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Sam Marcello
Miking up an instrument isn't an easy thing. In audio, if you have a lousy source sound from the beginning, you are going to end up with a lousy mixed sound in the end.
Some tips I`ve learned...
Close Micing:
(a few cm to .5 m) gives the best ratio of desired sound to undesired sound (ambience, bleed, noise), results in "tight" sound and "presence" too close emphasizes a particular part of the instrument/sound source and may result in imbalance or unnatural instrument sound, although this can be used to some creative advantage as well.
Distant Micing:
(.5 m or more) Placing the microphone too far from the sound source picks up room reflections giving a distant sound, although a mix including close mics and such an "ambience"mic can add a sense of "air" and spaciousness to the resulting recording.
Accent Micing:
is a compromise between close and distant micing which can be effective in bringing clarity and presence to a selected part of an ensemble or complex sound source. Caution must be taken to be sure that the addition of an accent mic does not create imbalance in the balance and coloration between the part accented and the rest of the ensemble.
Ambient/Room Micing:
When the microphone is placed further away than the critical distance from the sound source the reflected sound is greater in intensity than the source and can be effective when mixed with close or distant miked sound to add air and spaciousness or a sense of the natural reverberation of the space the sound occurs in.
3:1 Rule:
The basic idea here is that you want to get the 2nd microphone at least 3 times the distance away from the first. When you get the microphones this far apart (or farther), then you provide enough separation between the two mics to keep the combined recorded signal from having phase issues.
Example: If the first mic is 1 foot from a source, the second mic should be placed 3 feet from the second mic.
Having a good basic understanding of microphone techniques is crucial to getting a good sound. You can go a long way by using these techniques, setting up microphones where they are “supposed” to be. But the first and last tools at your disposal are your ears, so trust them rather than a diagram with inches, meters and feet.
If an instrument sounds better to your ears when you break all the rules, then fine. If that's the sound you are looking for, you found it. General microphone techniques work most of the time, and get you at least halfway there. The rest is up to your ears and taste.
Walk On!
