Setting up home studio

[SteveS]

I'm in the process of getting together some hardware & software for a small home studio - kit identified so far is

 

Shure SM57 dynamic mic (x2 - instrument)

Røde NT1-A condenser mic (vocals)

Scarlett 18i8 (computer interface)

Magix Samplitude (audio software)

Shure SRH440 monitoring headphones

 

My question is about members' experiences with using studio mics for concertina.

 

Have you used 1 mic per instrument - pointing at the centre of the bellows say? 

Or maybe 2 mics - one at each end?

How far away to place the mics from the instrument.

 

Of course I'll conduct some experiments to see what's best for me and my setup, but I'd like an idea of any collective wisdom, pitfalls, any other advice, etc, will be much appreciated.

 

Edited September 29, 2018 by SteveS

[mdarnton]

You might get some push back on this so I will say that I think that SM57s are an excellent choice for concertina, as opposed to some more strident condenser mic, even more certainly if your concertina has accordion reeds.

 

Placement depends a lot on the space you're in. Some distance is always good to provide ambiance, but if the room is too live you need to stay close. If you can get away from the instrument in a live room, one mic will do it, but closer or in too dead of a room you probably will need two. I would use both 57s, even at a distance, but as far as you can get without the room taking over. It really depends on what kind of sound you want.

 

The key to good recording is to experiment a lot with mic placement---that's more important than what mics you use.

Edited September 28, 2018 by mdarnton