Microphone for filming choir/band concerts

Question

We film a lot of middle and elementary school choir and band concerts, create DVDs for the parents. As of now, we just use the audio that we get from the 3 inexpensive mini dv cameras we shoot with. The results are actually pretty good, especially if the soloists are playing into a mic from the house sound. In general, nothing else is mic'ed just the wonderful sound you get inside a gymnasium that is used for the concerts. My question is this. Is there a microphone that I could connect to one of my cameras, maybe run it up to the front and get better audio? I have heard that there are flat mics that are made for this but have no experience with them. Or, should I just be happy with the results I am getting with the inexpensive mini dv and its built in mic. Thanks so much in advance for your expert advice.

Answer 1

We film a lot of middle and elementary school choir and band concerts------------
then you should be able to afford some extra kit that will give you far reaching benefits
should I just be happy with the results I am getting with the inexpensive mini dv and its built in mic-------
no you should certainly not be happy
you really need to read up on some basic sound recording techniques to increase your skills
Is there a microphone that I could connect to one of my cameras-------------
consider a small pop concert:
4 vocalists - 10 musicians
may be 5 direct inject for guitars keyboard,
15 different mic types, occupying 24 channels on the sound desk with over 20 setups per hour
compare that to your one on camera mic resulting in appalling sound reproduction.
my take on this would be:
record the instruments not the sound from the hall,
use the well proven close mic technique: place mics close to at least each group of instruments - sax, trumpet percussion etc
with mics placed for soloists or feature instruments on good adjustable mic stands
using a specific mic type for each section of the ochestra
vocals - cardioid
bass drum - high sound pressure omni dynamic
woodwind - fast attack cardioid condencer
etc etc
also
never use an on camera mic - it will record great sound of the main drive motor, the operators hands adjusting the camera and unwanted sound from the immediate surroundings. Also, on camera mics are the cheapest, poorest quality you could obtain, one step up from a computer mic, invest in some basic quality musical instrument mics
- you should be monitoring your sound, via headphones from the sound mixer, get to know the sound being recorded, not the sound you hear in the hall
- rifle mics, correctly called lobar profile mics are generally no use for musical instruments, they are designed for vocal sounds, be they human or otherwise, they are only used for highly specialst placement as they reproduce a dull flat sound from musical instruments
see this 'find the right microphone' web site:
http://www.sennheiser.com/sennheiser/icmeng.nsf/root/products_microphonesmatrix?Open
happy recording
G