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I've used the aforementioned mics for years... a countryman isomax II omni is the best and most stable mic i've worked with. We use them for the Steve Reich and Musicians tour, on the string quartet, and my quartet Ethel (http://www.ethelcentral.com) uses them, and i've used them solo for years. have also used dpa lavs, but they need a pad and are far too hot and pick up everything else in the room, so I don't use 'em much anymore... HOWEVER I now use Applied Microphone Technology microphones for my violins. http://www.appliedmic.com I endorse this company and think of them very highly. for every instrument. I use them on live gigs where I don't process, even record with 'em sometimes. both wired and wireless, both are really nice little mics... of course DPA also makes the big capsule mics for mounting on the fiddle. about $1500 a piece. I think. those are definitely the best I've ever worked with. had them on tour for two years, sound amazing. for processing, however, the countryman is still the best and most stable option, for a mic. I am mostly a direct guy, having used nothing but an LR Baggs system for 10 years. Never a problem, never a complaint. plug into a fender twin, or into a soundcraft. The quartet uses them exclusively with our loopers as well. ( the cellist actually uses a Ned Steinberger/David Gage "Realist" pickup. and alex is right, the countryman mounted to the bridge ends up sounding more like a direct sound than a mic'ed sound, but throw it through some gentle reverb and it's all good. and yes, the bridge is the place to be, not the body... too much going on there anyway. Distinct from Kronos, we use either Neumann K184's or a couple of AT 4060's either above us or directly in front to accomplish the same effect. But darnit, I'm gonna get four of those 747's and give 'em a run. thanks for your experience, Alex. Kronos is still using this exact setup, although they're throwing up a couple Meyer speaker wedges up on stands for their latest tour from their latest record, nuevo. I can't tell whether they're in there or if it's just for playback because they have so much additional track in the mix. all the best, hope this is helpful... todd On 2/24/03 2:44 PM, "Alex Stahl" <alex@pixar.com> wrote: > Under Jay Cloidt's mentorship, I used Countryman Isomax's on the > Kronos Quartet when I did their live sound. We used double stick tape > hundreds of times, but stuck them on the bridge, not the body. Still, > no damage or marring. > > Unfortunately, I think there is a fundamental problem with > close-miking acoustic string instruments, since the body is such a > complex resonator (see Max Matthews' canonical paper on modelling a > violin body using filter banks). The Kronos' lavaliers were there for > higher gain during effects or tape heavy pieces, not so much for a > natural sound. > > We also used AKG C747 miniature shotgun mics: > http://www.akg-acoustics.com/english/microphones/c747.htm > to strike a balance between isolation, natural sound, and >unobtrusiveness. > Put them on tiny floor stands and point them up at the underside of > the instrument. > > A mix using the AKG's for unprocessed reinforcement and the Isomax's > potted up into pre-fader effects sends was workable. The Isomax's > also worked well for providing detail in halls that were too big for > chamber music, as long as you had good EQ and time to set it to knock > down the midrange peaks. > > -Alex S. > > > > > > At 8:53 AM -0800 2/24/03, Richard Zvonar wrote: >> At 8:24 AM -0800 2/24/03, Greg House wrote: >>> The C1000 has a weak bass response...Records well a "zingy" >>> sounding acoustic ...it's too thin sounding for good vocals. >>> >>> ...for all-around stage work, the SM57...Beyer M201 (or even the >>> M69) for a more neutral sound. The Audix dynamic mics are nice and >>> crisp... Shure SM7 or EV RE20 would give better bass response >>> without a lot of feedback issues. >> >> >> Thanks for the informed opinions. >> >> Does anyone have suggestions for small mics that are suitable for >> mounting on instruments? At the moment I'm particularly interested >> in something for violin and viola. An obvious problem is the >> mounting itself, since it's critical not to mar the instrument in >> the process. One solution is a mini-gooseneck that could attach to >> the chin rest. >> >> Contact mics are another area of interest, particularly for >> percussion (back to the main topic) and miscellaneous sounding >> bodies such as machines and architectural elements. >> >> -- >> >> ______________________________________________________________ >> Richard Zvonar, PhD >> (818) 788-2202 >> http://www.zvonar.com >> http://RZCybernetics.com >