Klarinet Archive - Posting 000204.txt from 2005/03
From: Thomas Labadorf <tlabadorf@-----.net>
Subj: RE: [kl] Bass pick up
Date: Sat, 5 Mar 2005 10:14:53 -0500
I occasionally use a pickup primarily for electronic enhancements like
MAX, reverb, etc. In situations where you just want to amplify the
acoustical sound of the clarinet, I would make every effort to adjust
the situation acoustically first (tell the ensemble to play softer or
cut out instruments, etc) before reverting to electronic amplification.
In situations for electronic enhancements I've used both methods that
Ben speaks of for clarinet and tried one of them with bass clarinet
with some success. The one requiring drilling into the instrument was
made by Barcus-Berry (http://www.barcusberry.com/), only the system I
used drilled the hole into an Accu-Bore barrel. The composer owned his
own barrel so that the performer would not have to destroy his own
instrument to make it work. There are drawbacks to this mic: you're
not playing on your own setup; and, as Ben points out, it is amplifying
the vibration of the instrument, not the vibration of the air emitting
from the instrument. It creates the kind of sound you get when you
play with earplugs - not desirable to say the least.
I don't beleive Barcus-Berry makes this mic any more. Instead they
have a pickup that sticks to the outside wall of the clarinet. This
one has an extra advantage of letting you find the right placement on
your instrument without destroying it by drilling holes. I believe
they recommend placing it a short distance below the thumb rest. This
mic still has problems: it is not as good at isolating outside sounds
as the inset model and can create feedback problems or unwanted outside
sound feeding into your system. And you are still amplifying the
vibration of the instrument - not the vibration of the air. This is
the one I used for bass clarinet placing it down near the bell.
The system I like best is the AMT (Amplified Microphone Technology
http://www.appliedmic.com/) - the second type of mic Ben mentioned.
Les Silver developed at least two different types of pickups that he
uses for various instruments: one that can be used in very loud
situations (rock bands with monitors, etc.) to cut back on feedback and
the other for amplification of the acoustic sound of the instrument in
not so loud situations. This is the system I mentioned before that
clips to the bell of the clarinet and uses goose necks to suspend 2
microphones over the instrument to pick up the vibration of the air.
The mic feed goes to a small belt pack that balances the signal
velocity of the separate mics. The signal goes to your mixing board by
either xlr cable or wireless. The quality of the sound is excellent.
A minor drawback is the pickup of key noises. With some
experimentation of mic placement you may be able to minimize some of
the click-clack.
I haven't used the third mic Ben mentions (placing an omnidirectional
mic on your body) but it does sound interesting.
mtc
Tom L.
On Mar 5, 2005, at 4:15 AM, klarinet-digest-help@-----.org wrote:
Date: Fri, 4 Mar 2005 23:09:39 -0800
To: <klarinet@-----.org>
From: "Benjamin Maas" <benmaas@-----.com>
Subject: RE: [kl] Bass pick up
Message-ID: <000001c52152$4cca2c00$3901a8c0@CIRCLE2>
I knew I was going to end up getting mentioned at some point... :p~
I always have fun reading purist arguments- whether it is Dan's
comments =
on
dark or nationalistic sounds or in this case people's ideas that music
should never be amplified. I've written quite extensively here about =
how
the fact that most of the people don't like amplification because it is
often not done well. A good amplification job can be quite effective =
and in
many cases it can save the performance. A perfect example is the Kronos
Quartet. Even when they perform the "standard" repertoire that =
shouldn't
need amplification, they use it. Why? A couple reasons- often it takes
=
some
help to fill the halls that they play in. Also, since a number of the =
works
they do absolutely require it, the ones that don't will sound strange if
they aren't amplified. It is all a matter of perspective. I can site
numerous other examples of shows that I have worked that fit that =
category,
but I'll save the writing- just trust me. Amplification isn't always a
=
bad
thing- and Yes, even the saxes should be amplified sometimes. :D
Now, to the question at hand...
For bass clarinet, I've worked with 2 different systems.
Unfortunately, =
I
was the engineer so I don't remember the brands, but they should be easy
enough to figure out. The first system involves drilling a hole in your
mouthpiece (or barrel on a clarinet) and placing what is basically a =
contact
mic in the instrument. I'm not overly fond of the sound from this =
setup,
but it has the advantage that it just won't feed back under any =
circumstance
(sort of like an Underwood pickup on an acoustic bass). You are =
basically
amplifying the vibrations off the instrument. Because of the
resistance =
to
feedback, you'll be able to get louder and do more "stuff" to the sound
=
(ie
delays, reverb, flanging, etc...).
The second is a 2 microphone setup that clips to the instrument. Here,
=
you
are actually micing the sound that is going off the instrument into the
room. It can sound very good as you are amplifying sound rather than =
the
physical vibrations. You also don't have to sacrifice a mouthpiece to =
do
it. The downside is you'll have less gain before feedback. In most
situations, it shouldn't be a problem, but if you are tight on stage and
have a speaker right near you (either monitor or other PA speakers) you
=
may
have issues...
For a clarinet, I'd add a third system for performance. It doesn't
work =
as
well for bass, but in a pinch, it'll do. Taking an omni-directional
lav =
mic
(usually wireless) and placing it right in the center of your chest =
(like
right where the ribs come together). You can have a remarkably good =
sound
and have complete control over where you can go on stage... I've done =
this
with Richard Stoltzman and Eddie Daniels in performance and been quite =
happy
with the sound for both.
--Ben
Benjamin Maas
Fifth Circle Audio
Los Angeles, CA
http://www.fifthcircle.com
----------------------------
A man who works with his hands is a laborer; a man who works with his
hands
and his brain is a craftsman; but a man who works with his hands and his
brain and his heart is an artist. -Louis Nizer, lawyer (1902-1994)
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