Topic: Solo acoustic guitar in a 19th c. theater?

[Jeremy Lykins]

I'll be recording a solo acoustic guitar in a beautiful 19th century theater, and I'm not sure where I should tape from.  My seat is in the 3rd row center, seat 10 (out of 14).  Should I record from my seat, from further back, at the stage lip, or with my mics actually on stage?  Here's what I think about my four options:

from my seat
- Easiest to do, and I'll get some of the theater's acoustics on the recording.
from further back
- The show won't sell out, so I can probably move back as far as I want, and I'll get a lot of the theater's acoustics on the recording.
at stage lip
- Might block some peoples' view.  Probably wouldn't get any of the theater's acoustics on the recording, but it would be a much clearer recording.
with my mics on stage
- This is my favorite option, but I'm not sure how realistic it will be.  I could either clamp to the musician's mic stand (not very likely) or I could set my mics up about 6" off of the floor.

My question is, if I would set my mics up about 6" off of the floor, how would that sound?  It'll be a solo acoustic guitar with no singing, so I'm thinking that I might be good with the mics that low...but I'm not sure.  Should I play it safe and either tape from my seat or move further back, or should I gamble and try to tape from stage lip or actually up on stage?  Nobody on Team Kansasouri has taped at this venue, so I'll be flying blind.


http://www.follytheater.com/index.html

[boojum]

Acoustic guitar is well taped about four our five frets up from the hole.  I would opt for 6 - 12" from the face of the guitar.  Other folks here must have more experience than I and can  offer more solid advice from experience.

[Jeremy Lykins]

Yes, there will be a P.A. system.  It's a concert of fingerstyle guitarists and a lot of the music will pretty quiet, so I feel safe in assuming that there will be a P.A. 

There'll be three guitarists performing, but the one that I'm mainly there for is Andy McKee.  Here's a video of him playing Toto's "Africa": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dt1fB62cGbo

[Əkoostikal]

the one that I'm mainly there for is Andy McKee.  Here's a video of him playing Toto's "Africa": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dt1fB62cGbo

Man he rules!...... just watched all his vids on youtube and he has some serious skills.  I would love to hear that recording when you are done if you can share.  +T

[Lil Kim Jong-Il]

I've done solo acoustic a few times: once ORTF from 3ft, once clamped to the musicians mic stand pointing toward the body of the guitar, and a couple times from the FOB spot off the PA.

Mic stand clamp wins hands down. 


If you can get the artist permission that would be the way to go if they are seated/stationary.  The mics you list in your signature won't be obtrusive on the stand.

edit:  I just remembered a few other ORTF onstage recordings but it was JJ who bounces around.  You couldn't tape off his mic stand because he moves so much the spot mic would be off target most of the time.

[dorrcoq]

Looks like a really cool place

[3-Fan]

I taped an acoustic show (Punch Brothers) over the house PA in a venue very similar to that here in Columbus, OH at the Southern Theatre.  They had a platform hanging off the front of the balcony that I setup on.  I ran my card caps DIN and IMHO, it's the best sounding show I ever recorded.  I sat baout 10 rows back from the stage and my ears heard something totally differeent than what my recording captured.  My recording was ALOT "better" sounding to my ears at balcony level than down below.  By better, I mean fuller, blended, and above all crowd noise.

[Gutbucket]

Wow sounds great, my kind of gig.

Akoostic solo finger-style guitar is vewy, vewy quiet.

In order for everyone in that big hall to hear clearly, the ratio of amplified sound to sound emanating directly from the actual instrument will be very large.  In my mind that suggests two different approaches-

1) Get very, very close and capture the direct sound from the guitar by placing your mics on the the same mic stand as the FOH mic.   I assume there will be a stand with a FOH mic, though many of the performers will likely plug-in too.  The direct sound off the instrument is always my acoustic holy-grail and with a non-singing solo performer it's actually easier to get the mics in the right place to capture that.  My suggestion if doing this is to think creatively with the mic'ing.  If you are using your small CA mics you could arrange them in a vertical spaced arrangement, one above the other  on the FOH mic stand and they would be nearly invisible (if you can get permission to do that).  With omnis you might separate them by a foot or two, with cards I'd do the same, making certain both are pointing the same direction directly back toward the performer.  The vertical A-B separation should give you a nice stereo feel and capture the hall ambiance nicely, and having both mics pointing the same direction will stabilize the stereo image even if the performer sways back and forth and you use cards.  Even that close I'd bet you get some nice hall ambience with omnis because the level in the hall will be relatively high compared to the instrument (It worked great for Bear when he recorded O&ITW that way). You'll record pretty much what the performer hears. If you can get permission to put your mics on the stand I'd do it! ..probably with the omnis.

2) Get the mics to where it sounds best out in the hall.  Not knowing the venue, but being familiar with similar scenarios I'd avoid stage-lip and the front center 8 rows or so.  In that area the FOH speakers are way off-axis and may sound muffled and perhaps boomy, yet the level of FOH sound will swamp the direct sound from the instrument.  In this case the situation is similar to recording a band with vocals playing though a big FOH system where the vocal sound all comes though the FOH speakers.  Either move back to the sweet spot of the venue where you will be more on-axis with the FOH speakers, sort of treating the room like a giant stereo and ending up at the vertex of a triangle between the speakers perhaps.. guessing here, but I'd try that.  The balcony doesn't appear very far from the stage.. don't go so far back on the floor that you end up under the balcony, but attaching your mics to the railing or light-rail at the front center of the balcony could be perfect with a direct view of the FOH speakers over the audience and also less crowd noise. If its a bit too reverberant sounding from either of those places maybe go for a clean, direct line, closer to one of the FOH stacks up front and over to one side, being careful to stay relatively on-axis so the highs are clear.

Ideally, run two rigs and do both 1) and 2) 

[Ryan Sims]

Wow sounds great, my kind of gig.

*snip*

I agree wholeheartedly with this entire post. This is my favorite type of recording, as a guitarist myself.

And Andy McKee is so awesome and is an incredibly kind person. I would love to hear your recording. I am a big fan of him.

[indietaperwloo]

I was going to ask if it was Bruce Cockburn as he does an amplified solo acoustic show predominantly now but I saw the latter posts and it's Andy McKee.  Speaking of guitar heroes, I'm seeing Lindsey Buckingham in October but unfortunately he doesn't allow taping at his shows.  I am however planning on taping Ron Sexsmith also in October.

[bhakti]

really look forward to checking out that tape... and as ryan said, i agree with what gutbucket had to say...
2 rigs too, if its possible...

for other awesome fingerstyle guitar stuff, check out guy buttery from south africa... insane guitar player...

here's a vid:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-W3YHF86Nw

and his myspace page...

www.myspace.com/guybuttery

really awesome stuff...

[Jeremy Lykins]

Damn.   

Changes in the Midwest Tours
September 6, 2008 10:42 AM

Hi Everybody,

We have some immediate last minute show news and date changes for Acoustic Archery. The Kansas City, Duluth and Sioux Falls shows have all been postponed to early next year (looks like mid-February at this point.)  We are about to announce a major addition to Acoustic Archery with one of the foremost American guitar players joining the tour as a very, very special headliner and we want to bring him through these cities and it would be difficult to come through twice in 4 months or so.  Details and the full announcement will be made in just a few days.