Mic/Gear Scenario for Field Recording in Africa

[raciere]

Continuing my inquiry into audio issues for this upcoming documentary in Malawi. I have done a fair amount of Int'l doc work, primarily as Director and/or DP. For this next trip I will be focused exclusively on audio acquisition... recording a wide range of scenarios - from general ambience to small choirs to instrumentalists and vocalists.

In terms of gear, I think I’ve settled on the Marantz PMD670 and the Rode NT4.

My question, however... is lets say I’m recording a small choir, or a musician + vocalists... cases where multiple mics might come in handy. Would the single stereo NT4 be sufficient? Or would a dual paired mic combo give me greater placement versatility?

If I went with a dual paired mic combo, what are the issues w/ mic placement that might cause problems?

OR – what if I used the NT4 mono in 1 channel, and then used something like a more rugged SM58 for an instrument in channel 2?

Just wondering what the best and most cost effective set up to record a variety of different scenarios:

instruments
instruments + vocals
choirs w/o instruments
choir with instrucments

thoughts? appreciate the input.

 

[SMuir]

Would the single stereo NT4 be sufficient? Or would a dual paired mic combo give me greater placement versatility?

The main advantage of the NT-4 is that you get a pretty accurate X-Y stereo image with minimum setup fuss. I don't recall the specific model, but Rode also makes a matched pair of cardiod pencil condensors that are almost identicle to the NT-4. As for versatility, a matched pair of cardioid mics will give you more flexibility than a stereo mic like the NT-4, but that's offset by the time needed to position and align stereo mics. If you plan to only use the cardioid mics as an X-Y pair, go with the NT-4. If you plan on splitting them up and using them to mic instruments or using them in a non-X-Y stereo configuration, then go for a pair of pencil cardioids. Read up on stereo mic'ing before you commit to a particular strategy.

If I went with a dual paired mic combo, what are the issues w/ mic placement that might cause problems?

Wind... big time. The foam windscreen that comes with the NT-4 is useless in even a light breeze, so you'll need something a bit more robust. I couldn't find any Softie Windjammers or Baby Ball Gags to fit the NT-4, so you may be stuck using either a modular suspension/windshield kit or perhaps a DPA windpac. Perhaps someone else can reccomend a wind-protection strategy for the NT-4.

If you opt for a pair of cardioid mics, you'll have to keep them propperly aligned, and they'll likely need sepperate wind protection (I doubt Rycote makes any windshields big enough to hold most coincident X-Y pairs). You could put both mics on sepperate stands, but a stereo bar or X-Y bracket will keep them aligned more easily and will simplify your setup. In a pinch, I've used mid-stand clamps to position stereo mics, but I wouldn't reccomend it.

OR – what if I used the NT4 mono in 1 channel, and then used something like a more rugged SM58 for an instrument in channel 2?

Kind of a waste of a stereo mic, don't you think? If you only used one channel of an NT-4, you would just have a single cardioid mic pointing off on a 45 degree angle.

If you bring along a 3- or 4-channel mixer (eg. SD-302), you can use the third channel to record your soloist mic in the centre of the stereo image. However, you would have to really watch your levels, since it will be very difficult to readjust the relative levels the stereo mic and the solo mic in post production.

Moreover, the SM-58 may not be a good choice for close-mic'ing instruments. It's brilliant for solo vocals, but its a bit coloured for most intruments. An SM-57 is more of a swiss army knife of a mic.

Another note about the NT-4: its a bit dark sounding (especially for choir recording). If you're commiting to a stereo mix (ie. 3 or more channels mixed into a stereo track) during the recording, you may want to EQ the NT-4 a bit before it hits the PMD670.

Technically, any of the scenarios you described can be adequately recorded using a stereo pair (eg. NT-4) at approximately ear-level of an appreciative audience. That kind of a mic'ing strategy has the added advantage of being easy to keep out of the frame. The down side of over-reliance on a single mic technique like that is that you have little control over the track beyond fine-tuning mic placement. By adding additional mics, you can bring forward specific parts of the performance without sacrificing the "you are there" feel of the stereo mics. Ballancing the stereo image is an entire art unto itself, so if you're committing to your stereo track you're going to have to make some important decisions. For example, if you have a soloist in a choir, the strategy is pretty simple: Lt Rt stereo image of the choir, with the soloist close-mic'd and mixed into the centre. Lead vocals are almost always kept in the centre, much like dialogue. Additional instruments complicate things though: add some percussion (djemba, kalimba) to the mix and you may want to pan them slightly off-centre (to leave room for the solo vocals), but pan them too far off centre and mono compatibility becomes compromised. Furthermore, if you record a mixed stereo track, you will be limited as to how much you can change it during the final mix.

So, here's the [very] basic kit I would suggest:
SD 442 (4-channel mixer, also gives you a 2nd feed for the camera)
Marantz PMD670 (stereo recorder, no time-code)
A non-timecode Slate (clap or bloop, it could even be home-made)
Sony MDR-7506 headphones
Rode NT-4 (for stereo ambience, ensemble mic'ing, choir mic'ing, or even drum kit overheads)
Shure SM-58 (for solo vocals)
Shure SM-57 x2 (for specific instruments or additional vocals)
Twice as many XLR-3 mic cables as you expect to need
Plenty of extra XLR-5 cables (for the NT-4)
Spare XLR-5 (female) to 2x XLR-3 (male) adapters
ENG snake duplex cable to supply an audio feed to the camera
Short XLR-3 jumpers to go from the 442 to the PMD670
Extra 1/8" to 1/4" headphone adapters
Loads of blank recording media