. It comes down to what budget you have and what mics/recording system you already own. BTW, +1 to all the above suggestions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jivemaster Posted November 14, 2014 Author Share Posted November 14, 2014 All my kit is "rock and pop" orientated 57 and 58s. The hire bill for a RodeNT4 and all the bits would be more than the cost of the Tascam. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david.elsbury Posted November 14, 2014 Share Posted November 14, 2014 Got any small diaphragm condensers? Or even lectern mics? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sam.spoons Posted November 15, 2014 Share Posted November 15, 2014 The Tascam will be a useful bit of kit for you going forward so if the CDs are just for the quartet's own consumption, not for commercial release, it's probably the way to go. Are you funding the gear yourself or are they paying? I'd talk to the band and see what they think, offer them reasonable but cheap (using the Tascam which you'll buy for you own inventory and charge them a modest hire charge) or pro quality but more expensive with them covering the full cost of hiring the extra equipment you need to do the job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobbsy Posted November 15, 2014 Share Posted November 15, 2014 +127 for coincident pair but I second the suggestion of small diaphragm condensers over the the LDCs. Gotta say I'm not a big fan of that Tascam and especially it's mics which sound pretty bad to me. If a small portable recorder is for you, I'd go for the Zoom range. However, a pair of SDCs in your mic kit are always useful...try them on things like drum overheads, snares or most brass instruments and you'll likely never go back to 57s for those applications. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jivemaster Posted November 15, 2014 Author Share Posted November 15, 2014 Thanks for all the suggestions.This is for a one time recording of a string quartet playing music for a baroque dance company. The disc will be for the company to perform to when there is no quartet. I am going to have to fund this entirely. Currently I'm thinking that the tascam 05 as from Richer Sounds is a good balance of cost convenience and performance. -No-one is going to hire anything for less, or turn up with kit and do the job for that sort of money I may have a few Midnight Blues 4000 mics somewhere, 1.5v phantom driven electrets, but then I need to mix them, and still need a recorder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shez Posted November 15, 2014 Share Posted November 15, 2014 I always prefer ORTF to a coincident pair for recording - the stereo image is (to my ears) better. You lose a bit of mono compatibility but even for broadcast that's less of an issue than it once was. If you can get to Richmond Film Services, they'll hire you gorgeous mics for very little money and will do recorders too. You could get a recorder and pair of lovely mics for less than the cost of that Tascam and it'll sound far nicer. I guess it depends on whether you'll have future uses for that Tascam though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sam.spoons Posted November 15, 2014 Share Posted November 15, 2014 Is the recording being done at a dance performance or at a separate session? the latter would be better as there will be a certain amount of stage noise if the former. Also I would consider that to be a fairly critical application so I'd want good mics for the job. Hiring is a good plan if you won't need the mics in the future but a decent pair of SDCs is a good investment if you do much recording. If budget is a serious consideration you could buy a pair of Karma Silver Bullets cost around £20-25 and a spaced pair in a nice room will outperform their price by several orders of magnitude. They are omnis though and while not great on a rock gig they work really well for jazz drums (as overheads and also on toms) and other applications where spill is not a big issue. They do need phantom power too being condensers. Do you have a computer with a decent sound card (with 2 x phantom powered mic inputs)? If so that may be the cheapest way to get a quality recording, even if you have to cart a desktop and monitor to the venue it's worth it for the potential quality and ease of producing the final CD.Just one final thought, how many are there in the dance group? Would they consider each contributing a small amount to the cost of the recording? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GR1 Posted November 15, 2014 Share Posted November 15, 2014 You are based in London close to Richmond Film Services who will hire Neumann KM184 or KM183 at £7 per day or £28 per week.You must have access to some sort of mixing desk even if only at the level of a Soundcraft Folio. Record to a laptop using Audacity and burn a CD from there. Forget that you would like a Tascam because it isn't as good a solution as this. If you have not experienced using this quality of microphone it may be difficult for you to understand the difference in results which will be available to you with careful mic positioning. If I didn't have access to the appropriate mics this is what I would do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldradiohand Posted November 15, 2014 Share Posted November 15, 2014 I've used the Behringer C2s - cheap as chips and comes with a stereo bar - with an external box straight into a laptop with good results. You need phantom power of course but my Mbox provides this. As it's for playback the quality needs to be good but it doesn't have to be audiophile....ORTF? nice for ambiance but not as good for location, give me coincident any day. Mind you, I like the sound of coincident STC 4038s in a church! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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