R/E/P Community
R/E/P => Recording - Engineering & Production => Topic started by: ohboring1 on June 01, 2017, 03:39:04 PM
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I am a high school band director and I would like to setup a permanently installed Decca tree. It would be used to record everyday rehearsals and to record concert album tracks. I will be recording wind ensembles and percussion ensembles.
I would like to suspend it from the ceiling instead of placing on stands.
My question is what kind of mics should I use and can I leave the mics installed on the tree all year long without damaging them? Also, do you think the Decca tree is the best option for my needs?
Here is what I have:
2 Neumann KM 184 (matched pair)
4 AKG C414 XLII (2 matched pairs)
4 Royer 101 (2 matchd pairs)
3 AKG C214
SM 57 (dozens)
I can also get additional microphones if none of these would meet my needs.
Thanks for the help!
Jason
High School Band Director
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Your 414's should do the trick...and will give you the option to try the left and right mics as either omni or cardioid.
If necessary, you could use a pair of 214's as outer mics for the large ensemble if you want to stay with large diaphragm condensers all around, other wise the KM184's could fill that role.
http://tapeop.com/tutorials/46/microphones-decca-tree-technique/
If you wanted to get really cute funny and fresh, you could rig a pair of the Royers in a Blumlein configuration just above the conductor's head for a different take on a stereo setup.
As for leaving them up for the year, that would depend entirely on the environment...dust, humidity, etc.
HTH
Cheers,
Tim
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Tim's suggestions are pretty much spot on... I would investigate if its possible to raise and lower the "Decca Tree" and remove the microphones when not in use. As Tim pointed out, environmental factors [dust, etc.] will put them in harms way if you leave them in a fixed position. Dust screens can be used... but must be washed on a fairly regular basis as dust accumulations will indeed alter the sound [in a dulling / not really pleasant kind of way].
Peace
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Nice Post
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Umair
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i know i am late to the party, but...
For this application, I would go with a trio of OM1 mics.
http://www.lineaudio.se/OM1.html
they are inexpensive (won't hurt the scholl budget), are very small (easy to hang and move) and sound very, very good (surprisingly so, considering the price).