Recording challenge: band rehearsal with only two mics

June 25, 2017 1:13 PM

I'm recording a band rehearsal tomorrow, but am limited to two channels for sound (and to two mics): what is the best approach to mic position etc?

I'm recording a band rehearsal, fully instrumental with five pieces (including two saxophones, drum kit, one guitar, one bass). We will only have the onboard mic and either a radial mic, or a boom mic; we're limited to the channels on the camera. If we can plug into a mixing board, we will, but we don't know if that will be an option.

We don't need the full rehearsal, but do want good footage and some good sound tracks overall and, possibly, honing in on instruments that we can edit into a short video.

Any advice welcome!! :)

posted by johnsohl to Media & Arts (4 answers total)

I would try to avoid the boom mic because of their weird pickup patterns and frequency responses. They're more of a necessary evil for recording voice than a good thing for music. I'm not sure what you mean by radial mic, but it sounds like you should stick to that.

Plug up one ear and walk around the space until you find the best sounding spot. Put the mic there. If that happens to be a good spot for the camera and the camera mic doesn't suck, you can use that mic there and use the other mic closer in as a solo mic for the sax players to step up to in order to boost their presence upon mixdown.

When using two mics on the same source while not in a stereo pattern, be aware of the 3 to 1 rule.
posted by Candleman at 1:31 PM on June 25, 2017 [2 favorites]

I think the biggest decision you have to make is whether "even coverage" or "as a person would hear it" is more important. Each has its benefits and drawbacks.
posted by rhizome at 2:49 PM on June 25, 2017

Best answer: It sounds like you're forced to make some compromises here. You can sometimes get an okay sound from your camera mic, if the band isn't too loud and/or in a small/hard room. Blending the camera mic source with other mic/soundboard sources can sound odd, but you can try. The best thing is to have the time to experiment with different recording configurations & environments. I hope the band isn't expecting perfect sound on a test run budget, they'll have to be patient.
posted by ovvl at 6:18 PM on June 25, 2017

Whatever you do, If you have the means to edit the video & sound: have someone record the rehearsal onto their iphone as well, from a bit of a distance. Could prove useful mixed in with the camera's audio.
posted by STFUDonnie at 7:43 PM on June 25, 2017 [1 favorite]