NOS micing vs. close plus distant mics?

[jnorman]

suppose you are doing a solo violin part in a medium dead studio space
- do you prefer tracking it in stereo using NOS or ORTF or spaced pair
at maybe 3-4 feet, or do you prefer a sinlge close mic at around 3
feet plus a room/ambient mic around 8-10 feet? does your prefence
change if this is to be part of a mix or if it is to be an actual
solo piece? thanks.

[ScotFraser]

<< suppose you are doing a solo violin part in a medium dead studio space
- do you prefer tracking it in stereo using NOS or ORTF or spaced pair
at maybe 3-4 feet, or do you prefer a sinlge close mic at around 3
feet plus a room/ambient mic around 8-10 feet? >>

Single close-ish mic. There's not any real stereo from the violin, it's the
room ambience that provides stereo, & since this is a dead studio I don't see
any point in trying to get stereo that isn't really worth keeping. Even in a
somewhat live studio I'll go with just a single mic, dispensing with the
distant mic, & get the direct/ambient mix by moving the mic in or out until I
like it. I also spend a fair amount of time moving around from straight in
front of the player toward his/her left shoulder until I like the ratio of
rosin to body resonance coming off the fiddle. Although I'm partial to KM84s or
KM86s on violin, I've been liking a B&O ribbon a lot lately.

<< does your prefence
change if this is to be part of a mix or if it is to be an actual
solo piece? >>

Often times. I tend to record more mono parts for full multitrack productions &
more stereo for solo stuff.



Scott Fraser

[Scott Dorsey]

jnorman > wrote:
>suppose you are doing a solo violin part in a medium dead studio space
>- do you prefer tracking it in stereo using NOS or ORTF or spaced pair
>at maybe 3-4 feet, or do you prefer a sinlge close mic at around 3
>feet plus a room/ambient mic around 8-10 feet? does your prefence
>change if this is to be part of a mix or if it is to be an actual
>solo piece? thanks.

I'm all in favor of stereo miking if it's a solo piece, since it gives it
a real sense of space.

Close-miked fiddles can be really nasty sounding, but sometimes you have to
close-mike if you're putting it into a mix. That's when ribbon mikes become
your friend.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

[Hal Laurent]

"Scott Dorsey" > wrote in message
...

> Close-miked fiddles can be really nasty sounding, but sometimes you have
to
> close-mike if you're putting it into a mix. That's when ribbon mikes
become
> your friend.

A KM84 doesn't do too badly for close miking a fiddle.

Hal Laurent
Baltimore