Stereo pair for live club recording

C

coplinger

New member
I'm going to record 3 bands live at a local club, putting up a stereo pair in the room & getting feeds from the instruments & vocal mics. For the stereo pair I have a few options:
Behringer ECM8000
MXL 603
SP B3 + AT4033 in M/S

I prefer to put them in ORTF (instead of spaced pair) since we will be in a crowded club. I would prefer to use the ECM8000's, but they're omni. Would omni mics work in ORTF for this, or would they be better spaced? How is m/s for live stereo recording; I've never used it for anything but instrument micing.
 
I think in a typical club I would not use omnis as your primary mics, since you will end up with a lot more room reflections and crowd noise mixed in with your band than you might want. If you were using them mainly to capture audience reaction, that would be another story.
 
My choice would be a stereo pair of SM81s. A small mixer might also be helpful, since you could run a few spot mics to blend in with the SM81s, depending on the room acoustics. I've used the 603s in several live recording applications, and the SM81s always sounded much better to my ears with more definition and the low end was more focused.
 
I would prefer some sm81's too, problem is I don't have any. I'm not real crazy about using the 603's for this, either. The Behringers are flatter, but omni. Maybe I could rent something, but there's not that many local studios here to rent from. I am bringing a small Soundcraft mixer for this, too. I'll have some drum mics, guitar amps & vocals running through this. I could always buy another SP B3 & use those. Hmmm....
 
Of the mics you mentioned, I'd go with the SP B3 and the AT4033 in an M/S configuration. That'll yield a nice stereo spread without the usual phase issues, and the M/S configuration will keep the mics physically close together which should be easier to guard/watch over in a bar/club setting. You might consider hanging the mics from the ceiling to keep people from bumping them or standing in front of them. ;)
 
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