Scott Dorsey
September 15th 03, 03:17 AM
Jeff > wrote:
>
>I am recording a friends band in a medium sized hall this weekend. It seats
>about 200 people. I am looking for some tips how to best place the mics.
>This isn't mission critical. They have used a cassette boom box on the
>floor in the past :-).
Stick a finger in one ear. Walk around listening with just the other ear
until you hear a good balance. Put the mikes there. Listen for a good
mix of direct and reflected sound.
>I am a little concerned about the hall however, not having ever done this
>with a pair of mics before. They have an accorian, keyboard, and bass all
>amplified, drums and vocals.
>
>How far away from the band should I place the mics to get a reasonable
>balance of everything? What position do I put them in? If there is any
>"fool proof" advice that anyone has to offer a serious rookie it would be
>very much appreciated! Should I continue mixing in some of the line out on
>the pa for vocals?
The closer you get, the more direct sound you'll get, and the farther away,
the more ambient reflections from the room.
The PA will almost always sound pretty bad, so you will almost certainly
want to mix a little of the PA feed in to try and clean the vocals up
a little, but it's hard to judge the mix in the field.
>I can't hang anything from the ceiling and I won't be given much time to
>get set up. People will be drinking and dancing in pretty close proximity
>to the band. I know, I know, I can see you all cringing right now <G>.
Go to the rehearsal and walk around.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."
>
>I am recording a friends band in a medium sized hall this weekend. It seats
>about 200 people. I am looking for some tips how to best place the mics.
>This isn't mission critical. They have used a cassette boom box on the
>floor in the past :-).
Stick a finger in one ear. Walk around listening with just the other ear
until you hear a good balance. Put the mikes there. Listen for a good
mix of direct and reflected sound.
>I am a little concerned about the hall however, not having ever done this
>with a pair of mics before. They have an accorian, keyboard, and bass all
>amplified, drums and vocals.
>
>How far away from the band should I place the mics to get a reasonable
>balance of everything? What position do I put them in? If there is any
>"fool proof" advice that anyone has to offer a serious rookie it would be
>very much appreciated! Should I continue mixing in some of the line out on
>the pa for vocals?
The closer you get, the more direct sound you'll get, and the farther away,
the more ambient reflections from the room.
The PA will almost always sound pretty bad, so you will almost certainly
want to mix a little of the PA feed in to try and clean the vocals up
a little, but it's hard to judge the mix in the field.
>I can't hang anything from the ceiling and I won't be given much time to
>get set up. People will be drinking and dancing in pretty close proximity
>to the band. I know, I know, I can see you all cringing right now <G>.
Go to the rehearsal and walk around.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."