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Author Topic: Recording Marching Band (formerly: Furry windscreens - moisture resistance?)  (Read 33016 times)

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Offline voltronic

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Re: Recording Marching Band (formerly: Furry windscreens - moisture resistance?)
« Reply #75 on: September 23, 2014, 05:59:31 PM »

That's a great idea.  I have a cheap but very good monopod that goes about 65" that I'm thinking of using.  If I can attach some type of small case or bag to the top of the monopod / tripod / etc. to hold the tinybox and my M10, the entire recording setup will be contained in a very small space.  I have a couple small camera cases and a little neoprene one with a belt loop that can be attached to the monopod handle.  Then it's just a matter of cable management.


My concern with monopod (as I interpret that concept) is that you'd have to hold it up? 


Well for me, I own a monopod already and if I'm on field level on the aforementioned pit-instrument schlepping crew, I'll be right there to hold it.  Most of these places also have a chain-link fence or rail on the front of the stands where you can clamp the monopod to also.
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Offline voltronic

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Had a competition after many weeks off at a very windy stadium last night.  Thank goodness for TBrown's muppetts!  This is the same band, but it's an excerpt near the end of the show that has a bit more variety.  I was set up right on the 50, but clamped to the rail in front of the front row of seats in the stands.  You will hear piano (synth) and the mallets through the portable PA, a drumline feature, then full band - almost all woodwinds and brass are to the right of the 50.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/wvfajrzvi38h66v/141018_01.flac?dl=0

Same lineage as before: CM3s (NOS) > tinybox > M10.
I am hitting my head against the walls, but the walls are giving way.
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Offline Karl

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Sounds very nice Voltronic! Now that the season is done, or nearly done, how did it go overall?
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Offline voltronic

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Thanks!  The season went well, although I only got to record a handful of times.  Didn't bring my rig to record finals competition since they had a professional company there making DVDs for all of the bands.  Unfortunately our disc was blank... too bad since their performance was far better.
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Offline 2manyrocks

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I'd like to ask what lessons were learned from this taping experience?  Things you'd do differently and things you thought worked
well.

Offline voltronic

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I'd like to ask what lessons were learned from this taping experience?  Things you'd do differently and things you thought worked
well.

1. Having the mics pre-set in the mount / clamp setup is definitely the way to go for these time-pressure situations, but since these mics need a wider spacing it's difficult to fit the assembled rig in a bag.  I compromised by having the full setup pre-cabled and mounting rig attached to the superclamp, so all I had to do was clamp onto a rail and slide in the mics.

2. Contradicting #1 a bit, if I know ahead of time that I'll be recording from the sideline / track area, I can use a stereo bar with narrower spacing pre-set with the mics as opposed to my DIY NOS mount which is a bit bulky.

3. The TBrown Muppets are fantastic windscreens, but I need to remember to bring some hair bands or other way of securing them (with the foam underneath) tighter on these mics.  A couple shows were VERY windy and thought I thought the screens were going to take off.  Every year our November shows are extremely windy.

4. One show got moved indoors to a HS gym because of the weather.  I knew this ahead of time but only brought my omnis simply because they are much cheaper to replace if they got wet during the unload.  I should have used the CM3s.  The gym was half the size I expected it to be which made it even more boomy than anticipated. 

5. A couple shows I decided not to bring my recording rig because someone else was recording or there was a "professional" setup.  I now know that I should always bring mine. 
I am hitting my head against the walls, but the walls are giving way.
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Offline Karl

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Yep on the "professionals" messing things up. One time they were adjusting their gain knobs DURING OUR PERFORMANCE. Luckily I recorded myself that time so all was not lost. The other time I am kicking myself for not recording was they had their gains too high, and every snare drum rimshot you could hear the nasty cracking of clipping. Oh yeah, another is this year (and two years ago, same company) the final product was in mono (even though they have a stereo setup). So glad i got my own copy.

The other mistake that the "professionals" consistently mess up is spacing the mics too far (about 30 yards apart) so then it messes up the sound of the snare drums.

I wouldn't hesitate to contact the people that recorded your competition and see if they can get you a copy that isn't silent!
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Offline voltronic

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Yep on the "professionals" messing things up. One time they were adjusting their gain knobs DURING OUR PERFORMANCE. Luckily I recorded myself that time so all was not lost. The other time I am kicking myself for not recording was they had their gains too high, and every snare drum rimshot you could hear the nasty cracking of clipping. Oh yeah, another is this year (and two years ago, same company) the final product was in mono (even though they have a stereo setup). So glad i got my own copy.

The other mistake that the "professionals" consistently mess up is spacing the mics too far (about 30 yards apart) so then it messes up the sound of the snare drums.

I wouldn't hesitate to contact the people that recorded your competition and see if they can get you a copy that isn't silent!

We did contact the company - and it was completely blank, as in no video either.  I'm not too optimistic about the sound though - they had 4 mics that I couldn't identify, all older-looking pencil condensers with plain aluminum bodies but no visible logos.  One X-Y pair at the 50, and outriggers on each 30.  They didn't seem to be aimed with a great deal of precision.  They also appeared to have just foam windscreens on a very windy day.  Sigh.
I am hitting my head against the walls, but the walls are giving way.
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Offline 2manyrocks

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Could be a parent has a smartphone video.  Do you think you will record audio and video next season just in case?


Offline voltronic

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We got a couple good parent videos from folks who own good DSLRs so we're covered there.  Typically those people send me their video and I replace their on-camera audio with my recordings and we have a nice pairing. 

Lesson learned - I'm always bringing my audio gear whenever I can.
I am hitting my head against the walls, but the walls are giving way.
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Offline Gutbucket

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Just got a chance to listen, sounds good.  Thanks for posting that clip.
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Offline voltronic

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Re: Recording Marching Band (formerly: Furry windscreens - moisture resistance?)
« Reply #86 on: September 05, 2015, 09:58:47 AM »
First band show of the season was last night, and I tried my X-Qs in a 1m spaced config on top of the press box.  Lineage was X-Q > FP24 > M10.

This was the first public performance for the kids, so the playing is understandably tentative and/or ragged at times.  Also, this was a football game crowd, so the audience was pretty loud during the show.  Competitions will have a quiet audience.

On a side note, the Rode WS8 screens I was using for the first time are fantastic.  There were some significant wind gusts up there, and you hear very little of it on the recording.

BTW, in the pic below that's the visiting team's band leaving the field; not our kids.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/6uu9qjwxkhmaicb/AAAdcnBAbxfBRXROxLmIGQhza?dl=0
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Offline 2manyrocks

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Re: Recording Marching Band (formerly: Furry windscreens - moisture resistance?)
« Reply #87 on: September 05, 2015, 11:11:21 AM »
Nice facility you have there. 

The perspective of the photo makes it look like the microphone position is pretty distant from the playing field?  The chain link rail is the top of the press box with nothing behind you like a wall?  Then there are those two banners attached to the chain link fence.  Wonder if those tend towards any boundary effect?

Certainly a useable recording for teaching purposes although there is that crowd chatter. 

Looking at the picture, there don't seem to be many other options for placing microphones short of putting up a stand nearer the field. You just need a remote controlled mic stand like the old power car antennas that went up and down with a push of a button.   ;D

 

Offline voltronic

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Re: Recording Marching Band (formerly: Furry windscreens - moisture resistance?)
« Reply #88 on: September 05, 2015, 12:44:41 PM »
Yes, it's distant but the home stands aren't that tall.  Maybe 20 rows at most to the top.

I highly doubt those banners could have any boundary effect  influence on the mics in this situation, unless the mics were right in front of them.  The X-Q has an elevated treble response which may be what you're hearing, but that's exactly why they work at distance.

If you look closely through the gap between the banners, you'll see the fence that borders the front of the stands.  That's probably the best placement option, as it's about 10 feet off the ground.  Then there's another chest-high fence on field level that borders the track, about 10-12 feet closer than the stands.  For competitions, I will be using one of those two closer placements, depending on the access I can get at each stadium.

The crowd noise is awful, I know.  There was a really belligerent section of about 50-60 students from the visiting team's school that would not calm down, and they actually were ejected near the end of our show.

I also recorded the visiting band who played pregame before most of those asshats got there.  Maybe if I can find a couple good excerpts I'll post those as well.

I'm curious to hear thoughts on the placement itself, if it's possible to ignore the crowd.
I am hitting my head against the walls, but the walls are giving way.
- Gustav Mahler

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Offline 2manyrocks

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Re: Recording Marching Band (formerly: Furry windscreens - moisture resistance?)
« Reply #89 on: September 05, 2015, 04:48:49 PM »
Crowd noise is pretty much unavoidable with the crowd in front of the mics.  I think your dilemma is the press box is the best spot for video, but the ten foot fence may be your best bet for mic location.  Could be interesting to put a set of unobtrusive mics on the fence to make an audio recording there, but shoot video from the press box to sync later. 

Got anyone you can team up with? 


 

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