Posted by David Courreges on February 17, 2003 at 19:01:09:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Tech advice...recording equip? posted by Mary Ann on February 17, 2003 at 15:35:43:
Here's my .02 worth. FWIW, the recordings you're referencing (commercially produced orchestral & brass quintet) do use high-end (read $2000 +) mics and probably mic preamps that are priced in the same range. As with any recording situation, you're dealing with a series of compromises. Budget, room considerations, equipment, etc... I am a firm believer in mic choice and placement are the primary considerations no matter what gear you have. (BTW, I'm a euph player working on a master's in performance with an undergrad degree in recording & production). Experiment and record (on paper as well as to tape or hard disc) what you do. Get an "assistant" to help with things like mic placement and you'll also have another set of ears to bounce your sound and ideas off. As with any "system", the chain is only as good as it's weakest link, so go for the best that oyu budget can afford. I'm a fan of mid-priced condensers (look at a the Rode NT5 and NT2 for good bang for the buck, also a Shure Beta 98 H/C $400 list price) and the ever-popular Shure SM57 (the "snare drum mic someone mentioned in an earlier post. If you're looking at a small board to run your sound through (you'll need phantom power for the condenser mics I mentioned) I'll always recommend a Mackie VLZ 1202 (avoid the Behringer, I made that mistake once). You can find 'em used on ebay in good shape for a song. The mic preamps on the Mackie are head and shoulders above the Behringer IMHO and it makes a difference. I'll also say that I'm not a fan of minidisc, I can hear the difference, but this is your gig, so it's your call. I would go from board to hard drive if possible, and then burn to disc or edit and dump it back to your minidisc recorder. Hope this overload of info helps a bit. Email me off list if you want to talk more about this.
David "who has recorded way too many really bad student recitals" Courreges