| Brought to you this hour by |  | Advertising and Web Hosting on Woodwind.Org! |
Doublereed Archive - Posting 000058.txt from 2006/09
From: philfrei@-----.com
Subj: [DR-L] Re: Amplifying oboe suggestions?
Date: Thu, 14 Sep 2006 14:41:09 -0400
Hi -
I trust Keith's judgement as to a top level microphone selection. I
just wanted to add that sound comes out of all the tone holes and the
bell in varying amounts and tone qualities, depending upon what note
you are playing, and thus mike placement is a very sticky issue.
I'm afraid you will have to accept some artificiality in sound and some
constraint to movement. Since you are standing, I recommend two "air"
mikes a couple feet to a yard above the oboe, one for each joint (a
stereo mike angled with one channel to each joint, such as the old
workhorse AT825 might be adequate, albeit not as pristine as the Pro
Audio 4011) and another mike for the bell. Also, try and make some
space between you and the orchestra, and make sure the speakers are
pointing away from the mikes.
The sound out of the "first" open tone hole's tends to have the
strongest fundamental (hence a little dull). Sound from the "lower than
first open" holes and especially the bell includes the higher harmonics
in a greater ratio. I've been experimenting with putting or exposing a
hard surface that reflects sound up to the microphone from the bell. If
you are sitting, the floor usually works if it is a smooth surface
(i.e., not a rug) and the mike is placed so it can catch the direct
reflections of sound from the bell off of the floor. (For my "bedroom"
studio, I have a piece of varnished plywood which I prop at an angle.)
If you are standing, a separate mike for the bell might make more
sense. Just remember, a bell mike is to be blended at the mixing
console, not be the sole source of sound. Sound from the bell tends to
be harsh, with the exception of low B and B-flat. (Ideally, if one is
using multiple mikes, one would like to adjust their ratios depending
upon what note is being played, but that is of course impractical.)
If you move laterally and the tone holes no longer point to their
mikes, the tone gets progressively quieter and thinner in color. It is
good to schedule some time experimenting with the setup, to see what
you can or can't get away with.
A clip-on mike, if it is the one commonly used for tuning, clipped to
the bell, is going to be thin sounding and will amplify key clicks. If
the clip-on arrangement is towards the top of the oboe (e.g. the
surface of the mike becomes part of the bore itself), it's much more
likely to have a fuller spectrum, at least theoretically, but I don't
have practical experience with this. I wanted to suggest to Mark
Chudnow (who I think did the "operation" on Paul McCandless' oboe) that
he make staples that allow a clip-on mike. Of course, there's the
problem of making the performance reed on the mike-ready staple. I
guess one would need several such staples, and some sort of "dummy" to
use in place of the mike so that the staple could also be used normally.
The Rigatout model with pickups sounds very intriguing! This is the
first I heard of it.
- Phil Freihofner
>Date: Wed, 13 Sep 2006 20:18:36 -0500
>To: doublereed@-----.org
>From: Stacey Berk <sberk@-----.com>
>Subject: Amplifying oboe suggestions?
>Message-Id: <7A187D21-96A8-461C-B928-8C62283316AB@-----.com>
>Hi all,
>I'll be performing Graham Koehne's "Inflight Entertainment" for
>amplified oboe and orchestra next month, and I'd like your input on
>the best way to amplify for a live performance. Do you recommend
>contact mics or air microphones, and what brand/set-up seems to work
>well? I'm mostly concerned about getting the amplified sound as
>natural as possible. I'd also like some of freedom of movement so I
>don't have to stand completely still.
>
>I haven't talked to the audio engineer at the auditorium yet, as I'd
>like your suggestions first. Thanks for your help!
>
>Stacey Berk
>Asst. Professor of Oboe/Music Theory
>University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point
>
Check out the new AOL. Most comprehensive set of free safety and
security tools, free access to millions of high-quality videos from
across the web, free AOL Mail and more.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
For personal help: email doublereed-owner@-----.org
Doublereed is a service of Woodwind.Org, Inc. http://www.woodwind.org
