We have now performed in many kinds of public settings, including some outdoor stages (e.g. Chinese Gardens) and one concern that kept coming up was the proper amplification (or the lack of) of 4 classical guitars in these spaces.
Well, firstly the classical guitar isn't a loud instrument by any means, and it certainly isn't built for open areas - not without the appropriate amplification, that is.
Secondly, many of these settings are not well-equipped with the proper sound amplification for acoustic instruments. Most of the time, we were given vocal microphones. Since these vocal mics can only pick up sounds directed straight at them, we would simply position one mic for each guitar - placed inches away from the guitar soundholes. The resulting effect we get are usually pretty disappointing. In short, we'd sacrificed the nice, warm tone of the classical guitar in order to obtain an amplified sound which can be described as "coarse" or "artificial" at best.
Thus I scoured the internet for forums and discussion boards to find a suitable set of microphones for Guitaresque. It is clear that we need condenser mics, which are suited for recording instrumentation and music.
Of course there are many brands names that kept popping up - Shure, Audio Technica, Rode - just to name a few big ones. There were also tonnes of different models available, and some of these condenser mics cost almost as much as our guitars!
After doing considerable reading up on this topic in the many forums and reviews, then balancing our "non-professional" needs and also taking costs/practicality into consideration, I've narrowed my search down to this - Samson C02 Pencil Condenser Mics
A review on this mic can be found at http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/oct05/articles/samsonc02.htm
I have since ordered a pair of these from Amazon via Vpost services. And they're on their way even as I am typing this blog! Will try to do a simple recording test when we get them and post our opinions here then.
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