Engineers use a wide variety of techniques when recording orchestras or small ensembles, from simply placing one stereo microphone just above and behind the conductor’s head to using several spot mics for each instrument section in conjunction with one to several ambient microphones.

In this section we’ll look at sessions where Royers were used to capture full orchestras as well as smaller ensembles.

Here’s an example of a simple miking technique for full orchestra using one stereo Royer SF-24. The placement is 4-5 feet behind, and several feet above, the conductor.