 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: bstutsman
Date: 2007-08-08 02:37
I am wanting to make some videos of clarinet players. I am finding that while various webcams are acceptable, the accompaning microphones are woefully inadequate. These mikes all seem to make a clarinet sound like a steam calliope. I have also found the same to be true of the cheap mikes that you can get for computers.
Have any of y'all found a microphone for clarinet sound reproduction that does a good job?
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Author: Ski
Date: 2007-08-08 02:41
First question --- are you looking to get a better sound by plugging an external mic into your camcorder? If so, what kind of connection do you have for an external mic?
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Author: bstutsman
Date: 2007-08-08 02:48
Ski,
Thanks for reply.
Yes, I am looking for a better sound than the built-in mike provides. I can disable the built in mike on the camcorder and plug the good mike into the computer to capture the sound along with the video. Jacks, adapters, etc are not an issue. I think I can make most things work.
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Author: Ski
Date: 2007-08-08 02:59
2. how much do you want to spend?
3. how would you record audio into the computer -- via an audio interface or sound care? Or via USB?
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Author: bstutsman
Date: 2007-08-08 03:06
2. Not worried about price at this point. Just want something that works.
3. Mike can be plugged into audio input jack on PC.
I have done this with cheap equipment. The videocam connects via firewire and the mike connects as described in 3.
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Author: Ski
Date: 2007-08-08 04:33
Mics can go from $75 to hundreds to thousands. That's why I'm asking how much you want to spend...
And plugging a mic directly into a sound card won't necessarily work because most good mics need to be preamp'd.
And the better mics have XLR connectors, and it's unlikely that your PC will accept that.
You could get yourself a Shure SM-57 or SM-58 (around $100). These are tried-and-true all purpose mics. Can't go wrong with them ever. But they have XLR connectors on them. And need to be preamp'd.
Or you could get a USB mic like the Samson C01U ($90) which should be a huge step up from your camcorder's mic, but the USB connector isn't compatible with your audio input. However, if you have the proper driver you can probably get your PC to accept the USB audio input and record that, but your software would have to be able to accept the audio input from USB.
So without more information it's not as straightforward as having the right adapters, etc.
Whatever you end up getting, make sure you get a cardiod mic (this means that the mic is directional, i.e., it'll pick up sound from the front and not the back).
And when you mic the clarinet, do not mic the sound from the bell. Instead, place the mic about 8" - 12" above the tone holes. That'll give you an intimate sound.
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Author: bstutsman
Date: 2007-08-08 12:56
I want the mike to pickup both the instrument and my voice as I talk. I'm trying to make an instructional video. In the past I have had equipment such that I could place the mike about 8 feet away and record both just fine. This was borrowed equipment and I don't remember what it was.
Post Edited (2007-08-08 13:03)
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Author: Ski
Date: 2007-08-08 15:52
Pick up both instrument and voice... ah... wish you had made that clear in the beginning.
Can't help you there.
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Author: rgames
Date: 2007-08-08 16:58
The mic is not what's going to make the difference in the quality of your recordings - you need a decent preamp and A/D converter. Once you get those, any condenser mic will suit you just fine. A dynamic mic will probably be fine, too (they're usually cheaper), but for studio use you're better off with a condenser. Since price is not a consideration, here's my recommendation: Neuman M150 condenser ($6,000), Focusrite ISA 430 MKII preamp ($2800), Apogee Ensemble A/D/A ($2,000). So let's call it about $11,000.
Bottom line: no mic that you plug directly in to your computer will sound good. The USB mic's might be ok but I don't have experience with them. And no mic that you plug directly into a camcorder will sound good unless the camcorder has XLR inputs.
In terms of getting voice and instrument, just set the mic up about 8' - 10' away and point it down towards yourself and the clarinet. You'll pick up the voice and the instrument just fine once you get the levels set on the preamp. It's no different than recording voice and piano, or voice and harp, or clarinet and harp, or clarinet and piano, etc. You're just recording two sources on one mic. If you use a separate mic on the clarinet, remember that close-micing generally sounds bad; keep it at least 4' away.
rgames
____________________________
Richard G. Ames
Composer - Arranger - Producer
www.rgamesmusic.com
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Author: MichaelR
Date: 2007-08-08 21:55
Ski wrote:
> And the better mics have XLR connectors, and it's unlikely that
> your PC will accept that.
>
> You could get yourself a Shure SM-57 or SM-58 (around $100).
> These are tried-and-true all purpose mics. Can't go wrong with
> them ever. But they have XLR connectors on them. And need to be
> preamp'd.
Or he could get a Zoom H4 digial recorder (~$300) and use the reasonable built in mics or plug a Shure (or two) into the H4. Leave the computer out of the recording equation.
--
Michael of Portland, OR
Be Appropriate and Follow Your Curiosity
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Author: pelo_ensortijado
Date: 2007-08-08 23:05
that is a very good suggestion. i have made many great recordings with that device!!! :D
another option is a capacitor microphone such as the Neumann U87. and a mic amp of course! :D
with one of those you can record everything in a big room. for example you playing and talking and moving around at the same time. :D
i think they are great to use and are fairly cheap.
(have nothing to do with the company other than using their products!!)
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Author: EEBaum
Date: 2007-08-08 23:44
I've had good experiences with the Rode NT1-A for general-purpose recording. Runs about $200. I'd also recommend getting a mixing board to run between the mic and your computer (or to whatever else you're using to record). Bang for the buck, Behringer does pretty well. Think I paid about $250 for mine, with 16 inputs (a bit of searching, Eurorack UB-1622FX-Pro looks like what I have, dunno if they still sell it). The nice part of a mixing board is that I now use it to route microphones, a synthesizer, and computer output selectively to speakers, headphones, and computer microphone input.
-Alex
www.mostlydifferent.com
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Author: EEBaum
Date: 2007-08-08 23:48
Erm, forgot the other half of my setup. I use the mic input to the computer for things where I don't care about the quality (e.g. voice chat in Lord of the Rings Online). For recording, I have a digidesign MBox, which serves high quality audio to the computer and comes with ProTools software. There's other software I prefer to ProTools these days, but it's still decent. Runs about $500. And, actually, if your only audio input is a microphone, you wouldn't need a mixing board. Only when you want more than 2 inputs do you need that.
-Alex
www.mostlydifferent.com
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Author: pelo_ensortijado
Date: 2007-08-09 15:02
the setup i have is a behringer xenyx1204fx and two shure beta57. a audiophile delta 2496 and a powermac g4 quicksilver. it works great for home recordings. :D
all together = $1200 (the mac was used and cheap. :D )
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Author: bstutsman
Date: 2007-08-09 16:53
Hey gang,
Thanks for all the great tips. You've given me a lot of good info to study and experiment with.
Thanks again
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