How To Record Music Outdoors

When the hills are alive with the sound of music, it’s up to us to record it.

You could argue that the great outdoors is the perfect recording environment. With no walls or ceiling to bounce things around, microphones pick up only the direct sound from the source. So, while there’s no good room sound to make your drums more impressive, there’s no bad room sound to corrupt the pure tones that the players are producing. Problems with spill where multiple musicians are being miked up are also much reduced.

However, there are very good reasons not to record outdoors. Wind and rain can make playing uncomfortable and miking impossible. Temperature changes play havoc with tuning. Ambient noise is inevitable, and nature does not provide mains power or heating. So, given the option, I’d hesitate to suggest working al fresco as a first choice to any artist. But when it was the artist’s own choice, I was happy to give it a go.

With no walls or ceiling to bounce things around, microphones pick up only the direct sound from the source. So, there’s no bad room sound to corrupt the pure tones that the players are producing.

Running Up That Hill

Singer‑songwriter Tymisha’s reasons for recording outdoors were less to do with acoustic purism and more about capturing video content for Instagram and Facebook. This meant that not only would we be tracking en plein air, but that we would be doing so on top of a remote hill in search of striking scenery. Reluctantly abandoning the idea of using valve mics and a console, I raided the studio to see what sort of backpackable laptop‑based rig I could assemble.

Although there are bus‑powered audio interfaces with more than two inputs, my MacBook Air is happier with smaller models, and battery life was going to be at a premium. My SSL 2+ audio interface has two mic/line/instrument inputs, and we would only be recording two sources: Tymisha’s voice and her acoustic guitar. This gave me several options. I could close‑mic the voice and guitar separately, as you might do on a typical studio recording. I could set up a stereo array to capture the complete picture. Or I could put up a single mic focused mainly on Tymisha’s voice, and record the pickup in her guitar to fill it out as necessary. I ruled out the first option in advance as being visually intrusive, and as it turned out, Tymisha planned to perform sitting on the ground, which would have made it amost impossible to get meaningful separation by close miking anyway.

On the day, I brought with me pairs of Sennheiser MKH 40 cardioid and MBHO 603/KA100 omni mics, plus two lightweight stands, a stereo bar, a DI box and an ancient Rycote blimp. Even in relatively still, dry weather, it was immediately obvious that simple foam windshields weren’t up to the task. The Rycote blimp was going to be the only practical choice for recording with microphones, and as I don’t own a suitable figure‑8 mic or M‑S mount, it would have to be mono. The most logical approach was to put one of the MKH 40s in the blimp and position it low down in front of Tymisha’s guitar, pointing up at her mouth.

..it was immediately obvious that simple foam windshields weren’t up to the task. The Rycote blimp was going to be the only practical choice for recording with microphones...

Making The Best Of It

All recording projects involve decision‑making, but those decisions tend to be more final when you’re out of the studio, and the success of a normal location recording project often hinges on there being a separate room where the production team can monitor on loudspeakers. Even if the only usable space is a dank cellar, this makes all the difference when it comes to evaluating sounds and performances. However, it’s obviously not an option at the top of a hill. And when you’re forced to monitor on headphones, I think it’s important to accept their limitations. Endless fine‑tuning of mic placement is as likely to be wrong as right in the cold light of day. You deviate from widely accepted stereo arrays at your peril. But you can, at least, get rough levels, and fair warning of problems such as clipping or incoming aircraft....