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raymor · 10-15-2011, 07:12 PM

If you don't hire a pro, use at least two quality vocal mics placed as close as possible to the action. You can then cross fade between tracks in audacity or another editor. There is a reason even semi-pro bands like ours spend $250 or more per mic. Quality costs. There is also a difference between a vocal mic, a bass mic, and a kick drum mic for example so shop carefully. Most bands will use dynamic mics partially because of their durability, but in the studio a condenser mic can work well.

Your biggest concerns are proper level and perhaps more importantly signal to noise ratio. SNR simply means that you want the sound you are recording to be much louder than the noise. That's why you put the mic as close as possible, to pick up moans, not the camera man's footseps. At the same time, minimize noise. Avoid tile floors and other hard flat surfaces that will reverb. You can always add reverb in post, but you can't remove it. (Though running the track backwards through a gate can reduce it slightly.)

For level, you can set it in rough check, but you'll probably want a compander or at least a compressor to maintain proper level with all that's going on during a shoot. A compander is the one and only effect I always use with spoken word and it's worth it's weight in gold for non-professional or semi-pro talent who will not use proper mic technique.

I use a software compander. Given a decent mic and proper connections, a PC can actually be a decent recording device. That can save money on studio gear because all of the effects and the mixing studio can be software. You just need proper mics, cables, connections, and technique. I use an inexpensive mixer to convert balanced mics to the PCs unbalanced input and to get a reasonable level. Don't use adapter cables for balanced to unbalanced as most are crap and the others may work well or may cause problems depending on what you plug them in to.

10-15-2011, 07:12 PM
raymor Confirmed User Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 3,745	If you don't hire a pro, use at least two quality vocal mics placed as close as possible to the action. You can then cross fade between tracks in audacity or another editor. There is a reason even semi-pro bands like ours spend $250 or more per mic. Quality costs. There is also a difference between a vocal mic, a bass mic, and a kick drum mic for example so shop carefully. Most bands will use dynamic mics partially because of their durability, but in the studio a condenser mic can work well. Your biggest concerns are proper level and perhaps more importantly signal to noise ratio. SNR simply means that you want the sound you are recording to be much louder than the noise. That's why you put the mic as close as possible, to pick up moans, not the camera man's footseps. At the same time, minimize noise. Avoid tile floors and other hard flat surfaces that will reverb. You can always add reverb in post, but you can't remove it. (Though running the track backwards through a gate can reduce it slightly.) For level, you can set it in rough check, but you'll probably want a compander or at least a compressor to maintain proper level with all that's going on during a shoot. A compander is the one and only effect I always use with spoken word and it's worth it's weight in gold for non-professional or semi-pro talent who will not use proper mic technique. I use a software compander. Given a decent mic and proper connections, a PC can actually be a decent recording device. That can save money on studio gear because all of the effects and the mixing studio can be software. You just need proper mics, cables, connections, and technique. I use an inexpensive mixer to convert balanced mics to the PCs unbalanced input and to get a reasonable level. Don't use adapter cables for balanced to unbalanced as most are crap and the others may work well or may cause problems depending on what you plug them in to. Last edited by raymor; 10-15-2011 at 07:14 PM..