Topic: two mics bundled together (dangers)?

[toodiesel]

Hey all:

I'm planning on taping a show and would like to save money on micstands.  Is it feasible to just tape two mics together when they are on an amp (say two sm57's on a guitar amp), but being fed to different sources (one to a soundboard, the other mic going to a usb audio interface).  Are there going to be any magnetic problems (sorry, I'm a total n00b) if i use the sm57's or a condenser like the at2020? 

To build on this, I'm totally unfamiliar with soundboards, but is it possible to bypass this double miking scenario and get the feeds from each individual mic from the soundboard, or are the mic feeds usually run together before they hit the soundboard? 

Thanks for your time,

Damjan

[Roving Sign]

What are you trying to achieve?

[jeromejello]

i dont quite know what you are hoping to achieve, but a mic taped to an amp is going to give you lots of crap... the volume (or more importantly, the low frequency vibrations) will make anything fubur and unusable i would think.

if you have board access, just tap into that.... then you dont even need the mic.

that is going to be one wierd sonic adventure if you are going to record a stereo track using one (or two) ambiant mic(s) for one channel and one channel (mono), or maybe more, from a board feed.

to answer you question, most boards that i have seen have a stereo out that is a combination of everything going in...

[toodiesel]

Hey Roving Sign and jeromejello, thanks for the quick responses. 

There are a few scenarios I'm trying to achieve, but they all revolve around getting 4 xlr sources into the 2 combo input jacks of the Edirol UA-25 (if this is even possible).  I also have another question I'd really like answered if at all possible:

1.  Will there be any issues (magnetics/phasing/etc...) when duct-taping two mics together (not to an amp, but on a mic stand in front of an amp) and having them record into separate sources?  I've read on here that phasing can occur when mics are positioned for it when recording into the same source.  What if I'm using one mic to record into an mp3 player, and the other mic is recording into a laptop hard drive?

2.  Possible four track recording out of my UA-25(?).  This may be better suited for an Edirol forum, but the people here by and large seem knowledgeable and generous:  One of the many questions I have with the UA-25 is that the specs say that each combo input jack (left and right, both accept either xlr or 1/4") is actually input and sent out in stereo.  Building on that, I thought that maybe I could bundle two xlr sources into a 1/4" stereo jack and plug that into the left channel, then do the same for the right channel, and get four xlr sources into 2 stereo 1/4" jacks.  Is this possible at all, or am I misinterpreting something?

Thanks for your time,

Damjan

[Church-Audio]

Hey Roving Sign and jeromejello, thanks for the quick responses. 

There are a few scenarios I'm trying to achieve, but they all revolve around getting 4 xlr sources into the 2 combo input jacks of the Edirol UA-25 (if this is even possible).  I also have another question I'd really like answered if at all possible:

1.  Will there be any issues (magnetics/phasing/etc...) when duct-taping two mics together (not to an amp, but on a mic stand in front of an amp) and having them record into separate sources?  I've read on here that phasing can occur when mics are positioned for it when recording into the same source.  What if I'm using one mic to record into an mp3 player, and the other mic is recording into a laptop hard drive?

2.  Possible four track recording out of my UA-25(?).  This may be better suited for an Edirol forum, but the people here by and large seem knowledgeable and generous:  One of the many questions I have with the UA-25 is that the specs say that each combo input jack (left and right, both accept either xlr or 1/4") is actually input and sent out in stereo.  Building on that, I thought that maybe I could bundle two xlr sources into a 1/4" stereo jack and plug that into the left channel, then do the same for the right channel, and get four xlr sources into 2 stereo 1/4" jacks.  Is this possible at all, or am I misinterpreting something?

Thanks for your time,

Damjan

There are no phasing issues if both mics are going to different sources. There are issues of disturbing the polar pattern of the mic but "taping it" to the other one. I would use separate stands if you can. But if not just try and put a piece of foam between the two mics to act as a means of allowing the polar patterns to be "less affected" I would also like to mention that placing a mic in front of a guitar cabinet means you may need a mic input with a 20db pad on it. I think the main 1/4 inch inputs on your preamp are MONO and you can not run 4 sources at once.

This is the edirol UA-25 inputs

Front Panel  Input Jack L, R: XLR type (balanced, phantom power +48 V)
1/4 inch TRS phone type (balanced)
*Input Jack 2: high impedance is supported
Headphones Jack (Stereo 1/4 inch phone type)

[toodiesel]

ok, thanks for the explanation ChurchAudio - appreciated!

[Church-Audio]

ok, thanks for the explanation ChurchAudio - appreciated!

Hey thats Chris to you

[Kevin Straker]

To mix four channels down to two channels you'll need some kind of small mixer.

[goodcooker]

how you place the mics on the cabinet will determine what your recording sounds like no matter what you do to signal down the line....if you have 2 sm57s to use i recommend placing one on axis (pointed directly at) the speaker and one placed 45% off axis (pointed at the center along the angle of the cone) or a la WH in pic one with both on axis but off set to half the radius of the cone...........some people prefer the bright sound of the "mic hung over cabinet" sound (90% off axis but centered)in pic two....dont tape the mics together.