Which Mic Setup should I use?

Hi there

I'm needing some recommendations with regard to which mics and setup I should use to record a jam session.

In a couple of weeks, I'm going away for the weekend with a 5 or 6 people from work. We have a remote cottage in the Highlands and intend doing some hillwalking etc and then...you guessed it...some partying. With several of us being able to play instruments, we're going to have a bit of a jam. Being into recording, I've decided to capture it so that we can have something nice (or nasty) to look back at as a memory of the weekend.

I'm not looking for a pristine recording with studio clarity. I'd like it to be as good as I can get it though. Ths is not a serious recording session but more of a laugh and mess around which we would like to record.

My issue is, I'm going to be limited to a Cakewalk UA-25EX (2 inputs) and my laptop. The musical situation is:

Telecaster >>> Marshall MG30
Acoustic Guitar
Drums (floor tom used as a snare + Hi-hat).
Everyone singing.

The mics I will have are:

KSM27
SM81 (x2)
SM7b
SM57 (x2)
SM58
Fathead II w/lundhals (x2)

I was considering putting the Fatheads in Blumlein in the middle of the room and positioning everyone in the best positions relative to the mics. I was thinking, if necessary, we could do a vocal overdub using the KSM27 with the singers among us huddling together.

Does anyone have any other suggestions which may be a better option? Any opinions would be greatly appreciated.


Stewart

Yeah, if playing together, having a laugh and capturing some of it is the priority then what you've suggested would be my chosen approach.
 
If it's more about the recording then I'd work out the best way to multitrack it (perhaps start with drums and rhythm guitar at opposite ends of the room with cardioids on them, for separtation) and then get folk to layer up in to that. Add in the electric with a 57 or a ribbon then do everyone singing with the blumlien pair.
 
The latter approach will give you more separtation for mixing etc but as it's a holiday and you're looking for a nice assciational activity I'd put up the blumlien and break out the drinks! The fun will be in doing a bit, listening back and repositioning everyone to get a good balance working.
 
Child
EDIT: why does this forum sometimes post my messages as typed and sometime just remove all the carriage returns?!

for a spontaneous recording.... one mic or two if the interface supports 2, all recording is live as it happens, no overdubs.

Actually you could set up more mics using a small mixer into the interface... but at some point the jam begins to feel like a session if there's mics all over the place.

Other than that, it becomes a recording session as opposed to a jam session.