TubeNet

Hi,

I've been thinking for a while now about doing some recording with my brass quintet. I have access to a number of very good microphones and some decent recording software, as well as a nice venue.

Does anyone have any tips as far as optimum number of microphones, mic placements, and which mics would be best suited?

I can elaboarte upon my setup if it would help.

Thanks,
Chris

So far, I've have 4 pairs of mics available (2 of each):

Audio-Technica AT4033a
Neumann U67
Neumann KM130
Audio-Technica AT3527

I also have a AKG C24, but the power supply needs a new fuse and I'm still looking for a shockmount for this one, so it is not up and running yet.

I have been reading about the mics and their capabilities, and I am willing to learn by trial and error. I'm just looking for some suggestions to point me in the right direction.

Thanks,
Chris

it sounds like you're planning to individually mike the instruments, despite having a good venue. To me, having a good venue means I can mike out in the hall and not up close. It depends entirely on what you want to hear in the recording....do you want to hear what an audience would hear with a live quintet performance, or do you want to hear a "studio quintet"?

Personally I like to hear what a live audience would hear, even if it's from the front row, rather than individually miked instruments. Brass instruments, especially the horn, don't record very well up close. The horn needs a reflecting surface for the true tone color to come through. I'm always frustrated when I hear recordings of fine performers that were done by putting the mike behind the bell, because all the tone quality that the person spent years learning to achieve, is lost in the recording, even though the notes are there. I think this happens most often when you have an "artist" soloist who trusts the recording engineer, who most likely has no background whatsoever in what the instrument is supposed to sound like, as opposed to a soloist who has some technical background and who knows what to listen for.

MA

I don't know if I can advise on what to do, but I can direct you to an example of how NOT to do it. (CAUTION: This brass playing is very much less than perfect.)

http://t-recs.net/15101.html

The seating of the brass players was: trombone and euphonium in front; trumpet and horn next row back; tuba (me) the back row. The mics were on a single stand about three feet high, about 6 inches apart with each turn slightly to the outside. The best I could do was put the mics out as far from the group and off to the side as much as practical limitations allowed. One can clearly hear that the front firing horns (trumpet and trombone) dominate the recording even though I tried to get the mics off to the side somewhat. I'm thinking that if I had a tall boom that could elevate the mics somewhere around 45 - 60 degrees above the band, this would have better accommodated the directional sound pattern of the brass, and the balance would have been much better. This still would have left the horn mostly unheard, but that's what those french horn players get for not choosing an alto horn instead.

The mics are Audio Technica AT3035 going straight into a Fostex MR8HD hard drive recorder.

By the way, the baritone singer you hear on the choir anthem is the tuba player too. You hear him partly because of where the mics were and partly as a result of a focused tone in the midst of unfocused tones.

The organ is a 21-rank Austin which, incidentally, has a 32-foot resultant that you can't really hear because there really isn't a fundamental tone or maybe there is or maybe it's your ear hearing some repetition waves along with some inferred harmonics along with some subliminal snap crackle and pop from a bowl of Rice Crispies.

Though I am by no means an expert, I have found that the best ways to record brass instruments either individually or in groups are usually the simplest.

If I were you, I would setup a simple stereo pair 5-8 feet in front of the group and about 6 feet above the players. I would start by seeing what sounds you can get with U67s or the 4033s. Make sure that you're signals pass through a decent preamp (go for a tube device if you're looking for a little more warmth or a solid-state device if you want a little more clarity and brilliance) followed by a high quality A-D converter before your final recording equipment (CD burner, DAT, computer, etc.).

Whatever you do, do NOT mic each player individually and then attempt to mix--it simply will not sound natural. This technique is fine for bands working with a complex array of amplified and acoustic instruments in addition to a horn section, but it will never be convincing with a quintet no matter how great your engineer is. Just record the group and let them balance themselves.

Depending on your software/hardware setup, I would also add a tiny bit of compression as a last step before burning the master copy. Some will argue with this, but it will make your recording more "listenable" and less amateurish-sounding. Do not overdo it though or decide that you are going to make use of every signal processor known to man or your recording will sound like garbage.

You can, of course, experiment with the mics (see what happens when you use a coincident setup or Blumlein technique instead of just a spaced pair), the hall, and the seating arrangement of the players, but always keep the KISS principle in mind.

Hope this helps.

Kyle