How to record a marching/concert High School band from the stands?

[Legne]

Hi, I am a newbie and I look forward to learn more about recording. I am a proud Dad of a High School freshman who plays in a 220 kids band; I want to record their presentations for personal use (to share video with my relatives or download them in my iPod).

I use a Nikon D90 to tape their shows but of course the mic's quality is poor; after some initial research I decided to buy a TASCAM DR-05 recorder. The quality is better but those tiny omni-directional microphones can only do so much.

I would like to find out if is worth it to buy an extra mike and what kind should I buy; needless to say I am not affiliated with the band, I just want to record from the audience. I would think that a cardioid microphone is what I need, but I am not sure if it would be worth it.

Thanks in advance

 

[Bobbsy]

When you say "stands" how far away are you? Unless you're very near the sidelines, I'd guess you need something with a tighter pattern than a cardioid.

When we used to cover half time shows during football games, it was usually with a short shotgun. I've had excellent results with a Rode NTG-1 (or an NTG-2 which is exactly the same mic but with an internal battery so you don't need phantom) but it's quite directional so if you're too close you might not get the whole band).