Are my Earthworks SR25s good enough for Choir/Orch?

[Kroy]

Are Earthworks SR25 cardioids good enough for recording live orchestral and choirs?

Would I be better off with Naiant omnis or a pair of Cad M179s in omni? (alternatives I'm considering).

You can listen to a live recording I made of an all saxophone group, with a pair of SR25s here: http://www.myspace.com/nzound (track is called 'Saxophones Live in Hall).

 

[Shadow_7]

I've heard that the earthworks are particularly noisy mics that are not well suited for orchestra / classical work. Although it really depends on your goals. Training / historical archive, or something more pro / commercial?

 

[leddy]

Earthworks makes good mics. You can't really compare cardioids to omnis though. The difference the patterns make will be much greater than the difference in mics, assuming they are all decent mics.

If you are intent on recording "natural sound", I'd suggest trying to keep a variety of patterns around.

I strive for accurate stereo recording too. I will always keep a good pair of cardiods, at least two omnis (for AB or Jecklin), a pair of figure 8's for M/S or Blumlein, etc...

The best method will depend on what you are recording and where you are recording it from.

I'd keep the Earthworks and save for a good pair of omnis. Then save for a fig. 8 or two. Don't upgrade gear because you think you should. Identify a problem (noise, lack of detail, etc.) then look for a solution (that may or may not involve new gear).

 

[omtayslick]

Earthworks makes good mics. You can't really compare cardioids to omnis though. The difference the patterns make will be much greater than the difference in mics, assuming they are all decent mics.

If you are intent on recording "natural sound", I'd suggest trying to keep a variety of patterns around.

I strive for accurate stereo recording too. I will always keep a good pair of cardiods, at least two omnis (for AB or Jecklin), a pair of figure 8's for M/S or Blumlein, etc...

The best method will depend on what you are recording and where you are recording it from.

I'd keep the Earthworks and save for a good pair of omnis. Then save for a fig. 8 or two. Don't upgrade gear because you think you should. Identify a problem (noise, lack of detail, etc.) then look for a solution (that may or may not involve new gear).

Yeah, what he said. +1

 

[Kroy]

Earthworks makes good mics. You can't really compare cardioids to omnis though. The difference the patterns make will be much greater than the difference in mics, assuming they are all decent mics.

If you are intent on recording "natural sound", I'd suggest trying to keep a variety of patterns around.

I strive for accurate stereo recording too. I will always keep a good pair of cardiods, at least two omnis (for AB or Jecklin), a pair of figure 8's for M/S or Blumlein, etc...

The best method will depend on what you are recording and where you are recording it from.

I'd keep the Earthworks and save for a good pair of omnis. Then save for a fig. 8 or two. Don't upgrade gear because you think you should. Identify a problem (noise, lack of detail, etc.) then look for a solution (that may or may not involve new gear).

Thanks for the advice. I particularly like the last bit! One solution I have for the Earthworks' noise issue that doesn't involve spending any more money is iZotope RX, which I've used very effectively at the beginning of tracks where some noise can be detected.

Would anyone care to recommend a good omni mic for choir/orchestral, and a good figure-8. Or multi pattern?

 

[Shadow_7]

Having options are good. But if you're just recording a specific source, and more importantly in a specific location, you'll probably only use one polar pattern anyway. Maybe a combination of two depending on the source. So you don't really need every option. Baring any unexpected's that renders your main option useless. Or recording for money where there's to many unknowns to put all your eggs in one basket. Everything else being known, you're going to settle on one or the other, while the rest get shelved for all intents and purposes. I'm not saying you shouldn't have options, but you can save yourself some money if you know what you actually need.

I'd love to record with ribbons (fig-8) in a blumlien type setup. BUT... I record outdoors and that's probably the worst thing to even try to use, outdoors. For the 95% of the year where I wont be able to use that setup. 1st on my wants, last on my needs.