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Setup / Recording advice?

Profile picture for user snyderman
Submitted by snyderman on

Hi All,

I’d gladly welcome any advice/comments on the following:

I’m playing/recording 4 shows over the weekend. Would rather hire out the recording chores but our band has now recording budget for these shows.



The venue is a very live (wood floor) & sm (125 seats, lowish ceiling)concert house.

We are a tango group playing the music of Astor Piazzolla.

Instruments:

Violin

Cello

2 Bandoneons / Accordions

Piano (7” Steinway )

Bass (electric / amped upright)

Small drum set



Equipment:

Earthworks QTC30’s – matched set

RODE NT5 - matched set

3x 414’s

3x sm 57’s

Royer R-121

Studio Projects T3



Millennia media HV-3 (2 channels)

DigiMAX (8 pre’s)

Digi 002 (4 pre’s)



The stage is very tight. My plan was to use the Earthworks in the middle of the front semi-circle (Violin, Bandoneon 1, Bandoneon 2, Cello) & spot the Violin (414) & cello (royer)

Back row: Pno (2 414’s in XY or ORTIF, inside of near stick at opening), Bass (sm57 on amp), Perc. (NT5’s in XY, sm57 on kick)



I’m mostly concerned with getting a good piano sound. We have always had difficulty with good piano presence in this space.



Thanks for your thoughts,

Derek

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Comments

Thomas W. Bethel
Wavelab
Thomas W. Bethel

I think you will get a much better piano sound with the C-414s above the 2nd and 5th sound hole on the piano's harp. About 6 inches above with the front of the C-414s pointed twords the sound hole. We do a radio show on a really tight stage with lots of reflective surfaces and this seems to work the best on the Steinway. It is a full sound and very little if any hammer noise. Others here may have different opinions.

Thu, 03/16/2006 - 14:22 Permalink
Profile picture for user bap
bap

The venue is indeed Kerrytown Concert House. Nice lively place to play. Tricky to record. How do you know it?



I went to school in Ann Arbor and have played at Kerrytown many times. I haven't lived there for over 12 years but was there when they bought that lovely Hamburg 7 ft that is probably still there. It was voiced way up and at the time was, in my opinion, too much piano for the space.



It is a great space for quieter instruments but I found it to be somewhat painful when the volume went beyond a certain point - kind of like listening to an operatic singer singing full out in a small room.



I can imagine that it would be a difficult space to record in.

Thu, 03/16/2006 - 16:24 Permalink