How to Improve Sermon/Choir Audio Live Recording

[LiCal]

We tried to record live Choir/Solo audio performed in our church stage/pulpit,
wondering where I can find some instructions/suggestions/information on how to best do this type of task.

** Sample recording: http://www.calgarynewlife.org/newlife/Music/20080706-Test1.mp3

We wired microphones (2): 1-piano, 1-solo signer, thru a mixer,
then outputted to a handheld digital recorder SONY IC-MS515 (MSV file);
then converted to MP3/WAV thur SONY's own Sony's Digital Voice Editor 3.

Appreciate comments/suggestions : recorder/ method/ instructions for better web casting purpose ?

[Soopafresh]

The "muddiness" problem seems to be the low bitrate and sampling rate conversion from WAV to MP3. It will sound better if you increase the bitrate and sampling rate, but it will make the MP3 file bigger.

[SingSing]

SONY IC-MS515 is a handheld vocie recorder, it is designed to record long duration of boring speeches.

It is designed to record voice aka mid-range sound, thus it will miss most of the high and the low sound spectrum.

It is not really designed to record music. You need to get a decent sound recording equipment.

[tinker]

I am not so sure that the bit rate will do the trick. There is too much echo on piano and some parts are clipped. Solo is not too bad except slight clipping in short section.
This has to be controlled during recording.
Use directional mike for piano and placement has to be tested to get rid off the echo.
There are software, like Audacity(free) or Sound Forge (not free) which let you fix some of the faults, but original recording is always important.

[edDV]

The piano mic placement needs work. The IC-MS515 auto gain (AGC) has flattened the dynamic range and raised noise in quiet passages.

Better to record to at least a stereo audio recorder* with manual levels setting (AGC off). Then record the singer to one channel and the piano to the other. That way you can separately equalize and levels mix the voice against the piano during mixdown before MP3 encoding. Audacity is a good free tool for this.

There are many ways to mic a piano. Use Google to get ideas. Here is one.
http://innig.net/music/recordings/method/mics.html


* Try a cassette recorder, dat recorder or even a camcorder that has manual audio control. A notebook computer could also work for recording.