large vs small diaphragm condensers as room mics

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nds154
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large vs small diaphragm condensers as room mics

Post by nds154 » Mon Nov 01, 2004 5:18 pm

I recorded several cello audition tapes this past weekend and for half I used a pair of SM81s and my main stereo pair, and for the other half I used a pair of Rode NT2s. I thought that the NT2s sounded much better than the SM81s - the sound seemed broader in that it had a flatter frequency respeonse and larger dynamic range. While I've seen it done many ways, it seems that the "standard" for mic'ing up a concert hall is a pair of small diaphragm condensers like KM84s or Schoeps or something. What are some opinions on using large versus small diaphragm condensers and room mics? I know that the quality of the mic is obviously a huge issue, but if you had your choice of any mic, whichh kind would it be?

jajjguy
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Re: large vs small diaphragm condensers as room mics

Post by jajjguy » Mon Nov 01, 2004 6:33 pm

i have some experience recording cello. i have some questions for you: what kind of room were you recording in? (concert hall or living room?) where did you place the mics relative to the cello? what mic preamps did you use? was this solo cello or was it meant to fit in a mix?

i've had good and bad experiences with both sd and ld condensors. hoping to understand your situation better.

nds154
audio school
Posts: 7
Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 5:17 pm
Location: Chicago

Re: large vs small diaphragm condensers as room mics

Post by nds154 » Mon Nov 01, 2004 6:50 pm

Yeah, I suppose specifics would help - I was recording in a medium sized concert hall with nice acoustics, about 2 second reverb decay. The mics were about 12 ft up in the air about 15 ft away from the cello, which was on a 4 ft stage. I also had an Audio Technica about 3 feet from the cello for some added color. Oh, it was solo cello with piano accompaniment. I used some Bellari tube pres I borrowed and an ART tube pre.

While I realize that no one pair can do it all, I was curious if you were to buy "dream" pair for recording chamber music in concert halls, would it be sd or ld and why? And any thoughts on recording cello in this context are appreciated.

jajjguy
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Posts: 777
Joined: Mon May 12, 2003 11:26 am
Location: near Boston, MA, USA

Re: large vs small diaphragm condensers as room mics

Post by jajjguy » Mon Nov 01, 2004 7:05 pm

as far as i can tell, the gold standard would be schoeps sd mics or neumann M49/50 ld mics. but that's just hearsay, i haven't used them.

in my own experience, earthworks sd mics or akg 414 ld mics are equally awesome. but different, as you noticed.

i have found, with cello, that mic height is a big variable. higher equals thinner, brighter, while bridge height or lower equals darker, meatier.

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