HELP! Recording on Friday, and unsure which mics or setup to use to capture podcast..

mrtootler

New member
Hello friends!

I need some serious help.

I am recording a live spoken word event, a podcast for a local yoga studio. The speaker gives a yoga class in a smallish room of about 12 people, and usually moves around the class room, but is willing to stand in the front.

I have a background in recording acoustic piano. I have two dynamic microphones (Sm57), and two condensor microphones (shure sm81). I have an audio interface (roland) with room for two mic cords, one mic stand, as well as a DAW (ableton) which records the files.

My question is this - what is the ideal setup? Should I let her handhold one dynamic mike around the front of the room, and set up a stand for the condensor in the back of the room? Or should I just set up two condensors in the back of the room and crank up reception at either corner of the room? Or should I do an xy of my two dynamic mics on a stand for her to speak into?

Or should I just rent a wireless mic she can wear?

Gahhh!!!!! Ive never done this before :)

Thank you for your help :)
 
I haven't done that either, but I don't think using condenser mics would be a good idea since it would capture the ambience (people moving, stretching, breathing, chuckles etc) of the room. But maybe you want that? Or is the speaking the main important thing?

I'd go with an sm57 on a stand. Some sort of pop filter might help too as I don't think the 57s have that. If you want the ambience you could have a condenser in the back, sure. You could even have the condenser there and just decide afterwards whether ambience is needed/wanted as you mix the two tracks in your DAW.
 
Hello friends!

I need some serious help.

I am recording a live spoken word event, a podcast for a local yoga studio. The speaker gives a yoga class in a smallish room of about 12 people, and usually moves around the class room, but is willing to stand in the front.

I have a background in recording acoustic piano. I have two dynamic microphones (Sm57), and two condensor microphones (shure sm81). I have an audio interface (roland) with room for two mic cords, one mic stand, as well as a DAW (ableton) which records the files.

My question is this - what is the ideal setup? Should I let her handhold one dynamic mike around the front of the room, and set up a stand for the condensor in the back of the room? Or should I just set up two condensors in the back of the room and crank up reception at either corner of the room? Or should I do an xy of my two dynamic mics on a stand for her to speak into?

Or should I just rent a wireless mic she can wear?

Gahhh!!!!! Ive never done this before :)

Thank you for your help :)

Condensor at the back of the room is ok for ambience if you want to add that in.
I wouldn't worry about XY.

If she is happy to stand in front of the mike, then use a SM57 if you want the fewest issues to deal with.

However, my choice would be the sm81 on a stand, but with windshield, maybe even pop shield.

If she wants to move around, test out how much handling noise you are going to get.

You could rent a wireless mike, but low-end ones sound pretty bad. Make sure it is decent quality.
 
Thanks for your speedy responses! Dainbramage, thanks for the tip. Yeah, Im mostly going for the speaking. Sounds like condensor may not be the way to go!

Gecko...ok, I definitely will not do XY. I guess I dont really need stereo for vocals...

So thats my plan - condensor in back for ambience, and dynamic hand held. Thanks for the help!
 
She's going to be actually doing yoga?
Mic stand won't work. Neither will handheld (unless she's strictly talking thru positions and not demonstrating). She's gunna be bending over and sitting down and crouching and standing. Yoga's hard enough without holding something in 1 hand. And a headworn mic won't work either because it'll get in the way of the stretching like if she puts both arms above her head.
This is an unconventional recommendation, but it works: get an iphone lavalier mic on amazon for about $25 (+$10 for 1 day delivery) and plug it into an iphone with a recording app. Attach the lav somewhere on her that won't be too much in the way, set the app to record high quality wav, and edit it later in an audio program. It'll pick up what it needs to pick up, and it's the least bulky. No need for a condenser in the back, 1 mic will pick up plenty of 'ambiance' in the room and more importantly nobody wants to hear stretching. It'll just take away from the speaker's voice. Ambiance is the enemy in podcasting, I spend time editing and money on specialty programs attempting to get room noise OUT, nobody wants to hear it.
 
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Get the best wireless kit you can.
It is hard enough to capture an "untrained" speaker at an AGM when all they have to do is stand there and waffle (you lose him as he turns to thank the Co secretary and stare down her front). The Yoga teacher is likely to be quite animated and will go off axis all the time.

"Recording noob talkers hard it is" (Oh sorry that's YoDa!)

Just a thought? Bluetooth cans and mic headset?
Dave.
 
Thank you Chris and ecc,

Ok, so a pure recording is critical for podcast? It sounds like the condensor is NOT the way to go then!

Fortunately, she will not be doing yoga, herself. But I now decided that a stand, if shes going off axis alot, will not be the way to go either...so Im going to have her hand hold the mike (so she gets a little fluidity of motion) and tell her not to speak into the mic so closely. (The sm57 seems to get very "BREATHY sounds.!)

Thank you all :)
 
mrtootler said:
Ok, so a pure recording is critical for podcast? It sounds like the condensor is NOT the way to go then!
Yeah its just distracting in spoken word. If you already have the mic and an extra input, no harm in using it and deciding later whether or not to include it, I just doubt it'll 'make the cut'.

"Recording noob talkers hard it is" (Oh sorry that's YoDa!)
SO TRUE.
OP might be unpleasantly surprised how quickly a speaker with a hand-held mic will stop talking into it. It seems unfathomable to us, but the mic just doesn't register as existing when they start talking and their hand lowers to about their hips within 10 seconds.

Just a thought? Bluetooth cans and mic headset?
Dave.
If no yoga I would seriously consider taking Dave's advice with any form of headworn mic you can get your hands on. In my opinion a mic only with no cans would be best. It's basically just a mic stand that never moves from her mouth. She doesn't need cans to monitor anything and they'd just make it hard for her to hear anything.
 
SO TRUE.
OP might be unpleasantly surprised how quickly a speaker with a hand-held mic will stop talking into it. It seems unfathomable to us, but the mic just doesn't register as existing when they start talking and their hand lowers to about their hips within 10 seconds.


If no yoga I would seriously consider taking Dave's advice with any form of headworn mic you can get your hands on.

Or, if you are giving her "a wire" anyway, tie (bra ) tack mic. Try to get an Omni.

Oh and yes! Getting the actual words is vastly more important than an pretensions to "hi fidelity".

Dave.
 
Again,

Thank you everyone! The podcast went as well as it possibly could have - the DAW didnt cut out or anything. The speaker thought it was a side mic for a bit, but other than that, no wrinkles!! I couldve brought the levels down a little more too, but it was my first time doing something like that. Thank you everyone and I will look into each of the materials you each suggested :) Now off to mixing...which I dont know a thing about either!
 
"Now off to mixing...which I dont know a thing about either!"

First job! Make several copies of the raw original. Keep the copies on sticks and post at least one into a Cloud.

Dave.
 
Again,

Thank you everyone! The podcast went as well as it possibly could have - the DAW didnt cut out or anything. The speaker thought it was a side mic for a bit, but other than that, no wrinkles!! I couldve brought the levels down a little more too, but it was my first time doing something like that. Thank you everyone and I will look into each of the materials you each suggested :) Now off to mixing...which I dont know a thing about either!

That's great news! Glad it went well. Post up a link when you're done, would love to hear it.
 
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