Recording Mariachi music?

[coolsoundman]

hey folks,

One of my music genres is Spanish music, i.e., tejano, mariachi. A friend of mine has a group of guys that play in a mariachi band and I would like to record them for a song that I would like to do. I don't think they are that professional, but do a very good job playing. I just want to know how I could go about recording them. My guess is that they have 2 trumpet players, 2 guitar players, 1 bass guitar (all guitars are accoustic), and I think 2 violinist. If there are that many people in this band, I might have to ask permission to record them at the church that I go to. What mics would I be best to use? The only mics that I have are the sure 58's (6) and 57's (2). Would the accoustics in a church be good or bad to record in? How about mic range, how far should I place the mic in front of the instrument?
I hope this isn't to much nagging of how I could accomplish this. And thanks for the suggestions.

 

[FALKEN]

far out!!

put 1 or 2 58s on the horns and 1 or 2 57s on the guitars and thats it.

 

[Esco1]

I work with a bunch of Mexican music (being a Mexican myself), and I'd suggest you get your hands on some condensers if you dont already, and mic the horns from at least a 12 inches away.
If your low on mics, get the the brass section to play in a circular setup and record them in stereo; it should work fine.
Mic the guitars and violins individually if at all possible.

 

[apl]

Their trousers are soooo tight! We loved to go listen to them at Las Brisas in Mexicantown in Detroit. We went with some friends during a blizzard and there was only two other tables with customers that Friday night. The band came over to our table to flirt with Mrs apl and the other ladies and asked if we wanted to request something. We weren't well versed in that music so we requested Macarena. In spite of the language barrier, it was obvious they were thinking, "You idiots!". But they played it anyway.

Can you get them to tune to a tuner or do they tune by ear?

 

[mshilarious]

Churches are usually good, but have a look first to make sure.

I've done our Spanish choir before, which is basically the same, except with a lot of singers added, and a big ass drum, pan flute, and a few other bits. You can't tell 'em much (especially since I don't speak Spanish, heh), but really they need to perform the way they like to set themselves, which in my case was a big semicircle.

I'd rent a pair of condensers: SM81s will do fine, set up in ORTF, say about ten feet from the band. Close-mic the bass with a 57. Singers might expect to be close-miced, if so give 'em 58s. You may or may not end up using the spots, but it adds a comfort factor for you and the performers.

The good news is they do a good job of mixing themselves, so in a decent space it really isn't that tough.