Microphones For Recording A String Quartet, Any ideas? Options

[hutch263]

I have only recorded classical chamber groups in the past, in warm acoustic rooms with a stereo pair of cheap condensor mics: I am wanting to get a set of mics that I will be able to use with a range of acoustic instruments (strings, wind & brass), but firstly to individually mic a string quartet.

Any suggestions at all? Ideally, I would like to keep my budget under £600 (eBay if necessary!!) for 4.

Cheers

John

[edge100]

I have only recorded classical chamber groups in the past, in warm acoustic rooms with a stereo pair of cheap condensor mics: I am wanting to get a set of mics that I will be able to use with a range of acoustic instruments (strings, wind & brass), but firstly to individually mic a string quartet.

Any suggestions at all? Ideally, I would like to keep my budget under £600 (eBay if necessary!!) for 4.

Cheers

John

Are you getting paid for this job?

If so, save your money and go and rent two nice Neumann TLM193s, two Grace 101 preamps, an Apogee Rosetta 200, and some large mic stands.

Set the Neumanns about 10-feet up, in an X-Y configuration. Plug the 101s into the Rosetta.

Press record. Tell the players to start playing. Enjoy.

Seriously, if you're getting paid for this, then you'll want better results than you can get for your budget. The Neumanns will be sweet, and the Grace 101 is CLEAN, CLEAN, CLEAN, which is what you want for string quartets. You don't want to track strings through a Neve if you expect a 'proper' classical recording (whatever that means!).

If you want to invest in something, I'd spend your money on one component of this (maybe the preamps or the converters), and rent the mics. Then upgrade your mics later. But you wont get 4 nice mics for that price. You'll get 4 ok mics, or 2 nicer mics. Don't buy just to buy. Save, and buy quality, and you'll thank me in the end.

This post has been edited by edge100: Tue 21 Mar 2006, 20:28