How to get good audio for my upcoming shoot?

Question

This weekend I'm shooting an audition video for an opera singer. It will be one vocalist and one pianist in a large concert hall. Last time, I used a Zoom field recorder set up right behind the camera, but I was not satisfied with the quality. The sound was way to "wet" and the piano especially sounded very...puny.
This time I will bring my laptop, interface, and some mics and do a dual system recording. I feel like the mics need to be closer to the stage... However, since the use of amplification is very, very taboo in the opera world I want to have no mics visible in the shot whatsoever (even though they are there for capture and not amplification, I still would rather not have them visible at all). Does anyone have any tips on what type of mics to use and where to place them to get a good recording?

BTW, the mics I have are an Audio Technica large-diaphragm condenser, CAD large diaphragm condenser, a small-diaphragm pencil mic (AKG I believe), a Shure SM-57 dynamic, and various SM-58 style dynamic vocal mics. Also have the stereo condenser pair that is built in to my zoom recorder at my disposal.

Thanks for your replies!

Answer 1

It is a ratio thing.



Mic closer = more direct clean sound of muscian, less echo



Mic farther back = more reflected sound, less direct sound, more echo



Recording studios have little echo - they can add it in the mix



Studio mics work great with video if they are close. Even expensive shotgun mics will record too much reverb when not close. The piano is easy to mic and hide clipped to lid or under sound board for lower notes, mounted on floor point up. The singer could wear a lav mic if a stand is not possible. A mic on a stand will sound better than a lav.



What is your camcorder? Does it have XLR inputs? Are you doing a post edit of it. Maybe use the zoom and camera tracks and sync in NLE?



Google "mic placement for music recording" to learn more.



UPDATE: if you shoot it twice - with and without mics seen. I think you might have sync problems in editing. Might mean you have to do some cutting to make it sync.

Answer 2

That is going to be a tough one partly because all your mics are BIG mics. The closer the mic is to the sound source the less "room" sound you will get. I would just experiment with getting them as close to the singer and piano as you can and still have them out of the shot. You might be able to hide the piano mic under the piano or maybe below the lid. My only other suggestion is to use condenser mics on both. The SM58 and 57 are not known for their detailed sound - they are mainly used for live sound and electric guitar (57).



Great free books:



http://cdn.shure.com/publication/upload/849/audio-systems-guide-for-video-and-film-production-english.pdf



http://cdn.shure.com/publication/upload/837/microphone_techniques_for_recording_english.pdf

Answer 3

Try moving your Zoom nearer to the source of the sound, not behind the camera. As for hiding them, you'll have to use your imagination. Isn't there something on stage that you can hide the Zoom behind? Even behind the performers?