Which Mic Again

[Vautex]

Hey guys first post here. Done lots of reading before posting this but couldnt find a definitive answer to my questions. Basically Im about to buy a NH900 if possible and then go overseas in three weeks and will catch a couple of shows hopefully.

One is Van Morrison, the other is Underworld. God I hope I get to do this!

Anyway I once recorded a guy called Xavier Rudd with a R900 and the sony mic which they put in bundles these days. The quality was good for my first recording and the bass wasnt over the top (not that it could ever be with that mic). Where i was really disappointed though was with the excessive crowd noise which ruined an otherwise good recording.

I now cant decide between omni's or cardoid's. Here are the problems and my level of understanding.

1) Omni's will take it all in from all directions which may help if I cant help but dance a little. Problem here is I may pick up tons of crowd noise.

2) Cardoids should help with crowd noise if constantly directed to the stage. Onlt problem is I cant see myself standing still the whole time and turing my head, not to mention dancing, may stuff up the recording yeah.

Any help, suggestions and corrections are greatly appreciated.

One more thing. I also play the didgeridoo and want to record myself and was wondering how good a job stealth style mics will work. I will definatelt need a low frequency response, 20HZ is ideal. I was thing of a Shure SM57 and a AKG C419 (clip on is perfect if I want to move and record).

Both of these however I dont think go below 50HZ.

Anyway this is too long now and Im keen for info since since I need my gear in 3 weeks before I go.

Thanks ppl.

[A440]

Ah, there's the dilemma. You're never really going to eliminate crowd noise in an audience recording--especially at a jam-band kind of show, where everybody chatters away. At shows where recording is permitted, the best strategy is to get in the tapers' section and attach the mics to a long pole that keeps them above the crowd noise.

My experience with cardioids is limited to low-cost ones, with limited bass, but frankly I am not impressed. I much prefer the way omnis surround you with the music--cardioids can sound like there is some blank void behind you. And if you're going to be moving around, the results you get from cardioids are just going to be annoying--sometimes clear, sometimes muffled. You're also going to pay a bundle to get cardioids that have decent bass response.

Your Van Morrison crowd is probably going to be older, seated, and respectful. Omnis should do fine there. Underworld will probably be so loud that people will dance rather than talk, and they may also have a surround-sound setup that begs for omnis. If you are recording, you will have to decide whether to stay (relatively) still or get lost in the moment. That's why recording engineers are not party people.

Try your stealth mics (assuming you get 20-20000 hz mics) with your didjeridoo before escalating to the studio mics. Where you place them is going to make a lot of difference: close up for clarity (but not so close they overload) or back a little for room ambience and richness (but not so far that you lose the definition). You'll be surprised at what good quality you can get. With a didjeridoo honking away you are definitely going to have to use a battery box or attenuator to keep the MD from overloading.

The Shure SM57 only goes down to 50 hz, so it's going to make your didjeridoo sound anemic. Probably not as anemic as the Sony mic made Xavier Rudd's didjeridoo, but still not ideal. The AKG goes down to 20hz, so it should give you more punch, but like other pro mics it has an XLR connector (not the minijack that goes into the MD unit) so at the very least you are going to have to get an adapter.

Both of those mics are cardioids (and the AKG is a hypercardioid, with a very narrow pickup pattern) made to isolate the instrument or voice. If you're using them to close-mic your instrument, that's what they're for. You won't want to take them to concerts.