Recording in the Classroom

Introduction

Recording in the classroom is one of the most beneficial things you can do as a director for your students. That is of course on top of simply being a great teacher. Having proper recording capabilities built into your classroom not only comes in handy when needing to record something important like an audition, but can open up the possibilities for improvement both for yourself and your students. Rehearsal recordings are a great way of getting unbiased and immediate feedback on how the ensemble sounds for you and your students. It allows them to hear what they sound like as a whole and not what it sounds like with the third trumpets blasting into the back of your head (sorry saxes). For you, it allows you to come back to moments during rehearsal with fresh ears and evaluate what the ensemble really sounded like without the ear fatigue or hearing through earplugs.

Getting Started

Tier 1

Getting Started

When thinking about any recording, it is easy to get caught up in the notion that you need X amount of microphones and a full time engineer and a great space. And while yes, all of these things can help, you can actually get started with the things you already have.

When looking at integrating recording capabilities into your classroom, there are a couple of things you need to consider. Things such as: what kind of ensemble(s) do you teach? How big are these ensembles? Do you need it to be multi-purpose? Does it need to be portable? Does it require setup? And lastly, what is the purpose of these recordings? Is it for you? Your students? Auditions? While it may seem like a lot of factors, once you actually decide what you want, you can find a setup and workflow that works great for you.

When looking at recording and recording gear, the possibilities are endless and in most cases have more than one way to accomplish the same results. Like most of the guides on this website, the following recommendations are separated into different tiers to help you get started and provide different configurations based on what you already have (or plan to get). Since Tier 1 recording techniques for classroom recording are fairly unique and do not deal with individual microphones, the suggestions should work for all types of ensembles within a classroom setting.

Tier 1

The great thing about technology is that, in most cases, you already have everything you need to get started sitting in your pocket. That’s right, your phone is a great tool for a lot of your recording needs. While your default voice memo may work in a pinch, you might find that it quickly becomes overloaded by the sound of a large ensemble, think a 30+ wind ensemble or jazz band. Instead, try finding an app that allows you to adjust gain or the ability to “record raw”. Some of my favorite apps include Easy Voice Recorder, Zoom Handy Recorder, and the Shure Motiv apps. Disclaimer, I am in no way sponsored or affiliated with any of these apps, they are just apps that I have found that have worked for me.

Tier 2

Tier 2 falls into one of two options.

Option 1 are add-ons for your phone. These are microphone attachments that range anywhere from $60-$200 that use either USB C or Lightning to connect to your phone. Some of these include the Zoom iQ7 and Am7. These are Mid-Side (M-S) microphones that attach to your phone and have dedicated gain dials and even a headphone jack for monitoring. Zoom also make s the iQ6 which is an XY stereo microphone for iOS devices. Shure makes the MV88+ which is a multi pattern condenser microphone for iOS, Android, Mac and PC.

Zoom Am7 Courtesy of Zoom Corp

Option 2 are handheld recording devices. Similar to the add-ons for your phone, handheld recorders are all-in-one devices with the capability to record 2+ channels depending on what you are looking for. Most if not all have a pair of high quality microphones that will usually record in XY. When looking at handheld recorders I tend to steer towards Zoom and TASCAM. Though other manufacturers exist, these two have been in the recording business for quite some time making a range of devices from mixers and audio interfaces to movie set and field recorders. As I mentioned earlier, these recorders usually come in at least two channels such as the Zoom H1n and the Tascam DR-05X and DR-07X. From there, they usually retain the XY stereo microphones but add XLR inputs for using your own mics. The best part of a handheld recorder is the fact that they can also double as audio interfaces and be used with a computer.

Zoom H1 Essential Courtesy of Zoom Corp

Positioning

Regardless of which option you choose to use, placement is key to a great recording.

For any ensemble, you will want to start by placing the microphone close to where you stand as the conductor. The reason for this is we want to capture the sound closest to what you hear during rehearsal. If you place it too close to the ensemble it might sound unnatural as the sound does not have space to develop not to mention you might capture a lot of the front row.
Height, height is one of those variables that you can play around with when recording your ensembles. Typically you will want to find the place with the highest amount of height in order to avoid any troublesome reflections. Depending on the ensemble, you can always adjust it to find the “sweet spot” , the spot where the ensemble sounds the best. This can be anywhere from 2-3 feet above your head to up to 10-12 feet off the ground.
- Choirs usually project forward so placing it closer to your head will allow for their voices to mix well.
- The brightness of an orchestra usually comes from the tops of the string instruments, having the microphones higher will allow the definition to come through.
- Wind instruments can be both directional and omnidirectional, having enough height allows for the sound to develop and mix instead of getting a mic full of trumpet.
Make sure to aim the microphone(s) at the middle of the ensemble, this should allow for a good balance and interplay of parts when recording.
Avoid recording too close to a wall, similar to ceilings, this can cause unwanted reflections.
Avoid recording by glass as it is also highly reflective.

Basic Ensemble Setup

Basic Choir Setup

Basic Jazz Setup

Tier 3

Options in Tier 3 are designed to either complement or replace what you used in Tier 2. In most cases Tier 3 options will require more equipment as you begin to upgrade your setup. Perhaps your ensemble is too big for just a basic XY or perhaps you just want something a little more permanent that you can simply plug and play without the need to take time to set up microphones.

Along with our ensemble and class considerations, we also have to consider equipment considerations. As you plan on what kind of equipment you plan on getting/purchasing, ask yourself how you plan on using your recordings. Do you need these recordings to be available instantly for playback? Will you need a way to play it over your classroom PA? Do you need the ability to record multiple mics at a time (multi-track recording) or do you simply need a mixed down L/R recording? How do you plan on recording? Are you planning on recording to a DAW on a computer? Or are you recording to an external storage device such as a USB drive or SD card?

In either case, we need to start with microphones. Since we will be recording ensembles mostly, we need microphones capable of capturing the subtleties in our students’ playing. Because of these, we will want to use condenser microphones due to them being more sensitive than their dynamic cousins. The only downside, we need to use them in conjunction with a device that can provide phantom power. To that end, we have a couple of options when it comes to driving our microphones.

Option 1): External mixer - One of the options is to purchase a small mixer, usually with 4+ inputs to record your main array plus a couple of outriggers (more on that in a second). Most small mixers currently on the market offer USB recording capabilities allowing you to record a stereo L/R mix down of your microphones to either an external USB or DAW of your choice. Please see the Equipment Page for more information on mixers.

Option 2): Audio Interface - Similar to an external mixer, an audio interface works in conjunction with your DAW of choice to record the microphones. However, unlike mixers, an audio interface can only record to a DAW but does allow you to record every microphone as a separate channel which allows you to better mix your ensemble to better control the sound you are recording and the stereo image they produce. Please see the Equipment Page for more information on interfaces.

Option 3): Handheld Recorders - Moving past the basic XY recorders of Tier 1, we have more powerful, capable recorders with built-in XY capsules and additional phantom powered XLR inputs. Not only are these recorders portable and lightweight but can also double as an audio interface. Their higher quality recording capsules, coupled with multiple XLR inputs allow for them to be used in conjunction with external microphones. Because of their portable nature, hand held recorders can both record to an SD card for quick offloading as well as record to a DAW if being used as an interface.

Setup and Positioning

So you’ve chosen your desired method of capturing the following microphone positions and suggestions apply regardless of what form you choose to record in.

Due to the nature of ensembles and the multiple different parts, sections or instruments involved, it is usually best to record in stereo in order to fully capture the ensemble. As such there are a variety of methods for recording in stereo, for more in depth information please visith the Mic Information and Configuration Page.

X/Y

Similar to the capsules on our handheld recorders or phone add-ons. XY is a great way of capturing the ensemble in your classroom. Not only does it not take up too much space, but can be easily mounted in a permanent location. XY gives you a great focused center with a decent stereo image. Some things to consider:

You will need two identical directional microphones
Mount the XY pair 2-3 feet above your head in order to best capture what you hear.
Great for smaller ensembles
Outriggers, can be added for very large ensembles

AB

A spaced pair in AB configuration will give you a much wider stereo image. Similar to XY, you will need to mount these 2-3 feet above your head. Some things to consider when using a spaced pair:

Use two identical microphones, omnidirectional usually works best
Space the microphones 10-12 feet apart, too close and there will not be any spread, too far and you will experience a “week center”
If the ensemble is large and you have the room for it, add a third omni mic in the center to reinforce the center image.
Great for especially large ensembles

NOS

NOS uses two microphones pointed 90 degrees away from each other spaced 11.8 inches away from each other. NOS uses two matched condenser mics and produces a great stereo image like the AB while also keeping a strong focused center like XY. Some things to consider:

Suspend 2-3 feet above the conductor
Microphones are condenser microphones aimed 90 degrees from each other spaced 1.8 inches apart.
Great for medium to large ensembles.

Decca Tree

The Decca Tree is the least recommended method on this list due to the extra hardware requirements. However, if you are like me and are fortunate enough to have a great construction department, you can implement this for only a fraction of the cost of an actual decca tree array. To that matter, Decca Trees are commonly used in orchestral recording. It uses a triple microphone array using omnidirectional microphones suspended above the conductor's position. Some things to consider:

Suspend the microphone array 10-12 feet above the ground with the center microphone suspended above the conductors head.
Pan the left microphone left and the right microphone right.
Can be adjusted to fit several ensemble sizes.

OCCO

OCCO arrays combine NOS with AB by using four microphones on a single mounting bar. It is called OCCO as it uses two omni microphones and two condenser microphones. This is great for recording ensembles of various sizes while capturing a great stereo image with a strong center.

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