Klarinet Archive - Posting 000998.txt from 2001/01

From: "Benjamin Maas" <benmaas@-----.com>
Subj: RE: [kl] recording
Date: Wed, 31 Jan 2001 12:42:00 -0500

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Richard Bush [mailto:rbushidioglot@-----.com]
>
> I do believe that Doug's response is right on the mark. The
> clarinet sound that
> comes from the bell is different than that part of the sound that
> radiates from
> tone holes. The clarinet sound the audience hears is a
> combination of both.
> Using but one microphone and having it quite close to the
> instrument is never a
> satisfactory way to either amplify or record the clarinet sound.

His comments are only partially correct. Never use the word "never," in
various gigs, I've had to "break the rules" to get a good sound more times
than I can count. Also, please be careful in the responses here as there is
quite a bit of mis-information being spread.

As I said in a previous post, the clarinet's sound actually radiates up and
out. The sound from below is quite unsatisfactory. In a recording, you may
mic things differently than you would for amplification. They are two
different animals, and don't always meet in the center. With amplification,
you have speaker systems (usually made for rock music) and gain before
feedback to deal with. Therefore you must mic differently.

In recordings where I have to spot the clarinet up close, I'll usually
position the microphone about head level (or a touch lower) with it a couple
feet out from the instrument. I then aim it towards the top joint of the
instrument. Be careful, though as depending upon the stage, you can get a
lot of floor reflections in your sound.

A couple years ago, I had the pleasure of working with Richard Stoltzman in
a live show. He requested a wireless lavelier microphone as he tends to
walk around the stage quite a bit. I was skeptical, but I did it anyways...
He clipped it to his shirt and it sounded darn good. Needed a touch of
limiting with my tube limiter, but otherwise, it was a great clarinet sound.

--Ben

> Doug Sears wrote:
>
> > My suggestion would be to get the mic as far from the clarinet
> as you can. If
> > possible, put a stereo pair out where the audience would be,
> and record both
> > piano and clarinet from there. If you try to isolate each
> instrument on a
> > separate track, you have to get too close, and then you get key
> noise and
> > poor tone quality. Clarinet is unique in radiating a very
> different sound
> > spectrum in different directions, so you only get a natural sound at a
> > distance, where reflected sound combines the different spectra.
> The most
> > obvious example is if you put a mic on axis looking up the bell
> -- the sound
> > has a lot of very high frequencies, and sounds tinny and
> shrill. Don't let an
> > inexperienced recording engineer talk you into putting the mic there --
> > you'll be sorry.
> >
> > --Doug

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