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Mic recommendations for rehearsal recording?

esoxhntr

esoxhntr

Jun 21, 2007
6,362
12,674
Markham, Ontario
#1
I'm looking to do some simple recording into my computer during rehearsals. It's a 3 piece band with vocals. If the recordings end up being decent we might use them for demos, but really they are just a tool to help us hear what is going on and to help us improve.

We will be recording into Studio One through a Presonus Studio 2/6 interface. I don't want to spend huge money, but I don't want the cheapest stuff either - I'm looking for reasonable quality for a reasonable price. I imagine what I'm looking for is a pair of condenser mics - the recordings will be done live off the floor.

Any thoughts or suggestions much appreciated!
 
#2
3-piece band that's vocal, drums and bass? in two mics? well, that may work, but unless you have a dedicated sound engineer to put on the headphones and to experiment with mic placing and balance of all three instruments, that may sound sub-par. if you do have a sound engineer -- ask him about the mics. =)

I think, you'd better end up with a video recorder for that purpose (like Zoom Q8).

the other option is to run everything through a mixer (i.e. bass, mic for vocals and mics for drums) and record the downmix. or (even better) use an interface with enough channels for the whole band.
 
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#3
Hang an E-V 635 mic in the middle of your set-up... Adjust mic (or player) position accordingly. It's simple, and easy, and will give you an honest report of what you play. It may not be perfect, tone-wise, but that would be the worst result.

You could get fancy if you have the gear and mic each instrument and vocals separately. But the single mic is quick, easy, down n dirty. Graduate to bigger and better from there...

I use a Shure KSM44 in omni mode to record my acoustic band. I move the percussionist further away from the rest to get a better balance... Otherwise, it's basically the same as the E-V 635 (which is also omni).

Just my 2 cents...
 
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#5
I've used one of these for my band's rehearsals for a couple of years now. Works great. Have to be selective with room placement and I always bump down the recording level to prevent distortion.

zoom.jpg
 
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#8
Yes, omni. One is enough. 635A does roll off the low bass a bit, but smoothly and consistently regardless of distance, so you could boost it back up some if you want to. If you have access to a condenser omni, it should be flatter. Even the cheap omni test mikes do well at this, albeit with plenty of self-noise.

Otto
 
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#9
honeyiscool said:
Just a single omni mic will generally get enough of the band. I don't see why you need two mics. The CAD M179 is my standard recommendation for an inexpensive multipattern mic that can do omni.
Click to expand...

ofajen said:
Yes, omni. One is enough. 635A does roll off the low bass a bit, but smoothly and consistently regardless of distance, so you could boost it back up some if you want to. If you have access to a condenser omni, it should be flatter. Even the cheap omni test mikes do well at this, albeit with plenty of self-noise.

Otto
Click to expand...

I'll third the inexpensive omni suggestion. I splurged recently and got an ADK Thor, and just popped it up near the ceiling in the middle of the room. We are a reasonable volume band overall, and the recordings actually sound pretty damn good.,
 
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#10
esoxhntr said:
I'm looking to do some simple recording into my computer during rehearsals. It's a 3 piece band with vocals. If the recordings end up being decent we might use them for demos, but really they are just a tool to help us hear what is going on and to help us improve.

We will be recording into Studio One through a Presonus Studio 2/6 interface. I don't want to spend huge money, but I don't want the cheapest stuff either - I'm looking for reasonable quality for a reasonable price. I imagine what I'm looking for is a pair of condenser mics - the recordings will be done live off the floor.

Any thoughts or suggestions much appreciated!
Click to expand...
I recommend a zoom portable recorder. Anything from the H series will work. I’ve been using the zoom q8 for this recently which uses the h series swappable microphones and has a video camera that I would compare to a go pro 5. For recording the band I mainly just throw it in on a tripod and use the stereo mics it comes with. It does a decent job. It also has two xlr/quarter inch combo jacks but for recording the entire band for demo purposes I think the stereo xy mic it comes with does a really good job.

After recording I just take it home uploaded it as an unlisted video on YouTube and send all the band members the link so they can get to it. I’ve even been recording our recent shows with it so we can see where we can improve the show.
 
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#16
ofajen said:
Yes, omni. One is enough. 635A does roll off the low bass a bit, but smoothly and consistently regardless of distance, so you could boost it back up some if you want to. If you have access to a condenser omni, it should be flatter. Even the cheap omni test mikes do well at this, albeit with plenty of self-noise.

Otto
Click to expand...

Sorry, I presume too much. That’s the E/V 635A. Or an E/V RE50. They are essentially the same mike.

Otto
 
#18
The Tascam DR-05 is pretty good too.

Seriously though, having a single, small unit for recording rehearsals is far easier than having to bring along a laptop, a USB interface, 2 mics & 2 stands.

Lean your bass hardcase against a wall, sit the recorder on it & press record when you're ready. Sorted.
 
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