Klarinet Archive - Posting 000408.txt from 1997/11

From: "Edwin V. Lacy" <el2@-----.edu>
Subj: Re:Recording the clarinet
Date: Tue, 11 Nov 1997 02:09:22 -0500

On Mon, 10 Nov 1997, David C. Blumberg wrote:

> It has to do with the Odd Harmonics that the Clarinet produces (1,3,5 etc. -no
> even harmonics). That tends to freak out recorders.

As a technical explanation, I would have to say that "freak out" leaves
something to be desired. A tape recorder is an inanimate object. It has
no emotions, and no power of discrimination. All it can do is register
the input that it receives and play it back. Obviously, some do it a lot
better than others, and in general, analog cassette tapes are about the
most limited in terms of their frequency response, fidelity, etc. That is
in part because the "track" isn't very wide, about a sixteenth of an
inch, and the tape is quite thin. That's the way they manage to get up to
60 minutes of recording time per direction on such a small tape.

A tape recorder would have no way of knowing whether a certain frequency
fed into it was an even or an odd numbered partial. So, I think we will
have to look elsewhere for an explanation of why recordings of the
clarinet are more difficult (if they are).

Among the problems are that the clarinet, as well as any other instrument,
is producing an infinite number of overtones. A relatively small number
of these will be within the range of human hearing, but most of them will
have far too high a frequency for us to hear. However, all the harmonics
in a sound help to define the tone quality we perceive.

For recording, it is relatively easy to produce equipment that will record
and reproduce the lower harmonics. But, if the high ones are not played
back, the tone of the instrument will not be reproduced accurately. That
is why the person on the list who was going to try new clarinets and
record them will likely be disappointed with the results, unless he or she
has a professional, digital recording setup, which likely would cost
thousands of dollars. For the amount of money which would be required,
she could probably buy several clarinets. While making tape recordings of
ourselves can be useful in several ways, it is always a mistake to try to
make judgements of tone quality based on recordings made on inexpensive
equipment.

In the "recording chain," there are many points where the frequency
response may be attenuated. The culprit may be the microphone, the
recording head, the tape, the playback head, the speakers, the quality of
the electronics, etc., etc., etc. As some have mentioned in this thread,
the microphone is often the first place to look.

Now, what this does not address is whether recording the clarinet is in
some way different and less satisfactory than recording the oboe, the
flute, the violin or the trumpet. No doubt a technically qualified person
will address this issue.

Ed Lacy
*****************************************************************
Dr. Edwin Lacy University of Evansville
Professor of Music 1800 Lincoln Avenue
Evansville, IN 47722
el2@-----.edu (812)479-2754
*****************************************************************