Topic: Single microphone on-stage?

[BradM]

This Sunday, I'll be recording David Lauzon (live shows available here) doing a solo set. Last year, I recorded his first ever solo show, by putting my Oktava MC-012s up against the stage (he didn't use a PA, except for a banter microphone), with one pointed at his electric guitar's amp, and one at his acoustic guitar's amp (which were about 4' or 5' apart). Because I knew he would be using one or the other, but never both at the same time, I panned the mics to the centre to avoid harsh stereo separation. (At the time I was using a Behringer UB1002 mixer as my pre-amp.)

I think this casued some phasing issues, though (the recording is available here), which I'd like to avoid this time. One option I came up with was to use a single microphone (e.g., a Cascade M-20 I have), placed dead centre on or up against the stage. Since I want to use my Edirol UA-5, which doesn't have pan controls, this'll mean I'll have to copy the entire track from one channel into the other post-recording to give (pseudo)stereo/dual-track-mono. Alternately, I can run the mic into the UB1002, pan it to the centre, and then either run that into my JB3, or via the UA-5 for A>D conversion. Using just the UB1002 means, though, that I'll be relying on the JB3 for A>D, while running the UB1002 into the UA-5 makes for bringing a lot more gear (which I'll be schlepping to the gig on the bus), and I'm not sure I can rely on AC power being available for the UB1002. I guess I could also put my Oktavas right beside each other, pointed dead ahead (midway between the amps).

So. Given an on-stage mic setup, with sound coming from either the left or the right, but not both at the same time, what's the best way to work it? A single mic, recorded to one channel and then copied to the other in post? Two mics pointed straight ahead into the UA-5? Something else?

Thanks,
Brad

[Javier Cinakowski]

Oktavas(2)->UA5->JB3

Mics in XY

http://www.dpamicrophones.com/page.php?PID=123&LANG=3

[Javier Cinakowski]

If it sounds like the stereo image is wierd then mix/pan in post. (using a computer)

[BayTaynt3d]

Just curious about something. I actually liked your original approach best. When you mixed the two sources (one from one amp and the other from the other amp), did you just mix them together into a mono source? If so, that's the source of your phasing probably. Not saying you did that, but if you did, then you probably always had a little bleed from the mic/amp that wasn't being used in with the amp/mic that was being used. It would be best to only use the mic/amp that was in use at the time and not the other mic/amp at all. This could be acheived in a couple of different ways, but the main idea would be to split out the L and R channels into two seperate mono files first (so you have one mono file of mic/amp 1 and a different mono file of mic/amp 2. Then bring those two mono files into a multitrack editor and import into their own tracks. You can then leave each track panned to the center, but you could fade between to the two tracks when he switched guitars/amps -- such that only mic1 or mic2 was in the mix at a time, NEVER BOTH. It would be pretty much be impossble to get phasing with a solo performance in mono that way. And honestly, that's probably how I'd mic it this time around cause of the control it will give you in post.

[BayTaynt3d]

In fact, if you know you are going to do the post work like I mention above, you could even move your mics back away from the amps just a little bit to bring in more of the room's reverb (close micing will give you too much of a clean SBD sound without adding in reverb later). By back the mic away from the amp a little, you'll let a little more of the ambient indirect sound mix in with the direct sound from the amp. However, the ONLY reason you could get away with that is if you only use one mic at a time in the final mix -- if you just mix the two mics together (even if both panned to the center), then by backing the mics away from the amps, you'd get even more hanious phasing from even more bleed between the two mics, but it's pretty simple to not do that when mixing.

[BradM]

Just curious about something. I actually liked your original approach best. When you mixed the two sources (one from one amp and the other from the other amp), did you just mix them together into a mono source? If so, that's the source of your phasing probably.

Yes, that's what I did, using the pan controls on the mic channels on the (little Behringer) mixer I was using at the time.

Possibly unfortunately, the show has been moved to a different venue (which I've never been to before), so I'm not sure how I'll be able to set up, so I think I'll plan on using 90* X/Y as suggested above; if the on-stage setup isn't possible, I'll have to figure something else out on the fly.

Thanks, everybody.

Aloha,
Brad

[BradM]

The results can be heard at

http://www.archive.org/details/dlauzon2006-12-17.oktava.shnf

Aloha,
Brad

[Javier Cinakowski]

I like how it sounds, great job