Topic: Specific mic and setup advice requested for SD 788 non-stealth--new taper

[marvin100]

Hi guys,

First, apologies if this is the wrong area. If so, I trust the mods will put it where it belongs.

Basically I'm asking for various opinions on what I should buy and do for my very specific needs.

I have a Sound Devices 788t. A pair of Little Blondies omni mics is on the way.

I will be recording in two main situations:

1) At home studio.
Improvised music performed by 1-4 people sending stereo signals direct to the recorder and augmented by room mics for ambience and sometimes acoustic instruments (much of the music is electronic). Wide dynamics, from very quiet to medium volume. Very diverse timbres, from rough machine-like sounds and scraping to rich harmonic content and even pure sinetones.

2) At shows.
Improvised music performed by 1-6 people sending stereo signals direct to the PA (and possibly to the recorder when 8 channels will suffice) augmented by room mics for ambience and sometimes acoustic instruments. The music is the same, but the volume is higher. Rooms are typically "concrete box" style music venues and bars, quite small. Small, quiet/attentive audiences shouldn't pose a big problem, but I'd rather avoid chair squeaks and feet shuffling, etc.

I think my recorder is great & I'm more than pleased with the pre's (I record at 24/48, btw). I don't know how I feel about the Little Blondies mics yet, of course, but I'm pretty sure I'll want to either upgrade or add more mics at some point this year.

I'd rather not have a lot of different gear for different situations, but if it would be a significant benefit to the sound for me to use different mics at home and at shows, I can do so. I'm also of course very interested in your recommendations for mics or arrangements that will be flexible enough to help me get the best fidelity in both situations. Recordings from the home studio will need to be suitable for release, and it's quite likely some gig recordings will see release as well (assuming, of course, I can get the sound quality I expect).

Thanks for your help here and all the other stuff I've learned on this board!

[sunjan]

So you're primarily shopping for more mics?
I guess stealth is not a concern, so the field is wide open. What's your budget?

Mention your gear chain in the subject head, to attract the right readers...

[marvin100]

So you're primarily shopping for more mics?
I guess stealth is not a concern, so the field is wide open. What's your budget?

Mention your gear chain in the subject head, to attract the right readers...

Yeah, mics, I guess...budget? Maybe $500 now and then a grand or two in a few months.

(And thanks for the advice!)

[su6oxone]

Yeah, mics, I guess...budget? Maybe $500 now and then a grand or two in a few months.

How many mics are you looking for (you mentioned spot micing instruments, etc.)?  And are you planning to buy something soon given that you'll have a significantly larger budget in a few months?

[boojum]

The basic question will b e whether to save for good top of the line mics or go out and get some pretty good mics.  This is a hard call.  I made one decision which worked for me but might not work for you.  Think it through.

Your recorder is a good one and likely will not let you down. 

[sunjan]

Yeah, mics, I guess...budget? Maybe $500 now and then a grand or two in a few months.

BSC1 - Great versatile kit, since you were looking for something that works both live and studio.
If you want to sell them later on to fund more expensive mics, you could probably recover most of your investment on the YS.

[spcyrfc]

i would recommend AKG 414xls.  its a very versatile mic and can be used for spot micing, stereo pair micing and is great in the studio.

[fleish]

I'd also recommend the ADK TL's - one less pattern than the AKG 414's but also much cheaper & they sound great.

[burris]

Sell your 788t if it is too late to return it and replace it with a cheap usb/firewire interface and some good mics.  Spending $6,000+ on your recorder and only $500 or even $1,500 on your mics is the wrong way to do it.  The mics are not only vastly more important to the quality of the recordings you make, they are primarily mechanical devices that will remain useful for decades, unlike electronics.

[boojum]

OTOH this fellow can get started with a very good recorder and some pretty good mics.  That SD will be around and working for years.  I agree that the mics are paramount but it is a little late to redo this.  We'll just have to help this fellow out as best we can.

[marvin100]

Yeah, I seriously considered other recording options (laptop/interface, mainly), but for various reasons, that won't work for me. Tour/traveling, portability/ruggedness are serious factors, as are some other more personal reasons.

And, as I explained above, most of my recording is done direct. I want to use mics to supplement the direct lines, and am hoping for knowledgeable advice about how to do that rather than unsolicited advice about my recorder (that I flew to Hong Kong to purchase after a great deal of research and, obviously, saving). I've been recording music almost entirely direct only for almost a decade, so I know how to keep doing that (and the pre's on the 8 are a delight)--this is about branching out and how to best do so.

Thanks to those of you who have tried to answer my question. The AKG mics above look like great options, ones I hadn't really looked at before. You think mics like that would be better for me than smaller, thinner mics? I know so little about mics, but as I said, portability is a very real factor.

[su6oxone]

I know so little about mics, but as I said, portability is a very real factor.

Check out Schoeps CCM compact condenser microphone line.  Some CCM4 (cardioid), CCM21 (sub/wide cardioid), or CCM2/2S (omni), might suit you well.  The CCM5 (switchable cardioid/omni) might be also useful for you as well.  Unfortunately, they tend to me hard to find used and cost about $2k each new, but they are very compact.  I have a pair and they are awesome!

[Todd R]

A bit beyond your stated initial budget, but you might consider the AT4051 mic pair that jnornan is selling in the yardsale (at $630 for the pair). 

Very nice mics, and they are modular, so you could start now with just the cardioid pair and later when you've got more money to spend pick up some omni mic capsules or even hypercardioid mic capsules depending on your need.

[Big Perm]

First of all i completely agree with going the schoeps route. However it appears to be out of your budget. There is a pair of Rode NT2000 is the ys (http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=132579.0) For $1000.  They are not compact, but they give you a lot of options and I had a pair of Rode NT 2's about 10 years ago and they were great until I was able to upgrade later.
good luck

[marvin100]

Okay, so I'm going to pick up some CCM5s in a year or so, and will make do with a pair of little blondies and a pair of AKG414s in the meantime. This setup is satisfactory for now, and between now and getting the Schoeps, I'll have lots of time to get better at recording.

Thanks for your help, guys.