Hi,
I'd like to start by thanking you all for the fantastic forum. The wealth of knowledge here is truly impressive and for a recording novice such as myself, almost a little overwhelming.
Which leads me to my question/s. I sincerely apologize if what I'm asking has been covered before. I have tried to use the search function, and, indeed, I've tried to glean as much information as possible from related threads.
I'm a musician playing what I guess would be defined as avant garde jazz. I'm looking for the best possible way to record the gigs and rehearsals in which I perform. I've settled on a Sony PCM M10 as the recorder I want, but I'm confused as to what the best microphones would be. As I'd be recording my own performances, stealth recording is unnecessary. Recording on the stage seems like it would yield the best results. People speak highly of the Church Audio mics, and their price makes them attractive. I should add that money is somewhat of a concern.
Anyway, I would be grateful for any advice you might be able to give. Thanks in advance.
Anthony
Hey Anthony,
Welcome! And thanks for your question. I can go into more detail, but...
Easiest -- Put an M10 on stage and use the internals. As already pointed out, the R-26 has better and more internals (omni and cardiod) which might be useful for getting the right imaging for onstage. The D-50 has X-Y cardiod internals that also can be moved out to ORTF, again giving you more options for imaging than the M10 and its fixed omni internals.
Still really really easy -- Use small mics like Naiant X-R or X-X omnis, put them onstage split with tape, either lying on the stage or, more ideally, taped to a monitor or other fixed objects. Naiant is very professional to deal with and his (Jon's) mics are inexpensive and come in a variety of configurations.
Easy and less work for you -- Invite tapers to come to your shows, let us do the work for you! If you're in NYC, let me know. You can always still record yourself too, of course. I have a musician friend who makes cool multitracks of his shows, and we like to compare and contrast what we get.