Stereo or mono

Are you talking single camera / multiple cameras?
Stage production with lots of music or minimal music?
How far back is the camera from the stage?
What sort of camera/s?
Can you get a feed from the audio system mix?
What size theatre, how many seats?
What is the final product going to be used for?
Lots of questions.........
 
single camera, high school choir background and vocals, 30 feet away, c100, 1000 seats, personal use. Question how do you line space on this forum
 
What sort of mics do you have acess to? Is the camera going to be in the crowd or off to one side?

To line space just use enter.... like MS word
 
I have the mic that came with the c100, I have a rode videomic pro, I have a rode NTG2 and a Azden shotgun. I will be in the center of the auditorium behind the audience. The enter button does not let me go to the next line that is why I thought there must be some trick. Thanks
 
Stereo is good for ambient sound but will likely sound distant if the mic is a ways from the source were the reflected sounds are as loud as the source.. aka, 'critical distance'. . The same goes for mono mics.
Ideally, one would want a (good) stereo or mono mix from the house console and a stereo room mic(s) to combine later in post. Or mic(s) on a stand close enough to the sourece to pick up a nice blend of the source and the room. If using two separate mono mics for the stereo field, it's extremely important the configuration is mono compatible, otherwise all kinds of unpleasant aural abnormalities can occur in mono playback.
 
Carroll B said:
I have the mic that came with the c100, I have a rode videomic pro, I have a rode NTG2 and a Azden shotgun. I will be in the center of the auditorium behind the audience. The enter button does not let me go to the next line that is why I thought there must be some trick. Thanks
Click to expand...
Stereo requires a pair of microphones, preferably matched to each other. (Your three 'guns are sufficiently different from each other that trying to use two of them as a stereo pair is likely to sound strange.) A stereo pair typically uses cardioid or omni mics, not shotguns. There are a number of different schemes used for the physical arrangement of the mics in the pair but placement with respect to each other is critical - having two channels recorded with a pair of randomly positioned mics doesn't make it stereo. You'll also need to get the mics closer to the stage than your camera position for optimum results.

How big a chorus? My first thought would be a pair of cardioids in the so-called "X/Y" arrangement on a tall stand in the centre aisle at about the third row back from the stage lip. If the "vocals" in your description are soloists, separate mics and recording tracks for them would be ideal, allowing you to refine the balance between the solos and the chorus in the mix during post.
 
I would normally always do concerts as a four channel record if I can with a stereo mix from the board or a mix 9 do myself using mono mics panned accordingly. I would then also record a stereo ambient mic at the back or front of the hall to pick up audience etc.

I am lucky that I have four channels on my camera but have also done it with sep recording using mini disk or a digital stereo recorder to do the ambient mic.

If all else fails record a mono mic close to the source panned centre and add a stereo pair panned left and right as the ambient mics, of course you have to balance them out but as John says just popping a mic on the camera will not give good results.

The other option to above is to take a desk feed and place it centre for the stage mics and then add in some room with a stereo pair or use digital reverb in post to make it stereo and give it some depth.

Some compression and EQ can also be helpful but they key is to get a balanced sound stage that is fixed and reflects thr size of the auditorium.
 
Thanks everyone for the responses. I have so much to learn (in over my head). Now I know why you hire a sound guy.
 
davefisk said:
for live music I always record stereo, but the mic needs to be up close to the performers
Click to expand...

???

Mic?

For stereo you need two mics - and the position should be at the position that gets the best balance between the performance and the room.

The position need not be close to the performers, but needs to be where the overall sound balance is best.

You *can* sometimes get a stereo feed from the sound desk and mix this with a stereo pair in the room.
 
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