Carbon Preamps for Classical

[martthie_08]

I've been asked to do some location recordings of classical music and am contemplating whether I can get this job done with the internal Carbon preamps and my laptop.
This will be mainly organ and piano in a concert hall, mics will be mostly Neumann small and large diaphragm condensers.
Anyone have any opinions or experience?

[LFO]

Originally Posted by martthie_08

I've been asked to do some location recordings of classical music and am contemplating whether I can get this job done with the internal Carbon preamps and my laptop.
This will be mainly organ and piano in a concert hall, mics will be mostly Neumann small and large diaphragm condensers.
Anyone have any opinions or experience?

Carbon pre are very clean and quiet, I use them a lot on acoustic instruments, it should be good for your project

[martthie_08]

thanks!
yes I've used them myself for acoustic instruments in a pop/rock context, was just wondering if anyone in the classical side of music production has experiences to share.

[JFreak]

Just rent a pair of very good large diagphram condensers and you will be fine. Uf you like more gritty sound, rent older tube mics. But be careful with them, you probably do not have extra time to swap a tube if you mistakenly drop it and the tube breaks or gets loose. Neumanns are used on acoustic recordings day in day out.

[martthie_08]

thanks!
yes indeed Neumann's are somewhat of a standard (next to Schoeps and DPA) and I own 6 of them - that will have to be enough for this project, there is no budget to rent anything..

I wanted to orient this post more towards the preamp quality / noise / neutrality situation with the internal Carbon preamps. Not that I have any doubts, but still would be nice to hear from anyone who has experience with classical (on-location) recording.

Found out today we might be recording in a Church, but I guess that won't be much of a difference for the recordings from a technical standpoint.

[JFreak]

Not a problem. Neumanns are the noisiest part of your chain, if you exclude the actual real noise from the church. Well that is actually called ambience and sometimes very desirableto catch just right.

Anyway, I would prefer a clean preamp for classical so whatever you hear comes from acoustical and microphones. Coloring preamps are nice for drums and such, but for classical I am sure you will be fine with Carbon preamps.