micing a string trio live

Thats tough, the shure dynamic mics almost certainly wont cut it for the cello, not sure bout the violins. i recently played with Trans Siberian Orchestra (big metal act) that use these tiny clip microphones, that work fantastic - no feedback, nice tone. wish i knew what they were. good luck! B.

Are you mic'ing them for recording or for sound reinforcement purposes (or both)?

This is for performance only... the only recording going on will be through the board directly to CD.

For live sound, I've gotten decent results on violin and viola with 57's. For the cello, you can try the SM81. I haven't tried this, but someone told me that you could wrap it in a towel or something similar (don't cover the business end of course) and wedge it behind that black thing (technical term) facing up towards the bridge. You may need to make use of the LF roll off somewhat - but you should get decent isolation. It's worth a try anyway - if it gets too boomy or you have bad feedback problems, try a 57 in the same spot or try mic'ing close from in front. Good luck anyway!

A string section shouldn't need "monitors" per se. As long as they have the drums loud enough (never a problem there) they should be able to monitor themselves. The real problem will be stage volume. Baffle the drums. Use the 81s for sure. And keep the strings away from any amps or loud acoustic sources (basically away from everyone else).

nice one Rob:) try that on my axe and see what happens not a good idea for a bunch of reasons: tailpiece and top vibrate like crazy, very likely to dislodge mic (especially on wolf tones) and will certainly mute the cello. not to mention increasing tension on bridge, damaging varnish, strain on tailgut its just not something you should do to an historical (or any other) instrument... my 2 cents:) B.

Yea, I wouldn't suggest even hinting to a cellist (or any other string/orchestral player) you want to touch his/her instrument, let alone put gaffer tape and bed sheets on it. I know for sure that people have done that in the studio on soloists, but that's a differen't thing. Part of having a live string section is the asthetic appeal. It just looks cool and classy. That's why I say baffle the drums, not the strings. I have seen a stereo pair of KSM 44's as overheads on drums and strings live. Definitely the condensers you mentioned could be used thusly. Bleed is the only problem there. Do your condensers have an adjustable cardiod pattern?

Keep the ideas coming...I am absorbing as much as possible!!!