Mic Sensitivity

  • Thread starter Thread starter pchorman
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pchorman

pchorman

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Guys, please help with a few related questions. My recording experience is limited to micing my own guitar map.

I need to record a 5 piece rock band during rehearsals and currently have just a 4-track analog recorder and a couple of SM-57s (I have not done so yet and am looking for the best way to go beforehand).

Do I need something more sensitive than 57's? Is the 57 considered fairly sensitive for mics in its class and price range? I ask this question because I typically see these used right up against speaker cabinets (like within a foot of a blasting source), rather than on the other side of a room.

I understand there's directionality (a pattern) to the SM-57 which must be kept in mind for positioning, but if I can back off some distance and get all instruments within its pattern, shouldn't this work out?

I just don't know whether these mics can or should be used many feet away from multiple sources. Any insight?

thanks
 
I have no idea what your expectations are for your recording, so I'll just go ahead and point out a few things. If you try to record the whole band at once with two mics, you are going to run into a number of problems.
First of all, the band will obviously sound like it is in a room. That seems silly to say, but once you play it over a stereo it will be more than obvious. Secondly, you cannot EQ instruments after the fact at all without effecting the entire band. Also, when you mic close to a source, because of physics and the ever popular "proximity effect," you will hear more of that source's lower frequencies. Things like bass guitar and bass drum will dramatically lose their presence if you record them far away.
But there are actually a few advantages to recording w/ two mics far away. Some people actually do this to accurately capture the sound of the band as it is in a true performance. When you play it back it will sound almost exactly as it did when you were there (giving that you have high quality mics and good placement, etc.). But live sound and recording a band are very different.
I just posted a reply in another thread about mic sensitivity if you are interested. I would suggest reading the thread "mic placement on a guitar cabinet."
Also, maybe your best option would be to record the drums seperately using 3 mics (two overheads, 1 bass drum) and then bounce them down to one track after EQing them, then having the other three left for your instruments. But that gets tricky. Have fun!
 
Whoops! I meant the thread "small vs. large diaphragm." Sorry!
 
Thanks. I take it from your comments and from those of others on similar threads that I'll end up a bit mid-rangey. I can probably live with this. My main concern is that an SM57 will do the job from many feet away, since I've never seen one used that way before. They're usually being slammed with obscene volumes (what might be painful to the ear if you had to stick it so close to a cabinet).

I hope the sensitivity will be adequate to produce decent signal-to-noise on tape.

Since I don't have more mics or different types, I'm stuck trying to make the best of what I have.
 
ya, you will be fine, U will just have to crank up the preamp a little bit more =)

Sabith
 
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