Topic: stage taping suggestions

[cpclark]

didnt feel like looking in the archives, need some specific advice on what config to run for an onstage/sbd matrix.  the stage is about 20 ft wide, keys runs straight to the board, rythm guitar next to and a little behind the keys, drums in the middle, next to the drums is the lead guitar and next to him is the bassist.  i was thinking ORTF because of how bright my mics are, the less drums the better and it will pick up the guitars just as good as DIN, but a little wider, should i worry about the monitors on stage, one a couple feet away to the left and on about 3 ft to the right and 1 ft up.  just need a little help as i need to get a smoking recording down for my band, all i have that is good is a practice session that we used for our demo.  let me know what you guys think, DIN or ORTF, XY might just not work well, the stage is pretty wide
-what is a good mix for the mics/board only 3/4 of the instruments go through the board, no bass, no drums except kick, i was thinking something like 70/30 or 65/35?

[radioboy1977]

i've run X/Y on stage at 110 degrees with great success.  if you'd like to hear some tapes, let me know.

[cpclark]

im lookin to go DIN or wider than 90*, just checkin to see what people think, XY 110* or ORTF 110* might be the ticket, but i'd like to get the drums as off axis as possible, thats why i was looking at DIN

[nic]

I'd run DIN(maybe wider than normal, 100*-110*), but your gonna have issues getting a good onstage pull with the keys going direct to the sbd...your dependant on monitors for that, which is not always a good thing

[cpclark]

its gonna be a matrix, so im not worried about the keys, just a good onstage stereo config, i actually  think im gonna go 60 mics/40 board

[Jason B]

If you say that your mics are rather bright, I would go with ORTF on-stage. XY will surely enhance the brightness, no matter what the included angle. Go with ORTF, and good luck. Let us know how it turns out.

-JB

[zowie]

but i'd like to get the drums as off axis as possible,

Why?

[nic]

but i'd like to get the drums as off axis as possible,

Why?

there's a natural attenuation of signal coming off-axis...onstage, the drums can be overpowering

[BC]

im lookin to go DIN or wider than 90*, just checkin to see what people think, XY 110* or ORTF 110* might be the ticket, but i'd like to get the drums as off axis as possible, thats why i was looking at DIN

This sounds good.

Might also want to consider spacing them on 2 stands, positioned to where you think they will pick up the best blend of sound from the sources on stage.

Happy taping,
Ben

[cpclark]

tested at practice this past friday with as close to stage layout as possible, ran ORTF, turned out well, but instead of more mics, im gonna do 60 board/40 mics, vocals need to be higher, drums softer, im gonna torrent this next sunday hopefully if it turns out okay, but im sure as long as im thinking, it will be okay, thanks for all the advice fella's

[crackmc]

Might also want to consider spacing them on 2 stands, positioned to where you think they will pick up the best blend of sound from the sources on stage.

I'm going to have to agree with this one. I think that many people are under the impression that if their mics aren't arranged according to the .jpegs on some oade.com page, then their rig will explode upon hitting the 'record' button.

Onstage recording is tricky - depending on the placement of the onstage amps/monitors, the available space onstage, and where the performers are going to be standing/walking, the soundstage that you're trying to capture will change from show to show, venue to venue.

That said, when I record onstage, I try to eyeball the spots that will capture the best blend of the onstage amplification, and point my mics at that spot (I use cardoid caps). In a perfect situation, I'll use 2 tabletop stands (i.e. the same type you'd use to mic a kick drum), and split my mics however I think is best. If floor space/being low profile is an issue, I use one stand & the t-bar.

The 'standard' mic configs (ORTF, DIN, XY) are useful when you're trying to capture an audio image from a distance (like a PA stack from the section or FOB from a dance floor), but I simply think they're not as useful in situations when you're recording from "within" the soundstage.

(remember: before it was given the fancy name "ORTF", it was called the "Point Le Left Mic Thees Way, And Le Right Mic That Way, And Let's Hope Eet Sounds Good" method.)

in short: use the force... you may invent something cool that we'll all make a nerdy abbreviation for.