by macrae11 » Fri Oct 12, 2012 11:06 am
Main question, are the players "pro"? Not pro as in make a liv.... you know what I mean.
If it's pro players I'll usually arrange them in a semi circle, sometimes as much as 180º around. Put the loudest instrument and the softest instrument facing each other, unless the players have a typical setup that they're more comfortable with. Typically it'll be trumpet(loudest) and sax(softest). The better the players the less you have to worry about this separation. With great players I'll just put them where comfortable which is often only slightly more curved than a straight line.
Then I'll place a stereo array using distance to blend ambiance to taste. Usually MS or XY. This will be 95% of my section tone. I will still spot mic purely to be able to manage levels a bit if needed. Done.
As the players get less capable I'll create more and more separation and rely more on close mics. If you need to do some tuning(Yes I've had to do it) get absolute maximum separation, even to the point of separate rooms, or separate takes. Otherwise you'll be in phase hell.
For close mic positioning, I don't typically do anything too fancy. Don't get too close. 1 foot is usually my minimum, but if I'm fighting bleed I'll do whatever it takes. Sax, don't bury the mic in the bell. If I'm doing solo sax I'll often use two mics, one on the bell and one on the left hand fingers, but for sections I'll usually just do one placed between the two. Distance is your friend. For brass, basically just in front of the bell but placing off axis can help mellow things a tad, especially with searing trumpet parts. Watch out for players who are "active" again, distance is your friend. U87 is my favourite for sax, 441 for trumpet, and SM7/RE20 for trombone. Lawson might be too bright for sax, so you might be better of with a 414 or even Red. The Lawson might work great on trumpet though. Really going to depend on the player.