mic'ing 2 singing players w/only 2 inputs

[Secret Clubhous]

Here's the situation:

2 musicians each playing a small acoustic instrument, & each player also singing from time to time.

The instrument is a solid-body kalimba-like thing about 8" square, called mbira. It's played held on the player's lap & seems to like nearfield micing from the back of the instrument, so the mic is essentially facing the player.

possible mics available:
2 MXL 603's
1 Rode NT1A
1 Oktava MK319
1 SM58

The limitation is I only have 2 iXLR nputs. Should I just throw up a couple overheads, & of those available, which ones might work best?

This is in a small cluttered, carpeted room which is my entire living space. Yeah, I know, I'm looking for a better space, but I want to record myself & music partner now, before she moves out of town.

Given the limitations, I am not expecting pro results, but suggestions how to get all 4 sound sources recorded simultaneously & as clearly as possible, as the music does not lend itself to overdubbed vocals.

Any ideas?

[mshilarious]

Yeah, use the stereo pair of 603s. However, you have a conflict: an instrument with sound radiating from the bottom, and a carpeted floor. Try to find some reflective material to put on the floor--plywood, vinyl, plastic desk chair mats . . .

[earthboundrec]

It'd be cool if you had a figure 8 mic that you could put in between the two of you. I guess that's not an option though. Yeah I would say that the 603's would work well. Maybe try different mic placements to see what works the best. It's be interesting to do an XY stereo track having the both of you just a couple feet from each other. You might get a nice stereo image like that. Good luck to ya!

[earthboundrec]

do you have a clip of any of the music? You've got me interested in what this sounds like!

[IronFlippy]

Originally Posted by earthboundrec

do you have a clip of any of the music? You've got me interested in what this sounds like!

+1

Would it be possible to record each player individually? I know this isn't ideal, but you're going to have problems hearing the vocals and mbiras with just two mics.

Suggestion: If neither of you likes the idea of playing alone, then mic only one of you, but have both play. Then only one of you has to play alone. If you both play together the second time, there's bound to be timing errors, unless you time and rhythm is spot on.

[Secret Clubhous]

Hey, thanks for the ideas, y'all. Session is this afternoon so I will try your suggestions & let you know.

mshilarious--actually the sound radiates from the back of the instrument more than from the bottom, but wood on the floor sure wouldn't hurt in general. I always use that when I play congas--but then that's a hollow sound chamber with sound radiating from both top & bottom when using drum stands.

earthboundrec--hope to have a sound clip soon. Yeah, it is pretty fascinating music & a unique sound that has a powerful presence, esp. in a live situation. It's from Zimbabwe & was invented long before electricity...

IronFlippy--now that's a creative recording idea & worth considering. The nature of the music creates new "resultant" melodies & rhythms from the composite of both players' parts, & that's what inspires the vocals--which can be a Zimbabwean style of scat singing. Hence the need to play & sing simultaneously.

An old friend of mine once successfully recorded an entire mbira group of players, singers & a shaker player with only one overhead mic, in Zimbabwe. I think it was a concrete room. Resources are very limited in many parts of Africa so you get very resourceful. Anyway, he's such a good engineer and musician, the balance was perfect & everything was clear. A great lesson in the value of Big Ears over Big Collection of Fancy Gear...

[Secret Clubhous]

Well, OK, I used the 2 603's as overheads angled away from each other, a couple ft. over our heads & in front of us, angled toward us. Put some masonite on the carpet. First try we got a real nice balance between both instruments and both vocals. I was surprised how even the response was, given 4 sound sources. Everything was clear, although I prefer an LDC on my voice. Also the sound quality on the mbiras was a bit too "glassy" for my taste, but hey, that's what EQ is for, huh. One of these days I'll get my hands on a couple MK012's to try.

Really the only problem in the session was my friend whining about the setup process, getting levels, etc. & not being able to play to a click track. Oh well, it was a worthy experience, even if some people aren't meant to play in a recording environment...

Thanks again for all your advice.

[treymonfauntre]

you wanted a click track for a little acoustic duet?

[Secret Clubhous]

yeah I wanted a click track cuz we usually have a percussionist who wasn't there. So I would have had to overdub that track & trust me, that ain't easy when the tempo is inconsistent. This is music for dancing to.

anyway, turned out it wasn't appropriate for this session. As a percussionist, I'm used to it bu she wasn't, so we just went with the flow, as they say.