Klarinet Archive - Posting 000393.txt from 1997/11

From: jeff.chan@-----.com
Subj: re: Recording the clarinet
Date: Mon, 10 Nov 1997 18:54:47 -0500

It is my experience that it is not the medium that is the problem
(cassette tape, open reel tape, DAT tape, etc), but the type of
microphone.

Obviously, a low quality cassette recorder will not give good fidelity
results. But even a high quality recorder fed by an improperly
matched microphone will also result in poor fidelity.

I have found that the key to good sounding clarinet recordings is the
use of a microphone with a large diaphragm. These types of
microphones tend to be condenser microphones, and the large diaphragm
versions are always more expensive than their small diaphragm
brethren.

It has to do with the way the wave front interacts with the diaphragm,
and the fact that the clarinet produces (mainly) odd order harmonics
which produce a signal with fast rise times that tend to make
microphones ring or oscillate.

Jeff Chan
jeff.chan@-----.com

On Monday, 10 Nov, Dee Hays writes:

>I have been aware for quite some time that the clarinet does not seem
>to record well on standard home cassettes. Lately one of the recent
>postings mentioned this phenomenum. What I am wondering is WHY this
>is so. Anyone care to comment?