Once you know what setup you’re using, setting up an orchestral recording is pretty straightforward.

Step 0: Making sure you have everything you need

Here’s a quick checklist of what you will want to bring:

Microphones
Microphone stands
Recording setup (probably just a portable recorder)
Means of getting mains power to your recorder (probably a USB charger)
Battery power for your recorder (just in case)
XLR cables
Wired headphones to monitor the signal
(Maybe) a laptop to retrieve the recordings
Cable covers and/or tape to avoid trip hazards

Step 1: Positioning everything

Once all the equipment is in the venue, the first order of business is to figure out where you’re going to put your recorder. You want it to be somewhere safe, preferably with power so you don’t have to rely on batteries, and in a spot that minimises trip hazards as well as being reasonably close to the microphones.

Once the recorder is placed, you need to place your microphones. When placing microphones, remember that you are essentially deciding where a listener’s ‘ears’ are going to end up when they hear the recording. As such, where you place them will greatly affect what the recording sounds like. Typically the best spot is just at the front of the ensemble (just behind the conductor, if applicable, is usually a good rule of thumb), and at least 2 metres in the air.

Case 1: XY Stereo

By Iainf 23:51, 21 September 2007 (UTC) - self-made; based on Image:XY-Stereo.png and Image:Cardioidpattern.svg, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2792301

In the case of XY stereo, your two microphones should be placed on a short bar, such that they point inwards and cross over maybe 5-10mm from their ends (one above the other). They should be roughly at right angles, but this can be tweaked depending on how wide your ensemble is and/or how far away it is.

Case 2: Decca Tree

By Iainf 00:30, 23 September 2007 (UTC) - public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Decca_Tree.svg

The centre microphone should be placed somewhere around the conductor (probably just behind), and the side microphones should be placed either side of it, a fair distance behind it. There isn’t any particular rule for this, but microphone manufacturer Schoeps recommend putting mics at least 1.5m apart to reduce phase issues, so around 2m spacing is probably a safe bet. You may want to adjust the dimensions a little based on your situation though - if the group is reasonably small or narrow then maybe shrink the triangle a little, and if it’s quite wide then you could move the left and right mics further out.

Step 2: Plugging it all in

Once you’ve decided where your mics are going you’re ready to put them on the stands, plug them in and raise them to 3-4m (in that order)! If they’re omnidirectional you probably want to point them either up or forwards (to not look silly), whereas with cardioid mics you need to be more careful to get them oriented correctly. If you’re using Music Durham’s tall mic stands (which are K&M 20800s), just raise them to the top of the stand’s range - this should put your mics around 3.1m in the air.

When choosing cables, remember that you’re going to need at least 3m just to get from the mic to the floor, so you’ll probably want more than 5m unless your recorder is basically at the foot of the mic stand.

Run the cables to the recorder, using cable covers or tape to stop them becoming trip hazards where necessary, and plug them in. I usually plug them into channels 1-3 in the order L, C, R but you could also do L, R, C if you want! Just remember which one you go for.

Step 3: Setting up the recorder

If you’re using a Music Durham recorder, visit its page on the Music Durham Tech Team catalogue to download its manual and/or quick start guide. The process varies between recorders but here’s a quick checklist of things to do:

Make sure there’s an SD card with plenty of space inside the recorder
- It will typically tell you how much recording time you have left before you run out of space on the recording screen
Make sure the recorder is receiving power so you’re not relying on batteries
- You might need to tell it to use the USB input for power when you turn it on - this might appear as a ‘bus power’ option
Set the recording settings - 48kHz WAV at 24-bit is generally a good bet!
Make sure phantom power is on; without this you won’t get any signal from your mics!
- Phantom power is often switched on with a physical button or switch so if you’re struggling to find it have a look around the recorder’s body
Turn off any pad switches
Set the gain, with the following process:
- Ask the group to sing/play at maximum volume for around a minute
- For each channel, adjust the volume until it’s just maxing out at -10 dB
Plug in a pair of wired headphones if possible and monitor the signal to make sure there aren’t any issues

Step 4: Record

Start your recording! If recording a concert, your best bet is probably to set it off just before the concert starts. I’d suggest pausing the recording for any intervals etc as there’s no point recording those, but don’t do that if you’re worried you’ll forget to resume it again!

Step 5: Edit

Once you’re done recording, grab your recordings off the SD card by either plugging it directly into a computer or connecting the recorder over USB with the SD card installed.

If you’re okay mixing your recordings yourself, import your recordings into a digital audio workstation; as a minimum I’d suggest you do the following:

Set a low-cut (aka high-pass) filter at a minimum of 50 Hz to eliminate unnecessary sub-bass frequencies
Pan your left and right signals all the way to their respective sides
Set the gain of all your signals so they peak at around -6 dB at the loudest point of the recording
If you used a Decca Tree, choose an appropriate mix between the centre mic and side mics
- Make sure you’re using stereo speakers or headphones so you can appreciate the width properly
- The centre mic is intended to ‘fill in the gap’ between the side mics, so if in doubt start with only those and bring up the centre mic until things sound balanced
Set the master gain so your recording peaks just below zero at the loudest point

You may also want to use a small amount of mastering compression and EQ, but only do this if you know what you’re doing, and keep it minimal to preserve the natural sound of your recordings.