 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: cb3930
Date: 2008-08-29 00:35
How would one go about recording pieces of music on the clarinet? I'm interested in recording a couple pieces, but I have no idea what type of microphone/materials I would need to do so. If anyone could help me that would be great.
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Author: stebinus
Date: 2008-08-29 07:53
I've had good results with a good dynamic mike placed a foot or so away from the clarinet and pointing towards the middle of it. There is a special clarinet mike you can buy which is 2 condensers and hooks onto the clarinet but expensive. Then you of course need a recorder of some kind whether computer, digital, CD or tape. A little reverb makes a big difference so you might want to get a unit for that or a program. Then for your accompaniment there's mixing and multi-tracking and possibly midi piano or other instruments. There's a lot to learn about recording but best just to start doing it and find out. There are many books, websites and recording forums and recording software applications. If you've got some $ to spend it helps. If you're not technically inclined or interested in the process maybe you should go to a studio and have them do it but recording in your own home on your own time is a lot more relaxed than being on the clock. It also depends on what kind of results you're looking for whether basic or pro. Recording can also be very helpful as far as listening to yourself objectively and hearing what others hear. Like I said, it's a really huge subject and the sky's the limit but you can also do some things simply and cheaply if you've got some ingenuity and are a little techy.
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Author: buedsma
Date: 2008-08-29 08:59
you could use a high - quality personal recorder like the zoom-h4. I'm using it regularly.
Gives excellent results for recording clarinet and is cheap ( plus you can connect it to your pc to use cubase lite )
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2008-08-29 09:01
As stebinus says "the sky's the limit" pretty much sums it up, so maybe you can be more specific about what you want to record (for example, it's not clear if you are playing alone or with others). Are you looking to do this yourself or go to a studio? etc.
If you are going to a stuio it's best if the person recording is experienced with the instruments and that the room is good. My worst recording was one of the country's best studios with some of the best equipment. Unfortunately the room was terrible and the engineer not so good.
I actually had much better recordings than that one even with small recording devices. For the simplest way that still sounds pretty good that is what I'd recommend. I think you can get decent ones that are not so expensive now. If you get one make sure you can record in wav and not only mp3. You can hear a couple of solos recorded on devices like these on my MySpace page http://www.myspace.com/nitailevi
The track called Improvisation was recorded on an older and not so great one, and the one called BCSolo was recorded on a decent one. Although both were recorded originally as mp3 files. You could get better results if you record as wav.
IMO for considerably better results you will need some setup with a computer, sound card, preamp/mixer (if not combined with the sound card), decent microphones, etc. and maybe more important make it portable and record in a good room. The first two tracks on my MySpace were recorded on such an inexpensive setup, but in a good room you can get almost as good result with the recording device, for considerably less expensive price.
About the microphone stebinus mentioned: "special clarinet mike you can buy which is 2 condensers and hooks onto the clarinet but expensive."
I have one like this and it's great for concerts but for recordings I prefer other microphones, not attached to the instrument. Even for concerts it has its down sides, for example making my already heavy clarinet even heavier.
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Author: beejay
Date: 2008-08-29 09:01
I've been looking at the Zoom H2 to replace my ailing minidisk recorder. Does anyone have any experience with this, specifically for recording the clarinet?
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Author: redwine
Date: 2008-08-29 18:02
Hello,
I have the Edirol, basically the same thing as the Zoom. It works great.
I actually went in for a recording session yesterday for the next silent fiilm project I'm working on and the recording tech used what he called a 'ribbon' mike (I don't know anything about recording, sorry). I do know that the sound was incredible. He explained that the ribbon mike diaphragm (pardon me if that's the wrong terminology) picked up the shape of the clarinet better, because the notes emanate from the entire length of the clarinet pipe. I assume you could plug a mike like that into a Zoom or Edirol (or other brand, if they exist), which might even sound better than just the device with its interior mikes. If you have any questions beyond my mangling, contact me directly and I'll put you in touch with this recording guy.
Good luck.
Ben Redwine, DMA
owner, RJ Music Group
Assistant Professor, The Catholic University of America
Selmer Paris artist
www.rjmusicgroup.com
www.redwinejazz.com
www.reedwizard.com
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Author: Bob Barnhart ★2017
Date: 2008-08-29 18:14
Some time ago I set out to record clarinet solos/duos/trios/quartets, etc. I have a Mac PowerBook (G4) and GarageBand and didn't want to spend a huge amount of money on recording equipment.
My initial attempts involved using a standard dynamic mic (e.g., Radio Shack) and to record 4-part Christmas Carols. I had the mic pointed at the upper joint, 1-2 feet away. This worked well as long as I didn't play too loud. However, I also used a good bit of equalization as the microphone's response/distortion characteristics were not great.
I later bought a MXL 604 condenser microphone and preamp thinking the higher quality would help. The results were very bright and harsh at all but the lowest volumes, regardless of proximity. With lots of equalization, this was OK, but I didn't feel good about manipulating the sound that much.
Gradually, I began to confirm that the acoustical characteristics of the clarinet (e.g., producing only odd partials, and harmonics based on 12ths) make getting a good recording of a clarinet performance very difficult.
On a suggestion from Tom Ridenour, I tried a Logitech USB microphone ($35). Surprisingly, it works quite well, doesn't require a preamp, and very little if any equalization. He has also used the SnowBall USB microphone ($85) which seems to offer better fidelity and presence without being harsh.
Ultimately, I followed the advice of a clarinetist friend, Don Baird, who was a studio player for many years. He was adamant that one must use a "tube" microphone to get a really good clarinet recording. So, I bought an MXL V69 Mogami Edition tube mic ($300, the best tradeoff between price/performance I could find), which comes with its own preamp, and have had very good results. It doesn't seem vulnerable to harshness or distortion at high volume levels and seems to give a good, even representation of the clarinet without equalization. There doesn't seem to be any advantage to "close mic'ing" with it, and the sound quality seems relatively independent of proximity, so I usually record with the mic about 6-15 feet away.
I think I have the right microphone now, but would probably get better results using an analog recording device, or a higher-quality digital recorder.
Although I didn't avoid spending a lot of money, I can say from personal experience that the low-cost USB microphones seem to work OK if you want to keep costs down, but the tube microphones sure look like the way to go if you can spend the money.
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Author: Geirskogul
Date: 2008-08-30 01:30
I've had good results using the standard logitech USB mic (like the one that comes with RockBand or that PS2 Karaoke game). It was about $40 standalone, and works well with a simple pop screen and stand. Just make sure that the are you're recording in is made to record (ie padded walls/sheets/etc), or all of your trouble will go to waste. And if you record with a computer, even a laptop, be sure to keep the computer away from the area. I've been recording my practice sessions (I'm a BEGINNER, like, not-even-past-the-break beginner), and I like to hear myself and judge how well/bad I do, but I found out that I was hearing the laptop on the recording during the silent bits.
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Author: rgames
Date: 2008-08-30 03:53
> How would one go about recording pieces of music on the clarinet? I'm
> interested in recording a couple pieces, but I have no idea what type of
> microphone/materials I would need to do so. If anyone could help me
> that would be great.
It's easy - pick a budget. You can accomplish what you're asking for somewhere between $50 and $20,000.
If you're looking to produce a commercial CD, assuming you have a computer, you'll need a minumum of between $500 and $1000. For a pro-quality recording, it's more like $20,000. Or you can go to a recording studio for $50 - $100 per hour
If you're not releasing anything and just want a rough idea of the sound, buy the Logitech mic.
rgames
____________________________
Richard G. Ames
Composer - Arranger - Producer
www.rgamesmusic.com
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