Recording Flute Recital

[steelphantom]

My girlfriend's senior flute recital is coming up on Tuesday, and she asked if I would record it for her. The instrumentation will be flute accompanied by a large (and loud) Steinway grand piano. The venue is a very nice sounding ~200 seat recital hall, and the stage is really just a slight raised platform a few feet in front of the seats. My mic closet includes a pair of Studio Projects C4s, an AT4040, and a Cascade FatHead II. I was thinking about using the C4s as a spaced pair on opposite ends of the stage and using the AT4040 as a spot mic for the flute. Any other ideas?

 

[Massive Master]

Nothing but freakish phase issues if you do that.

You could put a mic on the flute and a mic on the piano, you could have an XY or ORTF pair in between and spot the flute with the Fathead - But not a mic on either side...

 

[steelphantom]

Nothing but freakish phase issues if you do that.

You could put a mic on the flute and a mic on the piano, you could have an XY or ORTF pair in between and spot the flute with the Fathead - But not a mic on either side...

What do you mean by "in between"? I'd like to get a stereo room sound and also close mic the flute. Not sure that I need to get more piano, though I guess I could mic it with the FatHead and add it in the mix if I really want to.

 

[Massive Master]

In between the flute and piano (precisely where would be dependent on the "mix" at that point).

You're not going to get a nice "stereo room sound" with two mics 30 feet apart. 7 or 8 inches - Maybe 3 feet if you're using omnis and you're back in the middle of the house.

 

[bennychico11]

I wouldn't worry about trying to get a stereo sound too much at the recital.
I think I'd just mic the flute with one of the omnis....and put the AT on the piano (I'm assuming it's a grand?). That's the easy solution.

The Cascade is a figure 8 isn't it? Maybe throw that middle of the house if you want. Although, it might be nice to have a ribbon on the flute. Just don't put the mic too close to her tone hole (that's what she said!). Space it a little off to her right and above.

 

[steelphantom]

In between the flute and piano (precisely where would be dependent on the "mix" at that point).

You're not going to get a nice "stereo room sound" with two mics 30 feet apart. 7 or 8 inches - Maybe 3 feet if you're using omnis and you're back in the middle of the house.

OK, so I should place the mics in between the flute and piano, but how should I orient them? Should they be fairly high and facing down like overhead mics, even in ORTF? That seems like it would be the most logical to me. Thanks for your help, by the way.

 

[SouthSIDE Glen]

I wouldn't worry about trying to get a stereo sound too much at the recital.

I'd tend to agree with this. With a recital, the client is usually far more interested in capturing the performance than they are the room/ambiance.

If you use the Fathead on the flute, you can use the rear lobe of the figure 8 to grab some of the room. Similarly, if you record the piano with the AT, placing it outside the nearfiled of the piano (not a bad idea with a single mic in a good-sounding room like a recital hall), you'll get some ambiance there as well. Then just get your "stereo" (actually 2ch, not true stereo, but who's counting?) simply from throwing the piano somewhere left and the flute somewhere right (to taste).

G.

 

[Massive Master]

OK, so I should place the mics in between the flute and piano, but how should I orient them? Should they be fairly high and facing down like overhead mics, even in ORTF? That seems like it would be the most logical to me. Thanks for your help, by the way.

I'd probably start somewhere around there assuming there isn't a grid to drop lines from. Assuming the piano is upstage right of the flute (pretty typical placement), an XY or ORTF pair downstage center (in front of and stage right of the flute) might give you something along the lines of what you'd hear from that point in space.

But other suggestions (spot mic both and just go from there) is a fairly safe bet also - The "listening experience" won't be the same, but the focus on the instruments would arguably be better.

Lots of ways to skin this particular cat... A lot of it depends on access to the venue. I do a lot of these (a dozen or more classical/orchestral/ensemble recordings yearly) and I favor a spaced (maybe 3') pair of (omni) SDC's from the first FOH grid - assuming I have access to it. As long as I'm a few feet out from the apron and hopefully under the top edge of the proscenium, you can't really go wrong (unless you're in a fly house with a 70' proscenium arch, where you'll want to lower them in on 50' lines).