Microphones for live music?

[Alex T. Hurter]

I did a few searches to see if there were any other threads on this, and I didn't turn anything up.

I'm assuming that the on board mic on the GL2 would not be a very good mic to use to record a live show. When I say show I mean a punk rock concert in small venue. Does anyone else have any experience with this or knows of a good mic to recomend?

[Mike Campbell]

If you're looking for the best, you can't go wrong with a Schoeps mic system. Check out their site at www.shoeps.de and look for a non-directional system consisting of their stereo modules. The sound reproduction is the standard.
However, if you're not looking for such pricey mics, sennheisers, AKG or Audio Technica are nice. Just don't get a directional or especially shotgun as they work on frequency filters.

[Don Palomaki]

As camcorder mics go, the Canon GL mic is a decent one. However, for best sound get a quality external. For stereo recording consider the AT822 or Sony ECM-MS957 (IMHO the AT is better). In a loud venue, you may want an external attenuator to adjust the sound levels to avoid excessive compression, and yo probably will want to use the MIC ATT setting for improved signal handling and signal to noise.

[Harris Ueng]

Hey Alex,

Can you let us know how you plan on setting up the mic(s)? Will it be on-camera, or will you have a stationary location to place it? Are your main objectives to record the band, capture the audience/venue vibe, or will you need to capture whoever passes in front of the camera?

Sorry for not answering your question directly, but knowing details of how you're capturing sound, your constraints, and, specifically, what you're looking to capture would help people give you better recommendations.

-Harris

[Alex T. Hurter]

Harris,

I plan on having the mic on my camera so that it captures more of the feeling of actually being there yourself in the crowd. The focus leans more towards getting a good recording of the band, but still preserving that feeling of being there in the pit with everyone else. I hope that makes sense. I'll try and find a link to a video that shows you what I mean.

Thanks,

Alex

[Alex T. Hurter]

here is the sort of quality I am looking for http://www.punkrockvideos.com/v2/download.php#

[Harris Ueng]

Since you'll be recording a live music performance from the audience, this the DAT-heads FAQ may be helpful, esp. since it focuses on doing just what you'll be doing:

http://www.josephson.com/mic-faq.html

You'll probably want a mono omni mic so that you don't get wide stereo shifts as you pan the camera, also it'll probably be unlikely that you're going to be positioned optimally for an optimal stereo image. If you really want to capture the concert in stereo, it'd be a good idea to find a safe/secure place to situate the mic (maybe around the sound board, if the house engineers are nice). Remember, we're used to watching music videos with a stable stereo image, rather than the sound shifting per the video point of view. One more thing, make sure the mic you pickup can handle probably at least 120 dB (max SPL) so you don't overload the mic on transients.

I'm not sure what you're budget is for the mic, but, along with the recommendations earlier, you can try Sound Professionals for some low budget electret condensors that do a fairly decent job for what they are. They're small, compact, and discrete (check the mini mics):

http://www.soundprofessionals.com

Both Mike and Don made some good recommendations which cover a wide budget range from $2,000-3,000 for a Schoeps mic kit to a bit over a grand for the lowest-end Schoeps (preamp + capsule only) to between $200-300 for the AT stereo condensor.

Having a good, inexpensive mic may be a good idea for a punk rock concert, especially when the audience get's rockin'.

Hope that's helps a bit.

Good luck with your concert!

[Bryan Beasleigh]

Whatever you do take the mic off of the camera. All a camera mounted mic will tell people is that it's an amateur production.

[Marty Atias]

Any mic you use in a venue / situation like that will pick up multiple reflections and reverberation from the room. In addition, anyone who passes near the mic will sound artificially loud and be distracting to the viewer. It will sound like a bootleg recording.

If you are working for the band, I suggest that in addition toi the camera mic, you record a mix of the band off the P.A. board on a separate (speed stabilized) recorder. This frees your camera mic to pick up conversation /activity whatever in the vicinity of the camera without detracting from the band's performance.

When you mix the dry P.A. tracks with the camera tracks, you'll be able to control the balance of ambiance to stage sound.

[Dave Perry]

I use a boom mounted Audio Technica ATR-25 stereo mic. Not the best but cheap and has a good stereo image. I use it alone for general shots and mixed with sound board audio for performances.

Take a look at www.indecisionthemovie.com

[John DeLuca]

The mic on the GL2 is decent(if you dont have another mic). In pro 1.5, I key frame the background noise down, and the vocals up. Play around with it in post, you will be suprised.



John

[Kevin Kimmell]

I also use an AT822 with my GL2 and find that it get's really good sound so long as it's directed towards the center of the sound.

I used the AT822 with mt DAT setup for a few years before I started to get into the video end of things and now use the same bogen mic stand and the same 822 fed directly into the mini port of my GL.

My partner gets the PA soundbard feed into her XLR mount into her GL1 and we get really good matrix-like mixes.

Good luck,
Kevin