Recording violin

M

Maxwell Smart

New member
I'm hoping to get some suggestions for a microphone/recording device rig to use for my violinist son. I would like it to be portable, so that we can record his lessons and performances, but would also like it to be sophisticated enough that we could produce quality audition tapes or CDs at home. There would be no mixing or anything like that involved, just a microphone into a recording device, and easy portability/high sound quality are my main concerns.
 
My suggestion would be a stereo condenser microphone, a 1 rack unit stereo preamp along the lines of an Aphex 207, and a rackmounted hard disk unit. Throw in a Furman power conditioner to plug everything into and you would be set up and recording in less than 2 minutes with this setup.

Of course it will probably cost you around 1000 bucks minimum.
 
It happens that I am also in the same situation, violinist son, looking for demo-quality equipment that would not ruin me. I would also like to record live concerts of chamber music. I haven't decided yet, but did research for about half a year, also looking into various websites.
It seems that a pair of matched condenser mics (e.g. Rode NT5) + a DAW such as the KORG 1600 is an option. As an alternative, an ALESIS Masterlink ML-9600 + separate mixing panel with pre amps (Yamaha, Mackie) is an interesting option.
Many DAW's are geared towards modern music requiring multiple effects, and somebody recording classical music would not need these. Purity of sound (e.g. neutral sound) and ease of operation are probably the most important issues here. I purchased an excellent book on the topic of live recording: On-location recording techniques by Bruce Bartlett (Focal Press). One of the rare but very comprehensive books on this issue. Keep us posted about your decision & experiences. Regards from Belgium.
 
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