Video of a string ensemble performing remotely

You are very welcome @MusicalLives

Oops, got so carried away that completely hijacked the thread started by @Y.S
My apologies too.

Have to say that I’m pretty impressed as well at the sound quality and dynamic range achieved with the phones.

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Yes, in fact they are an ensemble (called “VivaMuse” as you can see on a title in a top right corner) and normally perform live together. :slight_smile: The video we’re discussing here was produced as a side-effect of self-isolation period. Having some spare time we decided to experiment a bit. As I’ve mentioned, this was a huge challenge for them, for a classically-schooled musician is not used to playing alone listening to something in earpiece. :slight_smile:

If you’re ready to spend some more money on H4n (or better H4n Pro), then I definitely recommend it over H1n. H1n is good for its lower cost, but H4n (Pro) is definitely better.

This is an example of a recording done on H4n Pro with external microphones (Behringer C-2):

This was also edited in Shotcut, by the way. :slight_smile:

You can see the position of microphones on a footage from side cameras. Note that hissing noise in pauses is caused by the air compressor of an organ, not by microphones/H4n Pro, and was actually present during the concert.

The microphone on stage is not used and is not mine.

Nothing wrong with it, a good technical discussion is always welcome! :+1:

Thank you. :slight_smile:

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@Y.S

Nice performance, thanks for sharing.

The C-2 mics are pretty good, how far apart did you have them and did you adjust the
L/R levels in post?

Just curious as there seems to be a slight bias favouring the left side or was this intentional?
Of course the instruments are not all played at the same time so the response does
change but the screengrabs are pretty representative of the overall “spread”.

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Thanks for appreciation. :slight_smile:

I typically set the mics in a DIN configuration: 20 cm apart, 90 degrees between the capsules. Unlike ORTF, it is easy to remember, easy to set up and has approximately same SRA.

The built-in mics of the H4n Pro were not used.

Yes, I did adjust the levels in post, mostly to correct this bias to the left. :slight_smile: The source of this is the organ. As you can see on a footage from side cameras, it is positioned at extreme left, and there was nothing I could do to fix this, for noone would allow me to move it, and moving it is a nightmare in the first place.

Of course, rotating the stereo to be symmetrical would place vocals at a side, which is unacceptable. So I slightly rotated it to the right to minimize initial bias at least to some extent while not damaging the vocal positioning and this was all I could do.

To be honest, I not only adjusted the levels in post, but also removed the unnecessary applause, which, sadly, were present after EACH MOVEMENT. Oh… Because of the organ noise mentioned, this had to be done completely by hand, removing the applause and replacing it with the clean samples of organ noise, and then crossfading to avoid audible glitches.

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Thanks for the feedback, this is a really interesting thread.

I feel for you and the “joys” of live recordings, luckily I’m studio bound now, so no more of those, at least for the foreseeable future.

Agreed, panning the vocals to the side would have not gone down too well. :smile:
Good job on removing the applause.

Noted, H4n Pro it is, + a pair of Behringer C-2 condensers when the time comes. C-2s are not very expensive which is a great news.

Thank you! You guys are great, I’m so happy I came to this community!

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@Y.S May I ask one more question? Instead of buying a DSLR and H4n Pro, would it be a better to get ZOOM Q8 as an all-in-one solution? I’m wondering if the audio quality of Q8 is as good as H4n Pro and is the video quality is high enough. Online search suggests it’s a good unit but I thought to check with your professional opinion.

Or better yet, just pull me out of the rabbit hole…:laughing:

I won’t touch anything by Behringer.

You might look into a pair of Oktava MK-012’s or the Superlux S502 ORTF mic. There are mods available for both mics.

I see the pianist was wearing a headworn mic. Was that picking up the piano?

Also, look into the noise-reduction part of Goldwave. You select a sample of the offending noise, copy it to the clipboard and apply noise reduction. Works like magic!

https://www.goldwave.com/

Behringer certainly is not the best, but price versus quality and use, it ain’t bad.
They certainly not on par with say AKG or Rode but for someone starting off, it’s not a bad choice.
Had a quick look around the net, Behringer C-2’s can be had for as low as $68 where as the same or similar offering from AKG or Rode, start at $200.

Put it this way, for high end TV work, I certainly would not buy them but for private use or if they
were the only ones I could afford, not too shabby, after all, the recording done by @Y.S
sounds pretty good.

There is an old saying:
What is the best camera in the world?
The one you have with you when you need one.

Guess the same thing can be said about mics.

Oh my! That is SUBLIME!! Those vocalists!! Love that performance, and what a setting. Thank you so much for posting this. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Bravo. :+1:

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My choice is to record sound and video separately. This gives more control. But, on the other hand, if your primary goal is simplicity of use, ZOOM Q8 might be a good option.

This is rather strong opinion. :slight_smile: After using some of their products I feel that the main problem of Behringer is that their price policy allows their products to be bought and used by many of those who don’t know how to use this type of equipment. :slight_smile: And this is the primary reason why the results are sometimes disappointing.

Of course, I would prefer using something like KM-184, but, as you can see, when used with care, Behringer can also give decent results. :slight_smile:

For example, had I used XY instead of DIN when recording the performance of Stabat Mater, the result would be MUCH less appealing, but this is not a problem of microphone quality.

Oktavas are good indeed. But one does not randomly put microphones and hope for an excellent recording, even if the mics are $100000 each. There is a theory behind it, and it must be understood if one wants to achieve good results.

No. The musicians were listening reference record from one device and recording with the other. The headset you see is plugged in some different phone/tablet/something, I even don’t know what exactly he used. I just sent him the reference record (pre-mix, see above) and got back the recording of his part.

This. :slight_smile: It is my hobby, after all, so currently I don’t feel the need to spend much money on high-end mics. Though I have plans to upgrade to Oktava MK-012, mainly because I want to have changeable capsules to be able to use AB technuque with omnis.

I second this!

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Roger that, thanks again for your insight!

No need to lecture me on recording theory.

If he only has funds for Behringer C2’s and he’s happy with the result, that’s the bottom line.

Thanks! :slight_smile: I’ve sent the link to this thread to ensemble members. :slight_smile: They are delighted to see their work greatly appreciated by listeners! By the way, seeing such interest, now they’ve decided to try and record more then was initially planned. :slight_smile:

Thanks again! I’m also glad to see that our work gives pleasure to people. :slight_smile:

I’m happy to help. :slight_smile:

Fantastic, looking forward to listening to more.

Can I put in a cheeky request?:smiley:
Corelli’s Christmas Concerto (Op. 6 VII) - any movement!! (particularly like movement 5 (Allegro) :smile::smile:
Corelli Christmas concerto (Concerto Grosso Opus 6 VII) arranged for string quartet.pdf (321.6 KB)

(Don’t worry at all if not - this is tongue in cheek… just my particular favourite!!)

Well, your request has been passed to the artistic director. :wink: Now let’s wait and see. :slight_smile:

By the way, as far as I can remember, they’ve been playing this concerto a year ago or so… Let me check my archive… You know, not everything recorded gets posted. Sometimes they reject material, and sometimes after a couple of months previously rejected material gets approved… :slight_smile:

Oooh, it would be like having my own personal concert …:wink::smile:

As I said, it’s just a personal favourite but absolutely no pressure if it doesn’t happen - LOL!! Best wishes from the UK… :laughing:

So I did some archive search and yes, it was actually performed by VivaMuse. :slight_smile:

The event took place at december 24, 2017.

This record was not previously released and is not planned for official release as for now, but Evgeniya (artistic director) allowed me to post it in this thread. :slight_smile:

So I did a quick mastering and here it is:

Arcangelo Corelli - Concerto grosso op. 6 no 8., performed by VivaMuse ensemble. Enjoy. :slight_smile:

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