Recording an 18 piece Jazz Band

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moelar2

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Greetings,

I have a semipro project studio which I use to record demos for bands. I typically record rock bands, soloists... you know, the usual. This time, however, I have a prospective "client" who's in an 18 piece Jazz Band! In general terms, how do I go about recording this? I don't even think I have the gear for this, as I only have three condensers [2 mc012's and 1 NT2], a 57, and several other dynamics. I was thinking recording the whole band with xy stereo and then overdubbing solos. What are your suggestions?

Any and all input is greatly appreciated. THANKS.
 
Assuming you have a decent small mixer, and at least two tracks, you CAN DO THIS. Most important, can you try some different setups during some rehearsals at your studio? If so, here's what you need to figure out:

Overall mic placement. Start with your MC012s, but spaced about 1/4 of the way in from each edge of the band. Get them around 6 to 8 feet in the air. Try a test recording and figure out what's not coming thru enough.

Bass shy? Is it an upright bass? Throw your Rode NT2 on it, about 9 inches out and pointed at the treble side of the bass body. Electric bass? Put a dynamic in front of the amp.

Not enough drums or snare? Put your 57 up over the drummer's head and point it at the snare.

Solos weak? Spot mic them with one of your dynamic mics. Put a piece of tape on the floor to indicate where the soloist should stand.

Singers? Try your NT2 on the vocals (and throw a dynamic on the bass instead, if ya hafta).

Experiment during rehearsals and let the band leader hear the different setups and help you decide which is best. A good jazz band is self balancing and that's a big help. Your job is to stay out of the way and capture the moment. Overdubs cool the excitement and should be avoided if possible.

This is gonna be a fun project and it'll turn out great, no matter what you do. I envy you on this one. Lemme know how it turns out.
 
So, What happened??

I'm going to be doing almost the exact same thing here in a couple of days 6/19/01...Thanks for the setup Harvey!!
 
Yeah!....What Harvey said...

Harvey's got all the right suggestions, I just wanted to say that I have done this exact thing recently.

I took an ADAT and mixer and did a remote live recording of a large Jazz band. 20-25 pieces...I didn't count em.

I used my two best condensors out front of the group in stereo, because I knew this would work having done it before also.

I put an SM58 on the bass, 3 mics on the drums ( Kick, snare and Hi-Hat) One on the piano and one on the guitar.

Later during mixdown I used the stereo pair as the main starting point, and added just enough of the bass and drums to fill in the low end. The hi-hat sparkled and really carried the tempo. The piano and guitar each had sections that needed volume adjustments, but the rest of the band including horn solos, just mixed itself. It has a very live sound, with just enough close miking to make it clearer.

Dom Franco
 
Although the group I'm recording is more of a Oom pa pa, John Philip Sousa thing, I think this advice will still be the way to go...I'm using my two Oktava 319's as a stereo pair...I was planning to do the coincedent pair thing, but I'll try it both ways and choose what sounds best..I'll be mic'ing the lows with an EVre20....Spot micing with my one SM81, 2-SM57's 2-Beta 58's and maybe even my countryman isomax hypercardioid mini condensers, as well as some old Sennheiser MD211's that are interesting little dynamics....I won't use ALL of them...Just where ever I need a little more definition....I don't want to create more problems by introducing a lot of out of phase crap...I'll let you know how it turns out.......Dean"pouxhawk"G
 
thank you for your input guys. the guy has kinda opted to throw his other band into record, which is a typical 4 piece reggae/ska band. The drummer doubles on sax occassionally. Most people suggest a 57 on sax, but as a sax player myself, I don't really like the results I've attained using the 57. Might the mc012's or NT2 be a better bet?
 
I'll bet when the time comes , you'll set all three of them up and listen...am I right??? Being that your a sax player, let me ask you this....Do you stick the mic right down the bell ?? With my limited experience with saxophones it seemed best to give it some air to work with..And that mic distance is just as important as the mic you use. Althought I've done PA mixes with sax, I've only recorded them three times...The first time was a disaster!!!I did'nt take the time to do it right... I miced it like it was a live gig (with a 57) The second time sucked because the sax player insisted on using HIS microphone (A Peavey vocal mic) I just don't want to go there!! the last time ( besides last night and I hav'nt heard the playback again)) I placed an Electrovoice DS35(Large Diaphram DYNAMIC)about 3 feet in front of the guy and let him listen on a set of Beyer DT48 Phones.. He moved in and out and I adjusted the gain until HE liked the sound....NO EQ, A tiny bit of compression, , and I printed it with just a touch of reverb.... And most importantly in my case, I didn't stick my nose in and try to tell him how it should sound...(what the hell do I know, I play thru a single worn out P90 and I think it sounds great) Anyway, I just wanted your take on this.....Dean
 
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