Small Diaphragm COndensers as Room mics

[SGNick]

Long story short, I want to record or next gig using a couple room mics, nothing fancy.

The guy at the store recommended some small diaphragm condensers for this application.

My question is, will these offer the best results for this simple setup? Will they capture the full frequency spectrum and offer a result worth listening too?

My main concern is that they lose the kick and the bass, am I missing something?

[teleharmonium]

'best' is subjective, but absolutely unequivocally yes they can capture the full frequency spectrum and offer results worth listening to.

If anything, they are faster and more accurate than large diaphragm mics, because the smaller mass of the capsule itself allows them to respond more quickly.

As far as I can see there is a wide consensus that Schoeps or DPA small condensers are the way to go for very high quality stereo recordings of concerts.

Which is not to say that some cheap mics might not sound crappy, but that is possible regardless of capsule size.

[SGNick]

Thanks for the quick reply! The gig is only in January, but I think this might be my best bet for something simple! Thanks again!

[stevel]

You might want to read up on stereo miking techniques - A-B, X-Y, ORTF, etc. to get the optimum sound for what you're doing.

Steve

[loudboy]

SDC's are flatter and more accurate, as a rule.

Mine have no problem catching everything down to almost subsonic.

[Duesenbert]

Yeah, I've used a pair of Shure SM81s for all kinds of crowd and room miking situations, including a setup like you're talking about, just using a stereo pair for the whole thing, and have always been satisfied with the sound.

[SGNick]

Thanks for the help guys!

[LSchefman]

As Schoeps points out in their literature, your ears have small diaphragms and have no problem hearing very deep lows. The key to a good recording, however, is to have the right mic placement and a good sounding room. This is equally true of LDCs, or any mic.

They've been recording symphony orchestras with SDCs for many many years.

[Robal]

Check out the Little Blondie mics discussed over on the gearslutz board. They sound very good in that application and are reasonably priced.

[KungFuLio]

Originally Posted by SGNick

Long story short, I want to record or next gig using a couple room mics, nothing fancy.

The guy at the store recommended some small diaphragm condensers for this application.

My question is, will these offer the best results for this simple setup? Will they capture the full frequency spectrum and offer a result worth listening too?

My main concern is that they lose the kick and the bass, am I missing something?

If your budget allows, Earthworks QTC 40 would be my choice. They will be reasonably accurate. They will capture low end. They are an outstanding mic and will hold a good portion of their value for resale.

Mic placement will be key. They may give you too honest of a picture to what you sound like live.

If you go really inexpensive, the Oktava MK-012 might be the way to go, although you might find them a bit fatiguing to listen to over a long period of time.