Overheads. Cardioid or supercardioid condensers are my first choice, placed as low as possible and pointed mostly at the cymbals.
Ride Cymbal. This is a must-have mic for me with both live and recording. A small cardioid or supercardioid condenser located about 6 inches under the cymbal halfway, between the bell and the edge, is a good starting point.
Percussion. For conga, djembe and other small drums, dynamic cardioid or supercardioid near the rim, pointed toward the middle of the head, works well, making sure the mic isn’t in the way of the musician. For bongos, it’s a cardioid dynamic placed in between the heads, about 8 inches away. Clip-on condensers designed for percussion are also a good fit here.
Grand Piano. This can be one of the easiest or hardest instruments to mike, depending on who you ask. I go for simplicity and normally deploy two small cardioid condensers. They’re placed over the strings near where the hammers hit, one located at about the middle of the bass single strings and one positioned about one-third inward from the high strings. Both are pointed away from the keys to reject page-turning noises.
If the piano is full size, I also opt for a larger diaphragm mic over the low strings. A single boundary plate mic taped to an open lid can also work well in picking up the entire keyboard.
Acoustic Guitar. Depending on the guitarist, the choice is one or two mics. I always point a cardioid condenser between the neck and soundhole, a few inches away from the guitar, and if extra tone is needed, a second large diaphragm condenser is pointed below the hole.
Electric Guitar/Bass Amps. For guitar amps, cardioid dynamic placed off-axis of the speaker (or one of the speakers) is a quick way to get a good sound, but a newer ribbon mic marketed for guitar amps is a great choice if available. For bass amp, a large-diaphragm dynamic placed about 6 inches away and off center from a speaker, combined with a DI feed, works well.
Acoustic Bass. On a quiet stage, a large-diaphragm dynamic on a short stand, pointed at one of the bass “f” holes, produces a good result. On a louder stage, a cardioid dynamic “vocal” mic with the body wrapped in foam, stuffed under the tailpiece and pointed at the bridge, picks up pretty well and does not get in the player’s way.
Banjo. A small-diaphragm condenser is the first thing I grab for a banjo, aimed at the sound bridge and placed 6 to 12 inches from the head.
Organ w/Leslie. A large-diaphragm dynamic about 6 inches from the bottom rotor joined by two small-diaphragm condensers for the top horn—one at each side of the cabinet about 6 inches from the spinning horn—captures the unique sound of this instrument. Make sure the mics can handle a decent amount of SPL.
Horns. Brass instruments get loud, so I choose large-diaphragm dynamics that can withstand the SPL. For most players I simply place the mic in front of the bell at least 6 inches (and often a foot) away. For tuba, I’ve actually used a clamp to hang the mic inside the bell.
Harmonica. Many players carry their own mic, but if not, a cardioid dynamic vocal-style ball mic is usually a solid first choice. If the signal is sent to an amp, the approach is the same as with a guitar amp.
Audience. Usually we want a live recording to be just that: live. To capture the audience, I place a few shotgun-type mics at the stage wings on stands, pointed at the crowd and positioned higher than the first few rows (or that’s all they’ll pick up). I’ve also suspended cardioids over an audience with good results.
Live recording doesn’t require dozens of different microphone models. Just take stock of what you have available, select the best ones for each application, be patient and diligent with positioning, and you’ll be good to go.
