Jack Norflus Posted July 26, 2012 Report Share Posted July 26, 2012 I have a job coming up where we are going to be shooting opera singers auditioning. At this point the plan is there is going to be a panel of "judges" that the singers will sing to - and there will be a Mic stand placed in front of the panel, and over the course of two days several singers, both male and female, will approach the Mic and sing. So I'm looking for suggestions on what Mic to use. It will need to sound good, be able to handle high SPL, look good for camera, and hopefully not break the bank. Any thoughts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
studiomprd Posted July 26, 2012 Report Share Posted July 26, 2012 there are soooooo many possibilities. Do you already have a Schoeps '41 hyper ?? MKH 50 or most any of the hyper "usual suspects" would also be fine. put a foam w/s on it, and put it on the stand. or use a studio mic AKG, Neumann, DPA, and many, many others to select from. even an SM-57 or SM-58 would be fine... classical singers will not close mic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Gilbert Posted July 26, 2012 Report Share Posted July 26, 2012 classical singers will not close mic I hate doing this, but....... He's right! If I had to choose, I'd probably go for something like an AKG C414, not the kind of thing I ever use on location, but sounds great from a distance, and can handle the SPLs (though I can't think of much that wouldn't) Of course, it's only one suggestion, I'd go for it as it's a mic I know well and can work with, doesn't mean it's the best for the job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Blankenship Posted July 26, 2012 Report Share Posted July 26, 2012 What Mike said about mics. Schoeps is the standard for classical singers. I'd lean toward the MK4 (cardioid) capsule, but would not hesitate at all in using an MK41. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
filmfreak Posted July 26, 2012 Report Share Posted July 26, 2012 Once had the chance to record with an Earthworks overhead stereo setup. Impressive results and imho much cleaner sound than an MK41 which is perfect when positioned close to the opera singer. DPA also offers an excellent choice of mics. I own Schoeps ccms by the way. Have Fun Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VM Posted July 26, 2012 Report Share Posted July 26, 2012 In classical recording we use Schoeps MK21 and one of these accessories http://www.schoeps.d...stands_and_tube , or DPA 4006 But it depends of the acoustic. Maybe you need something more directional. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Feeley Posted July 26, 2012 Report Share Posted July 26, 2012 I have a job coming up where we are going to be shooting opera singers auditioning. From what my friends in the SF Opera chorus tell me, at least a couple of the sopranos will be more than happy to help shoot the other singers. <rim shot> Why not go for a pair of colette tubes with MK4 capsules? IIRC, that's what the Three Tenors and lots of other opera/musical stagings use (though I might be wrong about the capsules). So it'll look familiar and "pro" to your viewing audience: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Toline Posted July 26, 2012 Report Share Posted July 26, 2012 Schoeps on a tube stand. Familiar, camera friendly and sounds great. Eric Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
studiomprd Posted July 26, 2012 Report Share Posted July 26, 2012 " and hopefully not break the bank. " OK, I forgot an "it depends"... is production going to be paying additional rental for specialty stuff... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VASI Posted July 26, 2012 Report Share Posted July 26, 2012 +1 for Schoeps. I have a good friend (FOH) in the Opera house in Thessaloniki and he using the Schoeps with very good results. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old school Posted July 26, 2012 Report Share Posted July 26, 2012 I'd go w a Schoeps but a AKG C414 sounds good as well. Like Eric, the Schoeps also seems more camera friendly to me. CrewC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
studiomprd Posted July 26, 2012 Report Share Posted July 26, 2012 " more camera friendly " that is subjective, and it depends on what look is desired; point is there are a lot of alternatives, with a couple good ones already in Jack's kit, if there is no extra budget! We are going on the description of this as a taped audition session, for some show, and not the actual classical recording session... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
berniebeaudry Posted July 26, 2012 Report Share Posted July 26, 2012 I've had good success with a large capsule condenser (Neuman TLM170) placed down low in front (about knee high or a little above) with the mic angled so its aiming at the mouth. Cardiod pattern. Keeps the mic mostly out of the shot, doesn't tempt the singers to get too close to the mic (helps with high volume voices), and sounds really good. I had a 170 but any quality LCC with low self noise would work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nhaudio Posted July 27, 2012 Report Share Posted July 27, 2012 comparable to the 414 is the AT4050 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramallo Posted July 27, 2012 Report Share Posted July 27, 2012 Once had the chance to record with an Earthworks overhead stereo setup. Impressive results and imho much cleaner sound than an MK41 which is perfect when positioned close to the opera singer. DPA also offers an excellent choice of mics. I own Schoeps ccms by the way. Have Fun +1 DPA or Earthworks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerard-NYNY Posted July 27, 2012 Report Share Posted July 27, 2012 You might want to use two mics, not because you want stereo (you don 't when recording voices, generally) If they are turning their heads and acting in an operatic role they have performed with another singer, they may turn away and you could be unlucky. If the panel is positioned in a semicircular array, the singers will be singing towards the different judges and turning away from the mic. No do overs here I suppose. Never underestimate the talent factor blowing up your day (don't ask me how I know this). I vote for Schoeps. Maybe pop a lav on as well since that's what's used in Broadway musicals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sounddguy Posted July 27, 2012 Report Share Posted July 27, 2012 ...several singers, both male and female, will approach the Mic and sing. Will they also speak to the judges? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Norflus Posted July 27, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 27, 2012 Will they also speak to the judges? Yes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Toline Posted July 27, 2012 Report Share Posted July 27, 2012 Yes If you choose to go the Schoeps route you should contact Jerry Bruck at Posthorn Recording on W 26th st. He should have the tubular stands for the mics as you've seen on tv. 212-242-3737. http://www.posthorn.com Eric Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VM Posted July 27, 2012 Report Share Posted July 27, 2012 If they have to speak to the judges, maybe that's a good idea to lav them. Stand mic for singing, lav for talking. The level differences between talking and Opera singing maybe very strong. A few months ago I record a rehearsal of "St. Matthew Passion". They were singing and talking. No visible mic were allowed. I use 2 Schoeps MK4 for stereo plus a cos 11 on each singer. It works for this documentary part. We also record the concert (for DVD) and use Schoeps on tubular stands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerard-NYNY Posted July 27, 2012 Report Share Posted July 27, 2012 if the client balks at pricing two schoeps mics, i'll loan you two 70's beyerdynamic soundstar mk ii mics. great dynamic mics, better than 58s. depending on the voice, and distance, they sound like ribbons. i think i have a stereo bar, but it looks kind of funky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrd456 Posted July 27, 2012 Report Share Posted July 27, 2012 The "old standard" go to mic. for recording singers is the large diaphragm Neumann U87.But,a Schoeps will do the job. J.D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Thomas Posted July 30, 2012 Report Share Posted July 30, 2012 I had a job recording an outdoor opera over the weekend, so a slightly different situation. I used an MKH60/30 combination at the stage edge- more to catch everything and retain mono compatibility, whilst fitting it in a single stereo rycote. Other things to note, there were quite large level differences between individual singers and, of course their positioning relative to the mics. I also quickly found some of those loud sustained vowels with vibrato from the sopranos played hell with the limiters, so turned them off Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RadoStefanov Posted July 30, 2012 Report Share Posted July 30, 2012 If you have to hide the mic Dpa lav would be fine. in fact they use them on stage all the time... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petersont Posted July 30, 2012 Report Share Posted July 30, 2012 Regarding the 3 tenors pic above, assume having the pair of schoep 4s are just for safety during a live performance, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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