Hi all,
I am recording a concert at my church on Sunday, and am trying to decide which pair of mics to use. I have C4s and AT 4050s available. I will have almost no time to try different options since the concert is right after the last service, so I need to just pick what I think is best and go with it. The room had bad acoustics, so I already decided to forego omni options and to use an ORTF set up with either pair in cardoid mode. The choir is pretty small: 20 people set up on steps on three rows.
I have done such gigs before, and have had good success with my C4s in both spaced omni and cardoid ORTF configurations. One complaint is that they sound a bit tinny, especially in cardoid, presumably from the inherent bass rolloff. Not bad, just a little weak in the low end. I just got a pair of AT 4050s that I am interested in trying out on the choir. I know the standard response is that small diaphragm mics tend to be better for this sort of thing, due in part to the tendancy of large diaphragm mics to have more off-axis coloration. That being said, the 4050's extended bass frequency relative to the C4 is appealing. So, I am pretty torn.
Anyone have experience using 4050s on choirs? How is the off-axis resonse? Any thought or suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.
Dave
Comments
You will be stoked with the 4050's! (I use 4006's mainly) Howev
You will be stoked with the 4050's! (I use 4006's mainly)
However, you may want to use the C4's as a backup pair and open up another pair of tracks to use as a pad about 15dB down to add some depth of field. It certainly would not hurt..and if it does not blend well for you, you can always mute the other channels in post.
You may want to stop over to the acoustic music forum, and post
You may want to stop over to the acoustic music forum, and post the same thing over there. There's lots of good folks who'd love to help you.
In the meantime, your approach is a good one; I'd also use the 4050s' in ORTF Mode, perhaps right above the conductor's head, if possible (if you have a large enough boom/stand), looking down at at a slight angle towards the center of the group.
Use the C4's with omni' capsules as an outrigger pair. You can try them farther apart than you'd think, depending on the width of the choir. (Move'em around to taste, if you have time to play with their placement.)
Assuming you're tracking them all to their own tracks, you can then mix to taste afterwards. Good luck with it; I use this approach all the time with chamber choirs and larger groups. You may find the 4050's a little bright overall, but you can easily roll some of that off when you mix. (Better to have too much than not enough.)
I agree with audiowkstation. The 4050 is a great mic. (no 4006
I agree with audiowkstation. The 4050 is a great mic. (no 4006 mind you :wink: )
Use it (err, them) and you won't be disappointed.
What about the hall equals bad acoustics? i tend to reject the notion that omnis can only be used in good acoustic situations. if the acoustics aren't great, you just need to get the mics a little closer to the source.
Back to the mics - there is NO comparison between the SPs and the ATs. Don't worry about the size of the diaphragm.
j... 8-)
Thanks to all for your input. I'll go with the 4050s. I may t
Thanks to all for your input. I'll go with the 4050s. I may try the C4s as outriggers, as was suggested. But, the choir is just one element of this concert. there will be a jazz quartet, a couple of horns, and a three vocal mics. So, I may not have the spare channels.
Cucco, good point about omni. If I have time, I'll try them in omni mode, too. If not, I'll stick with ORTF cardoids - just seems like a safer bet.
Dave
You will be stoked with the 4050's! (I use 4006's mainly) Howev
You will be stoked with the 4050's! (I use 4006's mainly)
However, you may want to use the C4's as a backup pair and open up another pair of tracks to use as a pad about 15dB down to add some depth of field. It certainly would not hurt..and if it does not blend well for you, you can always mute the other channels in post.