i have generally always recorded individual instruments (mostly flute) using my single best mic (AT 4050) to one track. works fine in duets and trio mixes, but for solo performances, it tends to put the instrument a bit too "in your face" in the center, when compared to commercial CDs. i have been experimenting with doing them in stereo with a pair of matching, but less expensive mics (akg c3000s). do the pros "spread" the sound by recording the solo flute in stereo, or are they recording in mono and doubling it with a delay and panning the original and the delay a bit off center?
micing a solo performance
- Thread starter jnorman
- Start date
yes, shailat - i use a moderate amount of large hall. the problem is over-centering of the sonic image when i use a mono signal and a stereo-processed reverb. commercial recordings have a much more diffuse image spread than what i had been doing. through experimenting, i have acheived a similar and satisfying spread using the stereo method and also by going mono and then using a short delay (original signal panned slightly left and delayed signal panned slightly right) along with the reverb. i am saving a track by using the delay, and it sounds very good. i was trying to ask if there was some good reason i should be doing this in stereo instead of the mono-with-delay method. it seems like i have always gotten better depth to acoustic guitars when i recorded them in stereo - perhaps that is true of any instrument.
Recording Engineer
Moderator
For more depth, simply just mic further away(1mm=1ft). If you're getting the depth you want by miking further away, but not enough detail, put another mic where you were getting enough detail; then mix to get the perfect blend.