I’d like to have a simple, set-up-once kind of option for recording live STEREO material into the OT; percussion etc. Something I could just have set up and ready to go at any time with minimum hassle.
You can buy stereo mics, two cartridges in one body, with two outputs; has anyone tried these?
Or a matched pair; more bulky, slightly more hassle, would need a special stand.
Or a field-recorder type, Zoom/Tascam/whatever, and run the output to a splitter. Compact, and has the bonus of being a field recorder. But would the sound quality be up to scratch?
Any thoughts/recommendations from those who have tried these possibilities?
A field recorder can sound incredible, depending on the unit. It also means you get a proper line output without relying on the ot to directly provide gain for mics. A lot of smaller mics need phantom and/or plug in power that the ot won’t provide.
Gotcha. I’m always thinking stage mode, haha! I’ve ran my H6 into it. The sound is great. Might give you what you’re looking for. There’s a video of some OT loop performances using the H6 as the piano mic.
your percussion isn’t stereo, though - the ambience of the room you´re in is.
so you could record in mono and then pan + add ambience/reverb.
just saying…
but yeah, get a cheap zoom or even a Tascam DR05 - doesn´t get much cheaper than this (~90€) and the mic quality is more than good enough for percussion etc.
Percussion is indeed not stereo, but neither is it mono. It’s not a point source. It’s a complex acoustic body composed of skin, wooden body, the stick hitting it, the human body holding the stick, etc. And indeed extending into the acoustic space that vibrates with it. A stereo mic setup will catch a little more of that complexity than a mono mic, but still far from the whole of it.
