Topic: mic configuration for cards in a boomy, less than perfect ballroom?

[bearcobb]

dont know how many of you have experience taping or attending shows at the aragon ballroom in chicago but im sure some of you have considering its one of the most popular venues here in the 5000 capacity range...

anyway, one of the most common complaints about the room is that its boomy and reminds a lot of people of a gym when it comes to the acoustics. last night and tonight umphrey's mcgee is playing and im going to tape them again tonight. i run km184s into a mini me just fyi. the tapers section was set up behind the soundboard only about 15-20 feet from the edge of the back of the actual ballroom floor, waaaaay back in the room. so its not ideal in the least. being those conditions i pointed the capsules just a bit outside the stacks and it came out to be about a 70 degree angle or thereabouts with about a 20 cm separation, so its a modified din pretty much.

so im curious about what other possible stereo configurations i should possibly consider running tonight in this situation. i know that running ortf tends to cutdown on bass but really the bass wasnt overpowering in the mix, it was just boomy and echoing and overwhelming with some of the lower frequencies. also the crowd noise is pretty loud and overwhelming too, so that needs to be taken into consideration. how would XY turn out? or a regular din? or keep it tight and try and emulate hypers?

any help or opinions would be greatly appreciated...

[Brian Skalinder]

Yeah, the Aragon's a shitty sounding venue.  Single best thing you can do in that venue is run FOB under the disco ball.  If you can swing it, then I'd run DIN.  If you're at the rear of the venue in the OTS, you made a good choice with 70º and ~20cm, not sure it's gonna get much better than that.

[bearcobb]

Yeah, the Aragon's a shitty sounding venue.  Single best thing you can do in that venue is run FOB under the disco ball.  If you can swing it, then I'd run DIN.  If you're at the rear of the venue in the OTS, you made a good choice with 70º and ~20cm, not sure it's gonna get much better than that.

there is no way they are gonna let us run FOB even though i could beg their FOH guy and he personally wouldnt mind me being up there, its something that the aragon itself has a problem with as all the shows ive taped in that room have been right behind the metal barriers behind the board. its just been that the board has been set up anywhere from where it was last night to as far up as right under the disco ball...

anyway, ill pretty much just run it as i had last night then...i figured it was about as good as its gonna get but ive not really expirimented too much with other configurations in bad settings or really at all, im mostly running either DIN, NOS, or ORTF.