"Creative" microphone placements or constructions?

[tibbsa]

So, what's the most creative or ingenious microphone placement you've come up with to date?

The reason I ask this, is because I have a pair of omnidirectional mics here, which did a pretty good job on the one recording I've done with them. It would be NICE if they ignored a wee bit more of the racket behind them, but such is life with an omni I suppose. What I'm wondering, though, is whether putting them up *higher* (~3-4 feet above head level) would cut down on the amount of immediate crowd noise these will pick up, or if the difference would be negligible?

I have an idea on how to accomplish this in at leat a few of my usual haunts, which have these oh-so-convenient support poles scattered around the room. If I can think of some way to strap these things onto the pole, then maybe, just maybe, that would work. But has anyone tried something like this before, before I horribly disappoint and make a fool of myself?

(A standlone mic stand probably isnt' an option because of space limitations, unless someone has a really compact one with a tiny footprint.)

[A440]

Raising the mics is a very good idea. If you ever go to a jam-band show and look at the tapers section, they've all got the mics on long poles over their heads precisely to escape crowd noise.

There's endless discussion on mic placement at www.taperssection.com

[Christopher]

What's your favorite mic placement(s), A440?

[dex Otaku]

I have a pair of Sound Professional's in-ear binaurals.

Thing is, they're just microphones, right? I don't -have- to wear them for them to work..

So I made a prototype mount for them, by taking some alligator clips with rubber boots on them [red for right, black for left], deforming their [open] ends slightly so the plastic part of each mic will slip into it [which is inside the rubber boot, no less].

I then took a misburned CD-R and cut some polar fleece fabric to overlap it, and screwed another alligator clip onto one edge.

What I now have is a pair of mic holders that won't damage the mic, which I can clip onto basically anything that's strong enough to hold them up [they are large clips, not like lapel mic clips that work on fabric]. I also have an acoustically-absorbent disc that I can sit between the mics to help with stereo separation.

I have already made a few recordings this way and the results are quite good. Best of all, I can set this up [currently I'm using a large cylindre of plastercine as the mount for all three] and walk away, not having to worry about what way I'm looking, etc.

If we're going to talk about actual micing techniques then my preferred method is usually to use multiple mics. For example, when recording a stand-up bass I'd use a large-diaphragm condensor down on the body, a more average [pencil condensor] where the strings are plucked, and another up top to catch fingering sounds. I would record these on separate tracks simultaneously.

As far as stereo goes I like the binaural effect but it can be very fussy. I find that a forward-facing arrangement with 12cm spacing and a baffle between works well for most situations, though a coincident pattern works better in others. It depends on the room, distance to subject, etc.

In general situations [outdoor for instance] I'd be more likely to stick with M/S micing or coincident Y.

[A440]

I'm a pragmatist about this.

Find a good spot, position the mics as much like your ears as possible, hit Record and hope for the best.

Probably 95 percent of the concerts I go to aren't supposed to be recorded, so my priority is stealth. If I get a good, undistorted recording, I'm happy with it, and some of them are miraculously clear. If I don't, well, I wasn't supposed to be recording in the first place, was I?

I haven't had the luxury of setting something up in advance or out in the open, though I love Dex's idea of using a wrapped CD as an acoustic baffle--simple and brilliant. A pole to lift the mics overhead would be great, but it would also get me thrown out of the gigs.

Usually I clip a pair of binaurals to the collar tabs of a dark shirt and try to find the sweet spot in the room. That makes me the acoustic baffle, I guess. I've tried the baseball cap and glasses methods, but I turn my head a lot more often than I turn my torso.

If I'm in a club audience where people nearby are yapping or whooping I just try to move elsewhere. Occasionally I've been lucky enough to be in a balcony where I can attach the mics to a railing in front of me and leave them stationary, which is ideal. It never hurts to carry a little roll of tape in case I get lucky.

The mics I use most often are a pair of older Sound Professionals Basic Binaurals that are mounted on clips so that they point outwards, left and right (parallel to the stage). There's good stereo imaging on the recordings, and I do nearly all of my listening through headphones rather than speakers, so binaural sound is best for me.

Trial and error (lots of error) has shown me that the most important thing about mic placement is the room acoustic. If I'm in a good spot, then the mics are very forgiving no matter how they're oriented. If I'm in a bad spot where the bass is swallowing the vocals, then textbook-perfect mic angles aren't going to help much. It's important to listen in the room with your ears and not your eyes, because the perfect viewing spot is unlikely to offer the best mix too. And as mentioned at the beginning of this thread, a few feet can make a huge difference.

[engramic]

I am looking at buying some binaurals because of the decent price/performance ratio. However, I do quite a bit of music production and it would be nice to have something more useful. Mono compatibility is important for me.

I am wondering if people here have set up binaurals in a different configuration (dex otaku mentioned a coincident pattern)? Would I better off buying stealth cardioids?

Edited January 4, 2005 by engramic

[bongomaniac]

Dex,

Im trying to visualise the CD baffle thingie and can't concieve how the alligator clips are attached while at the same time are on opposite sides of the disc.

And why the plasticine if you have a clip? Any chance of posting a digi snap ?

I havnt actualy made it yet but I intend to modify a telescopic walking stick that I have.I usualy attach omnis to my shirt or jacket but the main draw back is (I'm a smoker) trying not to clear my throat - which is very annoying on playback.

The walking stick has a round cork handle which unscrews to reveal a tripod mount which could easily house a wire (?) mike support when the handle is tightened back down. I envisage using this at outside events and festivals where no one is taking much notice and people are waving things around anyway.

You could stick it in the ground if its a laying down laid back type gig, tape it to a marquee pole or wear it in a strap with an eyelet.

Has anyone used the new type of battery box which is tiny and runs off a car-remote type 12v(?) battery? I assume it has no level adjustment or roll off.

Edited January 5, 2005 by bongomaniac

[dex Otaku]

Im trying to visualise the CD baffle thingie and can't concieve how the alligator clips are attached while at the same time are on opposite sides of the disc.

And why the plasticine if you have a clip? Any chance of posting a digi snap ?

←

It was a solution based on what I had on hand at that moment.

Eventually it ended up getting modified, too.

There's a blob [sort of rectangular] of plastercine;

In it is stuck two backplane fillers from a computer case, so that the "L" ends are at opposites ends of the plastercine block;

At the halfway point is a piece cut from a CDR, that fits over the backplane fillers with a slot, and sticks into the plastercine, making a perpendicular flat piece sticking up in the middle;

The covered DVD-R baffle clips onto this piece;

At each end I have an alligator clip attached to the "L" pieces;

On each of these two clips is a rubber insulating boot with the tip cut off so the open end of it is large enough to fit the plastic hooks on the mics into it - acting as a stable "holder" for the mic from which it can easily be pulled at a moment's notice.

So - you end up with a block of plastercine, a covered DVDR standing in the middle as baffle, and the mics stuck in rubbered gator clips. It's all very stable, and can actually [because of the plastercine] be "stuck" to almost any surface.

I guess I like doing things the ad hoc way is really the point.

[craftech]

Dex made a Jeklin DisK.

I liked this author's $5 shockmount:

http://www.maltedmedia.com/people/bathory/shock.html

and $15 Jeklin Disk

http://www.maltedmedia.com/people/bathory/jecklin.html

Edited January 9, 2005 by craftech