Microphone help?

Hey everyone!

I need to record a full orchestra from the middle/back of a concert hall (30-40 feet).

Currently they're recording onto stereo mics that fly above the stage apron. Here's a sample of what they sound like. This is drier than the sound in the hall itself - I figure because the mics aren't picking up the room reverb. So I'm going to add a mic in the back of the hall, and either use that alone or mix the two sources.

I figured I would just buy a microphone, hook it up to my computer (here's my specs - a mono mic jack and some USB ports) and run it into Audacity.

However I'm clueless about mics. Do I need a condenser or a dynamic mic? Do I need some sort of equipment to put between the mic and the computer? Would it be better to not record onto the computer at all but onto some different device?

Any help would be much appreciated :):)

The computer will be fine, you just need a mic and some sort of interfacing adapter...

I suppose a large-diaphragm cardioid condenser would be ideal...perhaps an omni-directional mic nearer the orchestra would do well since room ambiance is your target. (Perhaps right in the middle of the room...if audience noise won't be an issue)

...what's your budget?

You could find an OK condenser which goes straight to usb for $100 or so:

Buy MXL MXL 990 USB Powered Condenser Microphone | Condenser Microphones | USB Microphones | Musician's Friend

Or, you would use ANY mic with the cool new Shure XLR-USB adapter:

Buy Shure X2u XLR-to-USB Microphone Adapter | USB Microphones | Microphone Accessories | Musician's Friend

Or, you can use some sort of audio interface to connect a mic to you computer:

I have one of these: Buy TASCAM US-122L USB 2.0 Audio/MIDI Computer Interface | Audio Interfaces & Convertors | Audio Interfaces | Musician's Friend

...If you have an adapter/interface and a healthier budget, something like this:

Buy Rode Microphones NT2-A Large-Capsule Studio Condenser Microphone | Condenser Microphones | Musician's Friend

with an omni pattern might give you the best results...

Do some research, see if you can find an omni-directional mic that fits your budget...that's what I would do...omni, in the middle.

Others may have different ideas.

You'll definitely want a condenser mic. Hmmm, from what I've heard the Audio Technica AT3035 is great, probably the best under $300. The Rode NT-2A is good as well, but some people complain that the tone is too cold and a little exagerated on the high end.

You'll need an audio interface to go along with that as well. The Presonus Firebox, Edirol FA-66, along with the higher end M-Audio Fast Tracks are all good choices.

Thanks Robin & Ghost!

We're recording a rehearsal so audience noise is not an issue - I'll just put the mic in the middle of the hall.

Budget is about 150$, so XLR is way out of my league. ;) If I understand your recommendation correctly I need a mic that's:

*USB (and doesn't require additional phantom power)

*omnidirectional

*large-diaphragm

*condenser

yes?

Maybe something like the Behringer C-1U?

The only USB condenser I'm familiar with is the Samson CO1U. I own one and I've been pretty happy with it. Can be a bit noisy at times, but I've gotten some compliments on sound quality and for around $100 I'd say it was a very good deal!

The main problem I find with USB condensers is compatibility with DAWs. For example I couldn't figure out how to use my Samsom CO1U with Logic, Cubase, or Sonar. However, I did record with it without many problems (so far as I can remember) in Audacity, which is what you plan to use.

Phantom power is necessary for good sound. It's like an active pickup on a bass, it only adds depth. what might be cool would be an array of small diaphramed mics on point, but that'd require a lot more knowledge. But you'd want to mix it with closemics.

On $150, you won't get anything really worth it. Get what's in your budget and has decent sound reviews. I don't like USB mics because of their generally poor sound and latency problems, but there are diamonds in the rough.

As far as Audacity: It's one of the cleanest-sounding recording programs, so even if you prefer a full DAW, it might be worth it to record it in Audacity and then play with it in Logic/Protools/Cubase.

The farther you put the mic away the less detail you will have. It will sound as if someone turned the reverb all the way up. The trick is to get it just far enough away to receive an ensemble sound and then if you need more space add it later with reverb.

You know, after experimenting a bit in Audacity, I think Gverb is just an easier fix than a whole new mic.

Some of you are probably better w/ Audacity than me. I just created a duplicate track and then applied this Gverb to it:

Roomsize: 50 m^2

Reverb time: 1.5 s

Damping: 0.1 s

Bandwidth: 0.75

Dry signal: none (i.e. -70 dB)

Early reflection: -10 dB

Tail level: -20 dB

I played this track at -2 db, together with the original, and the sound is much closer to the "fatter," studio-recording feel I was looking for.

Here's what they sound like now:

reverbed.mp3 - File Shared from Box.net - Free Online File Storage

Compare with the old version:

sample.mp3 - File Shared from Box.net - Free Online File Storage

Awesome! The doubling also makes the strings sound much fatter - that's a good thing as I only have 4-3-3-2-2 against 9 brass. :D

Does anyone know a way to get the top frequencies (flute and such) to be a bit louder? I guess I could create a third duplicate track and High Pass Filter it? Is that the usual way or is there a more professional method? :P