the right mics for small concert and festival recordings?

[infinite]

hello,

i am searching for the right microphone setup for my sony mz-rh1. what i want to record are small concerts (round about 100-300ppl) and open air festivals.
what should i buy for a type of mic? omnidirectional or cardioid?
doesnt cardioid mics have the advantage, that you dont record the noises of all the people arround you, while the omni mic records everything arround you or am i making a mistake?

other requirements are that the mics are stealth; i really like for example the sennheiser mke-2 because they are very small and you can clip them on your collar.. but on the other hand 250bucks would be my outer limit; i would like to spend less money..

any suggestions?

sincerely,
infinite

[Wiggle]

You're probably going to want start here

I found that link quite valuable when I first found this website.

[infinite]

thanks for the link.

my main problem with the listed mics there is, that i dont know anything about their quality. and as i know there are different mics for different types of recording (e.g. vocal recording, music, etc...)

i heard a sample recording done with the sennheiser mke-2's and i liked the quality very much, but as i said they are really pricy (for my budget).

infinite

[Krispy D]

do some searches on archive.org for mics in your price range.  you'll find quite a few and then you can hear some of the differences.  personally I would be looking for AKG C1000s, Oktava MC 012, SP C4, AT835, Church Audio(forget the model, sorry)...  etc.  all mics in your price range

[taper420]

Just pm chris from church audio... trust me, you will not be dissapointed with the quality.
Don't even think about the c1000's unless you like throwing money away. Chris's mics blow them away and their cheaper. Can't speak about the other mics krispy recommended but I know there miles ahead of the c1000's. I'd go with the cards as a first time mic. Omni's can be nice in the right situation, but cards seem like they'll suit you better.

[Krispy D]

Just pm chris from church audio... trust me, you will not be dissapointed with the quality.
Don't even think about the c1000's unless you like throwing money away. Chris's mics blow them away and their cheaper. Can't speak about the other mics krispy recommended but I know there miles ahead of the c1000's. I'd go with the cards as a first time mic. Omni's can be nice in the right situation, but cards seem like they'll suit you better.

I agree.  I was just trying to think of as many sub $300 pairs as I could and those all cam to me.  no preference.

[roggae]

I have been using a pair of the mic madness HLSC's. $235.    They sound great with my iRiver.  I only record bar bands so YMMV

[infinite]

thanks for all your replys. i think i will go for the church audio B99-M.

[Dede2002]

I have been using a pair of the mic madness HLSC's. $235.    They sound great with my iRiver.  I only record bar bands so YMMV

Me too. They are awesome mics. You'd love them.