Recording vocal in "live" session

LI Slim

LI Slim

New member
An alternative rock band I know has asked me to record a couple of my heretofore acoustic songs with them. They have a studio which is one large room. Between us, we have several SM58's and one AT4047 (large condensor, omni) mic. Usually, I record my vocals tracked separately using the 4047. We're going to record "live", and I'm concerned that using the 4047 will pick up so much of the rest of the sound that the vocal track will turn into an everything track.

So what should I do? Am I better off just using am SM58 for the vocal? Is there some way to isolate the vocal? Etc?
 
Here's a trick that might work for you:

Get two of the tallest mic stands you can find (with boom arms) and arrange them in a "V" (with the open part of the V pointing at the band. Drape some packing blankets over the boom arms, so that the blankets touch at the apex of the V (where the two arms come together).

Slide a third stand inside the V, so that the arm protrudes slightly beyond the apex of the V, thru the blankets. You'll mount the 4047 to that boom arm. The 4047 is cardioid, not omni, by the way.

The singer will now be singing into two packing blankets that form a V going away from him. The sound from the band is being trapped by the open end of the V which is facing the band.

Between deflection, absorbtion, and diffusion, you can pick up as much as 15 dB of extra isolation that way. Lemme know how it works out for you.
 
Use the 4047 as a good room mic, and the 58 for vocals.

Just think.....its a live recording. How many top bands / singers do you see with 58's?? 1000's!
 
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