best stereo mic for irish folk (no amps!)

[fox-at-home]

Hi,
we want to record an Irish Folk concert in a very small location (50-70 people). We do not use any PA or amps. Which will be the best mic to do this. Of course the mics should not be too expencive.

We want to record in stereo. Our instruments are, fiddle, wester guitar(s), accordeon, mandoline, bodhran, tin whistle and 5 voices.

Thank you
...Leo

 

[wesley tanner]

what's not too expensive? what're your preamps? what're you recording onto? etc etc

 

[paddyponchero]

Hi,
we want to record an Irish Folk concert in a very small location (50-70 people). We do not use any PA or amps. Which will be the best mic to do this. Of course the mics should not be too expencive.

We want to record in stereo. Our instruments are, fiddle, wester guitar(s), accordeon, mandoline, bodhran, tin whistle and 5 voices.

Thank you
...Leo

Hi Leo,

If I lived in germany I would get this:
http://www.thomann.de/index.html?pa...iw6_the_tbone_sc100ii_stereoset_prodinfo.html

It would be almost impossible to beat that deal and if you don't like them you can always send them back.

Edit: Sorry gave you the Irish link
http://www.thomann.de/index.html?partner_id=97926&page=the_tbone_sc100ii_stereoset_prodinfo.html

 

[Richard Monroe]

Most engineers would prefer 2 mics to one stereo mic, if you have available phantom power. The biggest advantage is that you can place the mics in an assortment of configurations. If you are looking for a battery powered stereo mic, I have gotten excellent results with Sony ECM-MS957. It's a mid-side stereo mic with presets for 120 or 90 degree separation, and it's a wonderful remote mic. It was designed for a minidisc, so the 5 pin cable terminates in a 1/8" stereo miniplug. A simple headphone adaptor or a Y splitter will get you to either a 1/4" TRS or 2 1/4" TS plugs. Getting it to 2 XLR's proved to require a little creativity. Whether this mic is a good choice for you depends on what you intend to plug it into. I use it with a Korg PXR4 Pandora, and the two make a lovely combo. Do a search on "one point" mics, and you'll find Audio-Technica builds a pretty good one for less money than the Sony, and Sony builds cheaper models, also.
But- I think the 957 is the best of the lot, until you get into full size stereo condensers that are looking for phantom power, etc. One exception is Rode NT-4, which will run on batteries, and is a pretty good mic. I've used the 957 for everything from old time folk to Medieval ensembles, to live Reggae, and it has performed flawlessly.-Richie

 

[fox-at-home]

thank you

thanks to all for the hints. I think I will test the t.bone SC-100. 129 EUR are less than I feared.

...Leo

 

[paddyponchero]

thanks to all for the hints. I think I will test the t.bone SC-100. 129 EUR are less than I feared.

...Leo

Have a look at this for ideas on setting them up:

http://www.dpamicrophones.com/
http://www.tape.com/Bartlett_Articles/stereo_microphone_techniques.html

Let us know how you get on Leo, if it turns out well stick up an mp3