Recording an opera singer

[CharityStrike]

Hey guys, I have a home studio where I mostly record some podcasts, VO's for video and things of that sort. My girlfriend is a soprano opera singer and I'd like to help her record some stuff and be able to send it out. I need to know what type of mic I should be looking to get this done, can you help me with that? Type/brand/model/whatever you can offer me is appreciated.
Thanks in advance.

 

[DM60]

I would have to assume your first issue will be the room. I wouldn't think close micing would be a good option in this case.

 

[bouldersoundguy]

Use a high quality large diaphragm condenser in a great sounding, properly treated large room (7m x 7m x 4m or bigger). You may want her as much as a meter away from the mic.

 

[CharityStrike]

Agreed. I did a recording of her live in a nice bright church and had it about 5 feet away and it sounded pretty good. This was just with an sm58.

 

[CharityStrike]

This whole topic got brought up because she found the following in a singers forum about LDC mics. "LDC mics have a tendency to have poorly EQ'd high frequency response curves, which can distort the overtone balance, which is important to listen to in a classical voice lesson. SDCs tend to have a flatter response and pick up more detail. You can get an AKG perception for $70 that should pick up sufficient detail."

 

[bouldersoundguy]

A $70 AKG? I bet there are many LDCs that sound better once you get out of the bargain basement. That said, I did consider suggesting a small diaphragm condenser but I didn't want to muddy the waters. Besides, I would have suggested as a bare minimum the tried and true (well, I don't know about Opera singers) SM81 for about five times the cost of that AKG. Probably to do it right you'd be looking at Schoeps or DPA or some other brand outside of my budget.

 

[CharityStrike]

I don't mind spending a little more than that. Ideally I'd say $150, and if it was totally worth it to bump up to $200 then ok.

 

[bouldersoundguy]

Can you rent or borrow something above that range? If quality and accuracy are really your priorities then I'd shoot for the best you can get your hands on.

 

[witzendoz]

How to record Opera singers:

This is from one of my favourite documentary's, watch where the mics are, and they are all LDC's.

 

[Btyre2013]

hiring a Neumann U87 for the day would be a good idea, but maybe try a demo first and see how it goes, you definitely want a high quality LDC mic. The AKG 414 would be another great choice.

 

[Steenamaroo]

I would have to assume your first issue will be the room. I wouldn't think close micing would be a good option in this case.

This is paramount.
Where are you recording her this time?
If you're doing it in a home environment, renting an expensive mic could be a waste of time.

If the church worked well for you before, I'd do the same again.