Klarinet Archive - Posting 000103.txt from 2010/02

From: THOMAS P <Tski1128@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] Clarinet EQ
Date: Sat, 20 Feb 2010 21:39:57 -0500

Thanks Ben, I was going to write you privately with my questions but I =
thought if you responded via the list some other clarinetist would gain =
some insight. I've never had too much trouble when I record other =
musicians, bucause I can hear what they are sounding like as I place =
mics and mess with EQ and such. But the problem lies trying to figure =
out exactly "what do I sound like?" That age old question what is =
"real" and what is electronic. That's the point I would like to make to =
the list. No who you hear on a recording you're really not hearing =
"real" you're hearing an approximation of real. =20

Many on this list have expressed loving the sound of Artie Shaw on Begin =
the Begine, Most likely RCA ribbon mics through all kind of Tube =
electronics and recorded to a type of vinyl that was most likely =
different that was available later. Did that "make" his tone? Probably =
not, it most likely took a "warm" timbre and enhanced the warmth. A =
recording of a great performance is not the real thing it's a recording =
of the real thing, It may or may not sound better than the actual =
performance.=20

I've been recording with with Old shure Ribbons 300s ( that have been =
rehabed by steve sank, these sounded much better than my AEA ribbons) =
through an AEA ribbon pre into an Apogee interface into mac pro and =
logic. I hadn't messed with 10-12k range and I've managed get the =
sound on tape that I hope is what I sound like in real life. My next =
thing is to try to get this sound with my video camera. =20

Thanks for the help. Tom Puwalski

On Feb 18, 2010, at 4:45 PM, Benjamin Maas wrote:

> Been meaning to respond here, but life and work has kept me busy...
>=20
> The answer to all of these questions are "it depends."
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> There are no set EQs that will work for a clarinet- the sound you have =
on
> tape (figuratively speaking) is a result of a combination of factors =
that
> change on every recording made. These include, the mic position, the
> microphone itself, the preamp and last but certainly not least, the =
room it
> is being played in (never mind the player issues such as reeds). Even =
with
> the same mic in the same room through the same preamp, you'll find =
different
> sounds. Why? The positioning is never exact and the sound of a room =
can
> change with the relative humidy.
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> That being said, here's a couple guidelines that may help you get =
started.
> A wide boost in the range of lets say 200 Hz to 350Hz will give a bit =
warmer
> sound. A cut in the 3KHz to 6KHz range will take off some of the =
edge- but
> be careful, too much of a cut there will make the sound rather dead =
and
> lifeless. A shelf in the 10-12 KHz range will add "air" to the sound =
and
> open things up a bit without making it too bright sounding. A narrow =
cut in
> the range of 400-550 Hz will help tame a "boxy" sound. A cut in the =
range
> of perhaps 800Hz to 1.5 KHz will help tame a nasal sound.
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> Beyond that, as I said, ever situation is different. What I usually
> recommend to those trying to learn to EQ is to do drastic moves. =
Raise or
> lower a frequency by 15 or 20 dB. Go extreme and you'll hear very =
clearly
> what you're working with. As you sweep the frequency, you'll begin to
> notice magic spots for given sounds that will really help you out. At =
that
> point, move the gain of the cut to only a couple dB and you should be =
in
> pretty good shape.
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> As for ribbons vs. condensers... Apples and oranges. Both can be =
good, but
> both have massively different sounds. A ribbon will generally be a =
bit more
> mellow and take to EQ better. But, like all mics, there are quality =
ones
> and crappy ones. I recommend highly Royer, AEA and Coles. I also =
recommend
> Beyer, but not as much as the previously mentioned mics. I do not =
recommend
> the Chinese-made ribbons out there that appear under a slew of =
different
> names. Some have been modded out by replacing the ribbons, =
transformers and
> such and they can be ok. The stock ones are really not great, though, =
IMO.
> A good ribbon will be in the same price range as a good condenser. =
For
> condensers, I recommend Schoeps, Sennheiser MKH8000 series or MKH40, =
some of
> the vintage Neumann and AKG mics, some Microtech Gefell, and such... =
There
> are plenty of good mics depending on what sort of sound you're looking =
for,
> but rarely do I find mics that I really love under about $1000 new.
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> --Ben
>=20
> Benjamin Maas
> Fifth Circle Audio
> Long Beach, CA
>=20
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>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Tom Puwalski [mailto:tski1128@-----.com]
>> Sent: Sunday, February 14, 2010 11:22 AM
>> To: klarinet@-----.org
>> Subject: [kl] Clarinet EQ
>>=20
>> Does anyone have any eq ideas on what seems to be "normal" for close
>> miced clarinet? Have you noticed diffences between ribbon and
>> condensor mics?
>>=20
>> Thanks Tom Puwalski
>>=20
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