Advice on recording classical string quartet

Posted: Sat Sep 13, 2008 5:41 pm

Greetings,

I just found this forum and see a wealth of experience here. I will be doing some recording with a string quartet and plan to post here to get feedback. I have an Avenson Audio STO-2 omni pair. My first tries will be with a home brew Jecklin disk. I plan to work with the SQ trying out venues and mic. arrangements. Any pointers and encouragement are welcome.

Thanks.

Posted: Sat Sep 13, 2008 5:46 pm

http://www.sendspace.com/file/vg5m9t

Posted: Sun Sep 14, 2008 5:53 am

What is the rest of your equipment list? Preamps etc.?

Posted: Sun Sep 14, 2008 5:57 am

On my piano, I preferred the Sto-02s in AB rather than with a Jecklin disc. But the strereo imaging for a solo piano recording is less critical than for a quartet. You should try AB also and compare with Jecklin. I am interested in listening to your test.

Posted: Sun Sep 14, 2008 8:33 am

Preamp and A/D hardware is Creative E-MU 0404 USB to Vista PC

Details:
* 9624 recording
* Audacity software for recording,normalizing and output
* Channel levels are normalized
* Output files have been: 320kbMP3,9624 DVD-V and 4416 CD audio

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Posted: Sun Sep 14, 2008 8:58 am

Jecklin disk recording with my equipment

http://www.sendspace.com/file/4peutj

My only gig with the Jecklin disk. A pic of the setup.

http://www.sendspace.com/file/vg5m9t

The mic placement is not optimal. I plan to get heavier, more flexible mic stands to give me more options.

The group is the Dwight Shaw Big Band. They are a long running and popular dance band in SE Colorado. Dwight Shaw passed away on Dec. 2007 and group management was taken up one of the musicians. The group has since done 2 concerts and may do more. I may start another thread on recording this type of group.

Posted: Sun Sep 14, 2008 10:09 am

The last str4tet recording I did was with two 4006TLX spaced about 50 cm and positioned quite low, just above shoulder height of the seated players. For classical period works, I like the sweet, intimate sound you can get from the side of a violin or viola. If I were recording something more modern, I would likely go higher to get a fuller spectrum from the smaller strings. I usually try to shift the players around a bit until their instruments are equidistant from the mics, though the players are not always willing to move much. If you cannot achieve a proper balance this way, you may want to use spot mics on the inner voices. I always put up a cello spot since it's almost always needed, at least to get the sound I want, and that mic is usually a Beyer M130.

Posted: Sun Sep 14, 2008 10:11 am

Oh yeah, and for posting images, use http://xs.to/

Posted: Mon Sep 15, 2008 2:09 pm

Quote:

My only gig with the Jecklin disk.

Great!

I was first surprised by the spacing between the microphones in your setting, which seems being larger than the standard 16.5 cm value. But this value would have been increased by Herr Jecklin himself: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jecklin_Disk.

Posted: Mon Sep 15, 2008 4:46 pm

I based the disk on some construction notes I found. I'll post a link later. I think the mic distance I used was 14 inches. I need to set up a photo gallery to document what I'm doing.

Posted: Sat Oct 11, 2008 4:54 pm

Getting closer to the season. I copied this from a post on another forum

I will be doing archive recording for the upcoming season of the Veronika String Quartet based in Pueblo, Colorado.
http://chass.colostate-pueblo.edu/ve...rtet/index.htm

The first program to be presented on Nov. 1,2 includes:

Mozart - Clarinet Quintet in A Major, Statler Quintet
Schubert - Quartettsatz in C Minor
Smetana - String Quartet in E Minor. "From My Life"

I'll have a chance to record one rehearsal at one of the 2 halls before the concerts.

For the first attempt I plan to set up like this:
Jecklin disk purchased from core-sound
Avenson Audio STO-2 omni mics (My best mics)
E-Mu 0404 USB mic preamps and A/D interface
Vista PC running Audacity.

I've been using this equipment since last June to do about 10 remote recordings of some jazz groups around Pueblo. I've been using a DIY Jecklin disk, but I'm ponying up the money for the commercial disk for it's flexibility and professional looks.

I'll post pictures and hopefully some sound clips as I go. Your advice and encouragement is welcomed.

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