Ok.

Back in my girlfriends high school daze (3 years ago) she was involved in the school choir which really kicked butt! They did a tour through Canada and had one of their performances recorded in an old church...really low budget. My girlfriend no longer sings but holds this music close to her heart (She cries when she listens to it).

I'd really like to hear the community's views on this difficult subject. What are you're favourite stragegies:

Spaced pair: big stereo image but big also on phase cancellation problems?
X/Y: No phase problems but unexciting and narrow stereo image?
ORTF: Happy medium?

How far away from the guitar? 6"? 12"? 18"? 24"? Angled up/down?

The dilemma:

This tip is more for the recording newcomers but could also help others in here.

Background:
I'm new. I don't intend to be a professional studio engineer, nor create a pro studio, but I do want to make a studio good enough to make good music.

Genre:
Rap and R&B

Hi there,

I'm currently setting up my little sound design suite and I have my TR8-N's spaced 48" apart
[Center of monitor, to the other monitors center]

Each speaker is about 40-44"away from my listening position with is approximately 45% to the center of the room.

I am recording some of my songs on a friend's computer, and my vocals seem to overpower the other instruments just as I put them loud enough to be heard. The voice sounds to bassy, not clear enough. I'm not sure what it is, but it sounds as if the vocals aren't part of the song, but a loud, unpretty, Karaoke performance.

Hello there I'm new to this forum but am really liking it...
I have had a enough work in studios to know how to work them but really do not like my engineering skills ( the sound and tones of everything i record )
I am doing a recording of a Hardcore band ( for those who dont know hardcore is a cross of punk and metal ) in a couple of weeks.

Opinions on this?

The room is a drywalled basement with a low ceiling (prob about 8'.) Cement floor covered with carpet. The room is probably 20 x 30. The kit is against the back wall, standard stage setup. Any suggestions for better placement of the kit?

Right now I have crisply smeared mud if that makes any sense.

I am ready to purchase a TLM 103(soo psyked!), any idea whose store has the cheapest prices, generally speaking? $775 is the lowest I have seen it lately, am I crazy to think this mic used to be cheaper?