Okay - while searching the site for answers, and also for mic info, I came upon this in a thread in the Microphone forum. Great thread, BTW. This posted by Harvey Gerst. Oh yeah!
http://www.homerecording.com/bbs/showthread.php?threadid=27030&perpage=25&pagenumber=4
If you listen to Trevor Horn's stuff, (e.g. Yes 90125, Frankie Goes to Hollywood and Seal etc.) he seems able to *place* instruments and voices into different areas e.g. further back in the room, closer to the front, even higher and lower as a physical location, not in terms of frequency.
This is what I'm asking about - anyone with any more info?
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Any mic can be used to record any sound
Think about that for a minute. A mic doesn't care what it's recording, but some mics are better suited for certain things. If you don't have the one "perfect" mic for the job, any mic will work, with some trade-offs in sound quality. Understanding what those "trade-offs" are is the hard part.
How does this part fit into the song?
Does it need to be miked in stereo or will mono work? Is it gonna be an upfront part or does it hafta blend in? Is there another instrument operating in the same frequency range that might cause a conflict? The right choice of mics can help in all these situations, but you hafta make sure BEFORE you set up any mics just exactly what it is that you hope to accomplish. Here is how I think about where a part fits in:
1. Panning (Left to Right) - Very useful for separating instruments that occupy the same frequency range.
2. Level (Front to Back) - In combination with reverb, this creates the illusion of near and far, and can also seperate instruments in the same range.
3. Frequency (Lo to Hi) - the most overlooked aspect of getting a good blend when you're first starting out. Most people solo a track and then work to get a killer sound (bass, guitar, whatever), then move on to the next track. Wrong way to think. Instead, think about the song; which instrument should cover the bottom octave, electric bass or kick drum? If it's the kick, roll off some of the bottom on the electric bass and listen to make sure the two instruments aren't fighting for the same space.
Is the vocal important? Put it in the center, right up front. Are the guitars conflicting with the vocal? Move them out of the way with the pan control.
But what if it's just a solo guitar or piano track? Ahhh, there's where you need to decide if a stereo recording would be best. If it's an acompaniment to a vocal, a stereo recorded guitar or piano can sound very nice contrasted with a mono vocal.
Sorry this has turned into a rambling diatribe, but these are things that people tend to overlook in their haste to record stuff. But it's exactly this stuff that determines what mic, polar pattern, and placement you should be using - before you even plug in the first mic.
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