I will be recording a Native American drum group within the next couple months and am looking for help with a mic selection. My price range is about 1,000 or less. This mic will be run through a firewire 18/14 and be used along with an Audix drum mic.
Here is a pic of the type of recording I will be doing
http://www.powwows.com/galleries/showphoto.php?photo=3080&cat=531&sortby=f&sorttime=999&way=asc
Thanks,
Jason Pitre
Comments
Two words: Multiband Compressor. The transiants will kill you.
Two words: Multiband Compressor. The transiants will kill you.
We provide SR and record a pow-wow each year and it's always a fight. We use a SDC nead the drum, pointed up towards the vocalists (preferably the lead, if there's one). Results are ok, but it's hard fro the drum not to overpower the voices. I've always wanted to try a figure-8 (or two) with the null pointed down towards the drum, but have never had the opertunity. I don't know what pulling the mics away from the group will do, but I'd still watch out for the hard hits. Best of luck!
Mike
MLocke is spot on with his recommendation for popping a multi-ba
MLocke is spot on with his recommendation for popping a multi-band compressor into your signal chain, the transients will surely kill you if you don't. The lows are huge, fiesty and sometimes slippery. The highs are piercing sometimes [which demands compression or limiting] and could blow up any ribbon on the market so I'd suggest staying away from ribbon mics and sticking with dynamic mics. A couple of SM-57's or Audix i5's is an excellent choice here. Plus, a 57 is perfect for NA flute (w/windscreen and/or cloth tied on). More than likely you'll have an opportunity to track some NA flute while you're there.
The piercing highs that need compression/limiting will come from the sleigh bells. They are big and powerful. The vocals will require a little compression, however smooth and subtle.
Also, I recommend popping the coin on really good windscreens for outdoor/weather use [if it's an outdoor event] and appropriate windscreens for indoor use if you're indoors.
Also consider a shotgun mic for distant ambient mic'ing (in addition to the close-mic'ing)
PowWow's are an amazing and powerful experience. If you've never been to one before, be prepared for a new experience.
Jason, There's quite a few mic's you could look at. The thing I
Jason,
There's quite a few mic's you could look at. The thing I'd go for is a pair of good mic's. You may want to look into a pair of Senheiser MD 421's in an XY.
They should be a good compromise in drum frequency response and getting the vocal chants captured.
There's probaly a good chance you could pick a pair up from eBay, but given your timeline, you may have to look at new.
In a quick search, ZSounds had em' at about $425 each.
Good luck and let everyone know how it turns out!
Max