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Rehearsal recording

AcridSaint

AcridSaint

ベーシスト
Supporting Member
Jan 30, 2012
1,263
1,173
Raleigh
Disclosures
I don't play well.
#1
Hey Folks,

I'm really not sure what forum to put this in, it's not really an "equipment" question...

Basically, our singer has been great about recording all of our rehearsals through her iPhone, which we have all used up until now. She records them and chops them up into the songs we're working on, etc. The recordings are OK, but I always have found the bass lacking and they are "just" iPhone recordings. So, recently I picked up a portable stereo recorder, something that I wanted anyways and also "needed" for the bass bootcamp. I've been trying to get a decent recording of our rehearsals, but so far the iPhone recordings have been better. I am trying to fiddle with placement, but I think we have a fundamental problem with the space:

The rehearsal space we use has the drum kit on the back wall, middle. I play bass drummer right and guitar is drummer left. The only person who goes into the board is our singer and the PA speakers are in the corners of the opposite walls. In other words, her vocals are firing the opposite direction of our instruments. So, somehow I need to compromise to pick up both her vocals and the other unplugged instruments. Next rehearsal I'm planning to bring a stand to get the recorder up higher, but I'm wondering if anyone has placement suggestions. We can't really rearrange the space.
 
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#2
Maybe center of room? Make sure you set the mic levels to read plenty of bars on the graph, without clipping. This means you need to set levels in the general area you will record, and watch the meter. I had a bad experience with a zoom recorder, until I realized that I needed to boost the levels higher- the meter should be hitting near the top, just short of clipping at the loudest peaks, then you know you are recording deep, and will get it all. Some units have a solid red record LED that flashes when clipping, read the manual- this helps when you are playing, you can watch the light when you get loud, and see if you are clipping or safe. The best results will come in the spot in the room where everyone can be heard, and the band sounds balanced. That might be near the singer, if she is getting the best results with her phone.
 
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#3
I recorded almost every rehearsal last 10 years and only with current band volume levels are equal. Every day I thank for drummer and guitar player who don't have volume issue :)
I usually put recorder as far from guitar and drums as it can be placed, and even turn it away from the sound source, facing the wall.
 
#4
This is an excellent advice from Yamaha Pr7 manual:

"Tips for recording with the built-in microphones
You might wonder how to best orient and position
the recorder when recording with the built-in
microphones.
One rule of thumb is to point the device straight
ahead (from the built-in microphones) to the center
of the recorded sound stage.
Ideally, you should place the PR7 on a stable surface
that will not be affected by noise from the floor. If
you place the PR7 on top of a desk, place a soft cloth
underneath it so that it will not pick up unnecessary
noise. You should also take advantage of the PR7's
excellent ability to reduce noise and
prevent excessive level of input"

After a lot of experimentation I always get the best results placing the mic directly In front of the louder of the instruments (usually the drums). A correct gain setting is equally important.
 
#6
it depends on the recorder. some won't record low frequencies very well. some that do: probably won't record every instrument 'in balance' with one another. if you feed the recorder with individual instrument inputs (a mixer): you can experiment with settings to get recordings where all instruments are heard. mic placement (your recorder) is tough enough, but a mixer helps to 'even out' those discrepancies.

good luck with your recording! :thumbsup:
 
#7
You don't mention which portable digital recorder you are using.

I record my bands rehearsals with a Tascam DR-05, which is excellent. A lot of people use & recommend the Zoom devices.

Mic/Recorder placement is always an issue, middle of the room would be best, but it would be more of a case of trial & error before you find the perfect location. One little "trick" I discovered was to lean my bass hard case upright against the wall, and have the recorder perched on top, with the mics facing into the room. Saying that, the rehearsal room we use isn't that big.
 
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#8
Skybone said:
You don't mention which portable digital recorder you are using.

I record my bands rehearsals with a Tascam DR-05, which is excellent. A lot of people use & recommend the Zoom devices.

Mic/Recorder placement is always an issue, middle of the room would be best, but it would be more of a case of trial & error before you find the perfect location. One little "trick" I discovered was to lean my bass hard case upright against the wall, and have the recorder perched on top, with the mics facing into the room. Saying that, the rehearsal room we use isn't that big.
Click to expand...

It's an Olympus LS-12 that's a few years old:
Link Removed
 
#9
So far I have tried in the middle of the room and also nearer to our singer. Both times placed on a chair that had a padded seat. This weekend I'm going to try to place it higher with a light stand. I'll try the suggestions in here and also manually set the levels instead of letting the recorder do it.
 
#10
Looks very similar to the Tascam.

Ask if any of your friends have a photographic tripod kicking about. The threaded insert on the back of the recorder will be too small to fit on a mic stand, but should be fine on a camera tripod. Get that set up at "ear height" in the middle of the room, it should pick everything up brilliantly.
 
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#12
Not sure this info helps, but FYI:
I just got a Zoom H2n because i was so disgusted at my Galaxy S7's recording quality. We rehearse in a circle, for PA & amps. I use the Zoom with 2-channel 'surround' on (recording in both directions) using a stool in the middle of the room. I cannot believe the sound quality - it's awesome!! The 2 dirs are 1.) X-Y (pointed toward drums, gtr. amp & bass amp) + 2.) the opposite dir with side pickup (for vocal monitors in PA plus keys amp).

One note: I accidentally learned (maybe from TB) that for that Zoom model, running on batteries results in a much higher input level (for identical settings) than using the AC cord. Seemed implausible, but it was exactly accurate...got much better resulting levels using the AC cord.
 
#13
My band does this with a Zoom, those built-in XY axis stereo mics...we have the PA on the same wall as the drummer and our amps, all firing out to the same direction, recorder is positioned in front of all gear with mics pointed towards gear. It always comes out pretty good, the recorder has built in compression etc...nothing like plugging in direct and recording through a mixer but it is steps above a cellphone video.
 
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#15
Been doing similar on my phone, we only use for reference, but have slowly gotten some good results.

Try pointing the phone in different directions, if the bass isn't cutting through enough, move nearer and point mic at the bass cab. It's also useful (sometimes) to pop it in something, it gets wrapped in my beanie which seems to counter the cymbals overpowering everything.

Our singer just got a new iphone - I think it's an iphone and the results from that have been surprisingly good.
 
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#16
We use the Zoom H5 mounted on a mic stand. We use the stereo mics that came with the device. It is placed in the center of the room, facing the drums with the speakers all around it. We record in Stereo, MP3 with no software compression. Simply adjust the gain on the input of the mics as suggested above in other posts. I can hear my bass very well. Our jam and practice sessions almost sound like produced mixes. Simply amazing!
 
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#17
Skybone said:
Looks very similar to the Tascam.

Ask if any of your friends have a photographic tripod kicking about. The threaded insert on the back of the recorder will be too small to fit on a mic stand, but should be fine on a camera tripod. Get that set up at "ear height" in the middle of the room, it should pick everything up brilliantly.
Click to expand...

Luckily I'm a photographer, so I have quality stands and tripods. I tried it out last night with a good stable light stand and it fits great. I also have a ball head to put it on so I can angle it, just need to find the right location.
 
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#18
Thanks for the additional tips. I tried to describe the room correctly, but I may not have done a great job. All of the instruments fire into the PA speakers on the opposite wall. There's nothing that I can do about the room setup, unfortunately. I will try recording off of one of the side walls next time. Would there be any possible benefit to getting it higher and pointing the mics downward in the center of the room?
 
#19
AcridSaint said:
Hey Folks,

I'm really not sure what forum to put this in, it's not really an "equipment" question...

Basically, our singer has been great about recording all of our rehearsals through her iPhone, which we have all used up until now. She records them and chops them up into the songs we're working on, etc. The recordings are OK, but I always have found the bass lacking and they are "just" iPhone recordings. So, recently I picked up a portable stereo recorder, something that I wanted anyways and also "needed" for the bass bootcamp. I've been trying to get a decent recording of our rehearsals, but so far the iPhone recordings have been better. I am trying to fiddle with placement, but I think we have a fundamental problem with the space:

The rehearsal space we use has the drum kit on the back wall, middle. I play bass drummer right and guitar is drummer left. The only person who goes into the board is our singer and the PA speakers are in the corners of the opposite walls. In other words, her vocals are firing the opposite direction of our instruments. So, somehow I need to compromise to pick up both her vocals and the other unplugged instruments. Next rehearsal I'm planning to bring a stand to get the recorder up higher, but I'm wondering if anyone has placement suggestions. We can't really rearrange the space.
Click to expand...
My band used to record rehearsals with a single condenser hanging from the ceiling just in front of the drum kit, about seven or eight feet up. The room was small, but it was bass on one side of the drums, guitar on the other, vocals coming out of the PA in dual mono from each side. To my amazement, everything was audible and in a more or less even balance. Pretty good fidelity, even.

That was a pro mic into a rack with a mic pre into a laptop with Pro Tools. I don't know how that would compare to an iPhone, though.
 
#20
I have a Tascam Dr-05. I have threaded in a 1/4" bolt from the hardware store. I have attached that to a clamp I also bought at the hardware store. I can clip this to a mic stand or a music stand. I start and stop it between each song so it was a little too close to me (guitar). I bought an external Olympus mic and with an extension, I have it on a stand a little closer to the center of things. I have dialed the input way down and will boost in Audacity if I need to. It's worked great like this for a couple of years.
 
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