Klarinet Archive - Posting 000617.txt from 2001/03

From: "Benjamin Maas" <benmaas@-----.com>
Subj: RE: [kl] Re: sound/close miking in studio
Date: Fri, 23 Mar 2001 19:05:44 -0500

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Peter Stoll [mailto:tardis11@-----.com]
>
> Hi everyone,
>
> I've been in a couple of situations recently
> where I was set up in a recording studio close to the
> microphone. Man, did
> it ever pick up on any reed noise (hiss) and key clicks. I had to really
> back off the reed strength to compensate. Has anyone else had this
> experience? I suppose the major label solo recordings are done in a big
> enough concert hall that you can get the mic up and far enough
> away to avoid
> this, but what do you do when you have to be up close and
> personal? Moving
> the mic back seemed to take the presence and colour out of the sound.
>
> TIA,
>
> Peter Stoll

Peter:

We have several different issues going on here... (I am answering from the
Recordist's point of view). These issues include: style of music,
microphone choice, microphone type, microphone pickup pattern, microphone
frequency response, microphone placement (a huge one), and the room and its
acoustics.

These are all things that an engineer must take into account when making a
recording. What you are hearing is primarily high-frequency production
noise. This can be very difficult to deal with as high frequencies tend to
project better. The reed hiss goes away with a bit of distance, but clicks
can be heard forever...

Most condenser microphones are extremely sensitive (most hover at about
80-90 dB of signal to noise). I have mic'd clarinets from several feet away
and have still heard those sounds (especially with bass clarinets). The
position I have personally found to work for clarinets when I have to close
mic is above the instrument looking down at it. Depending upon the room,
this position may change though. Dry rooms generally require micing from a
bit more distance whereas very ambient rooms require closer micing.

The style of music comes into play because some ensembles tend to sound
better when close mic'd, but others should be treated more as one unit and
therefore use area micing. For example, a woodwind quintet or a string
quartet is one ensemble and I generally mic that way. The only exception
will be in a particularly ambient space where a mic *may* be needed behind
the french horn. If possible, though, I'd rather put a hard surface behind
the horn player so they can reflect and balance the rest of the ensemble.
Now in contrast, when I record a pirot ensemble doing a work by Harbison,
Torke, or other contemporary composer, I will usually close mic and
manufacture a sound. The music requires clarity (and often doesn't balance
perfectly on its own) and the only way you get that is with more
microphones. Setting up a stereo pair in front will not get you that kind
of sound.

So when I need to close mic an instrument, what to I take into account.
What does the microphone sound like? This is affected by its construction.
Is it a condenser, a dynamic, or a ribbon microphone? Each has its own way
of creating a signal and its own sonic characteristics. Inside each
category, different mics have different sounds. I may find that I need a
mic that has slower transient response and less high-frequency pickup. Once
again it depends on the player and the room. For close micing of clarinets,
I like to use ribbon microphones. They have a very smooth sound and the
frequency response is somewhat limited. Together, this can work very well
in a close situation.

So where does that leave us? What to do... I personally don't usually
approach things differently in a studio/commercial situation than a concert
situation. I prefer to record in good sounding rooms. If you aren't happy
with the sound. Try moving it around. I almost never mic a clarinet closer
than about 3 feet. I almost always mic from above and in front. It can't
face too far down because then you get floor reflections in your sound. I
use microphones that don't have accentuated high-frequencies. (No modern
AKG or Neumann microphones! Vintage are fine, the newer ones are made for
rock music where the sound has to be bright and cut) My favorite clarinet
microphone is hands down, the Coles 4038 ribbon microphone... It has a
really "creamy, smooth" sound it. Try different mics and different
positions until you get a sound that you are happy with. Try lower micing
facing the instrument straight on, try from directly over the top
(maintaining the same general distance in each position). Try a mic with a
tighter pickup pattern (hypercardiod) from a further distance. The lack of
presence in your sound that you heard is because of the influence of the
room.

This should probably give you a start...

--Ben

Benjamin Maas
Fifth Circle Audio
Los Angeles, CA
benmaas@-----.com
http://www.fifthcircle.com

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