Mic techniques with a SP B-3

[coplinger]

We are getting ready to record guitar & vocal tracks at an old Charleston house with plaster walls & hardwood floor & I want to be able to pick up the 'live' quality of the surroundings. This gave me a good excuse to buy the B-3 I've had my eye on. A few questions: Recording vocals with the mic set to 'omni', is the best spot for the singer still the front of the mic? Would it be better to record the singer with our cardioid m67 and use the B-3 as a room mic? Can I use the B-3 in omni as a close mic for a guitar amp?

 

[littledog]

We are getting ready to record guitar & vocal tracks at an old Charleston house with plaster walls & hardwood floor & I want to be able to pick up the 'live' quality of the surroundings. This gave me a good excuse to buy the B-3 I've had my eye on. A few questions: Recording vocals with the mic set to 'omni', is the best spot for the singer still the front of the mic? Would it be better to record the singer with our cardioid m67 and use the B-3 as a room mic? Can I use the B-3 in omni as a close mic for a guitar amp?

I'd try the latter suggestion (B-3 as room mic, m67 close). It will give yu a lot more flexibility in sculpting the sound at mix time.

Recording vocals or guitar (or anything else) in omni mode will eliminate the proximity effect and capture more room reflections. In many mics it also mitigates the built-in upper midrange presence peak, resulting in a "flatter' sound. Whether all of that is good or bad can only be determined by listening to the results.

 

[alanhyatt]

We are getting ready to record guitar & vocal tracks at an old Charleston house with plaster walls & hardwood floor & I want to be able to pick up the 'live' quality of the surroundings. This gave me a good excuse to buy the B-3 I've had my eye on. A few questions: Recording vocals with the mic set to 'omni', is the best spot for the singer still the front of the mic? Would it be better to record the singer with our cardioid m67 and use the B-3 as a room mic? Can I use the B-3 in omni as a close mic for a guitar amp?

Better off using cardioid on the vocals, or figure eight and let the rear capsule pick up the room ambiance. Omni is best employed if you eant to capture many singers, or an entire room outfront or overhead.

 

[coplinger]

Thanks, littledog & alan. Between your replies & the manual that came with the mic, I think all my questions are answered. Just got the mic in today. Can't wait to get home & try it out!

 

[Bear'sGnFission]

In the old analog days, before there were many alternatives to Neumann and AKG, a lot of folks preferred omni because the response curver was smoother and the sound a bit brighter. I don't know if it's digital formats or woefully bad rooms that have gotten people going back to tighter response patterns.

I haven't used the B-3, so I don't know if this would work, but you might want to try using both the front and back capsules when using the mic in figure-eight. A lot of figure-eight pattern mics sound different front to back, and this can be used for tonal control. The downside is that if the lobes vary much, the mic doesn't help you as much for MS use.

Bear