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Introduction
Introduction
The purpose of this guide is to provide all you need as a music director to get you started with recording and amplifying your orchestras. For the purpose of this guide, an Orchestra refers to an ensemble made up primarily of “string” instruments.
The guide is broken down into two sections, each with three Tiers to help you get started regardless of the equipment you may have or plan to get. Since most Orchestras perform concerts, the main focus will be on capturing and recording your ensembles regardless of where they may be performing. However, occasionally there are situations where you need to amplify your ensemble such as an outdoor performance or festival, this guide will also help you get started with amplifying your ensemble.
At the bottom of this guide you will also find suggestions for recording and amplifying specialty orchestras such as quartets and full symphony orchestras.
Amplification
Amplification
Amplification of an orchestra is an interesting thing as it is not common in what we do on a regular basis, and especially so because our instruments are made of wood and should not be exposed to the elements. Usually the only time you will need to amplify your ensemble would be during an outdoor performance or if you are routing the sound of the ensemble to a different source. Because of the complexity of amplifying an ensemble, you will need a dedicated audio mixer with 4+ XLR inputs
The goal with amplifying a wind ensemble is different from say recording a rock band in that you want to reinforce what is happening on stage. Therefore our goal is to amplify them without changing the sound of the ensemble in a very transparent way.
Tier 1
Tier 1
Tier 1 focuses on just getting a great sound using at least two microphones and therefore looks very similar to that of Tier 2 from the recording section.
Techniques and Placement
XY (Coincident)
XY is a great way of recording small to medium sized ensembles. You get both a focused ensemble center while still recording the left and right sides of the ensembles. For this method you will:
Need two Cardioid microphones angled 90 degrees toward each other
(Can be mounted on two separate stands or on one stand using a stereo bar)
Place the array a few feet back from the conductor which would be about six feet back from the orchestra.
Place the array 10-12 feet in the air
Aim the microphones toward the middle of the ensemble
ORTF(Near Coincident)
ORTF is one of the most common near coincident methods for recording. It resembles an XY array in that the two directional microphones cross but instead of 90 degrees, they are angled 110 degrees. This method most closely resembles the human ear and allows for the instruments to appear in the sound field the same way they would before you. For this method you will:
Need two Cardioid microphones angled 110 degrees apart.
Suspend microphones 10-12 feet in the air.
Place the array a few feet behind the conductor
Aim the microphones at the center of the ensemble.
Spaced Pair
A spaced pair uses omnidirectional microphones along the front of the ensemble to capture its full width. For this method you will:
Place two omnis spaced about 20 feet apart
All microphones are placed about head height or higher and angled down about 30 degrees.
Tier 2
Tier 2
Tier 2 uses more than just two microphones in an effort to more accurately capture the ensemble. Along with using these methods, you may also use a soloist mic in the event of a soloist.
Equipment
Equipment
Audio Mixer
Microphones (omni or cardioid depending on the technique used)
Techniques and Placement
Techniques and Placement
XY (Coincident)
Exactly the same thing used in Tier 1 but can be expanded with outriggers (side microphones) in order to get a wider stereo field. In order to do this, you will need:
Additional two cardioid microphones
Each outrigger is placed on its own stand
Outriggers are placed at the same height as the main XY and 6-10 feet in both directions from the main array.
Aim the microphones toward the middle of the ensemble and pan hard left and hard right.
Spaced Pair
Similar to the AB setup in Tier 1, however this uses three microphones and is designed at filling in the gap that is created when trying to mic larger ensembles as the microphones are spread too far apart. This is accomplished by adding a center microphone. For this method you will:
Place the first microphone in the middle of the ensemble.
Place the other two microphones at least 6-10 feet apart on each side and increase the distance so that the ensemble is divided into thirds.
All microphones are placed about head height or higher and angled down about 30 degrees.
Soloist Mic
Often, you might play a piece that calls for a featured soloist, when this happens you will want to make sure they are mic’d individually so that they can be brought out in the mix. Please refer to the Individual Instrument section for further information.
Tier 3
Tier 3
Tier 3 is a little different from tier 3 of the recording section. For Tier 3 you will still use the same techniques used in tier 2 but with the addition of Spot/Sweetener Mics (individual or section mics) can be used to get better control of the mix or to bring out certain characteristics in the sound. Some suggestions are:
Add a microphone in front of each section of the ensemble
For violins and violas, place the microphone in between pairs about 3-4 above the musicians aimed down,
For cellos and basses, use a large diaphragm condenser microphone 2-3 feet in front of the section
For a strong bass section, place one large diaphragm in front of each pair or even in front of each individual
Place microphones by sections and rows. only add a specific microphone if there is a soloist that is not coming to the front.
For Pianos and Harp, please refer to the piano microphone placement section of the individual instrument recording guide.
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