I don't usually ask this but...(kind of urgent)

[Russian Recording]

i bet the re-20 would sound great placed about 18" above the isntrument, along with the 4050s in omni, set up as a spaced pair (about 4-6' between the mics), about 4 feet from the player (asuuming you have a nice ambient room).

Leave the pair up, and move the player to different locations in the room for each pass, moving the re-20 with the player. When you combine the stereo mics of the 4 passes, it will sound like 4 viola players in the same room. I would start your mix with that and bring in the spot mics (panned accordingly) for more definition.

If only using one mic, I would use the 4050 in omni placed in front and above the instrument, about a foot above and a foot away. String players tend to move around quite a bit when they play, so an omni-directional pick up pattern, some distance and some light compression can yield a very natural representation of the instrument.

good luck

[madtho]

It may be too late, but try asking the player what has worked for them in past sessions. If they're paid hourly then they've probably seen the good and the bad.

-mad

[Chrisbrownsound]

Please don't do this

i would put up both 4050s in cardioid, maybe a foot away, one about where the neck meets the body and the other down by the bridge/ f hole. check phase and go

With 2 mics so close you are asking for a phasing nightmare. Remember he's going to move around, so he'll be in and out of phase all day!

Personally, I'd stick with one mic, (give the CAD a spin) positioned above and at arm's length facing the belly of the instrument).

By all means experiment with ambient pairs as well, but if you're fighting against a full rock band then a lot of your ambient efforts will just get swallowed up.

You'll also need a bit of compression, but you can do that on monitor if you're unsure.

[amishsixstringer]

Well, I just got done with that quick session. It turned out great. I ended up with just a 4050 in cardioid about 3 feet away and a foot above the instrument out front. Went into my presonus pre and into a tla 50 that just got the needle dancing around a little bit. I recorded 3 tracks and treated them as mults. Each track is almost identical. I panned one straight up and the other 2 somewhat hard left and right and put them down quite a bit further in the mix. Sent the tracks to a stereo bus with an 1176 plug and another send with some Waves IR1 Convo verb. Sounds cool. Thanks for all the help guys!

Neil