PLEASE HELP ASAP!!!!!!! recording wind insturments

[mwollin]

I just found out today I am going to have to record a flute and a clarinet, sometime tommrow or tuesday and I have never done this before!!!! I have 2 57's 2 oktava MC012's and a akg c2000b. I also have a d112 but I figured that would be useless recording these insturments. I dont even know how to place the mic!!!!! PLEASE HELP i really need suggestions

[stut5]

I would use the 2 57's on each instrument and the other two as stereo imaging mics in opposite sides of the room panning left and right in your mix.Have the clarinet player play as loud as he thinks he will be 3 or 4 inches from the clarinet do the same with the flute.Have them do some scales and record for a few minutes and play it back. You might have to make some adjustments to find the sweet spots.Relax youll be fine.also some compression will go along way with wind instruments.

[Mr_Seven]

Choose a nice room, too.

[STUDIO-DE-ARIEL]

The 77 DX. R.C.A. is the best for clarinet.
And the flute should be miked by the mouth piece and the end with a dynamic mic.
Condenser is worst choice on clarinet, need somthing to smooth out sound and filter out valve noise. So a dark mic perhaps a ribon mic


W. C. S. Consulting Engineer S-D-A

[Haigbabe]

If you record a clarinet with the mic three or four inches from the instrument, I doubt you will get an even output. Further away will help.

If you are recording the instruments one at a time, I would recommend the Oktavas as a stereo pair in any pattern that suits the room, (eg X,Y, AB, coincident etc) and have the mics about six feet away, about six to eight foot up, but pointing toward the instrument.

With all due respect to Stud De Ariel, the clarinet has no valves. It is a woodwind instrument. Excellent results have been made for years using condensor mics on this instrument, eg AKG414, Neuman, AT-4047 etc

Just experiment and trust your ears.

It's not unusual for engineers to spend some time finding just the right spot for these sorts of instruments. It also depends on what sort of "decoration" they are in the mix.

Best of luck,

Haigbabe

[Erik Nijs]

Depending on the genre i would do the following:

Classical: Stereo pair omnidirectional mics (but i don't think you have them) at a distance of approximately 2 meters, and 30 cm in between. No additional miking, the stereo pair should work fine. If the sound is to ambient, move the mics closer. Most important, i agree with all the above, is the room you record in...

Pop/Jazz: No stereo pair, close miking using condenser mics. Best frequency response and the least colouring. Later on, when mixing you should filter out (-3dB) the resonance frequencies. (almost) Every wind instrument has two frequency areas "that stick out". Also: try to place the mics so, that you get the least short reflections coming back from the room. these reflections will be very audible in your mix, and therefore making it very difficult to get the mix right.

Good luck, and have fun.
Grtz, Erik

[STUDIO-DE-ARIEL]

Hey those were my engineers words the advice was free haigbabe I knew he meant clicking but my friends dad who has played with
Pete Fountain and plays clarinet and would know the term and had one given to him by Pete was not consulted my engineer friend W.C.S. has recorded Pete Fountain for some t.v. King Buiscuit or some other and a few cuts on some of his albums. Those were his exact words I thought the choice of words was strange but I did not question him.

I never Do when it comes to acoustics or recording. He is also the consulting Engineer I most often use I cant say he was ever wrong
that I can recall if there isnt a proper box he can make it and has made many and some for me. Trust me he knows the difference this advice may not be able to be used here but it is sage advice.
He says the RCA was the one like Johnny Carson had on his desk at the tonight show.

The 77 dx RCA He also said it might be both but the ribon was the best.

If I get the chance I will Ask the Other Guy Who has Played with Doc Severinson What he uses but most times what I have seen lately is somthing on the bell with mic suspended few inches off of it. I wonder about that.
so the clicking of the things that play the part of the tone variations timber or hand noise. Any way let us know how it comes out
mwollin

I would like to record this clarinet player myself. He has one like Petes. You know come to think of it certain clarinets have a rich mello tone

Like Petes is a special Brand It sounds Great!

BTW Haigbabe Which neumann. Do you think the tlm 103 would be Good? What is that thing (fingerboard) called anyway I will have to break out some diagram of the woodwind instruments. You know WCS gave me that voetra
disk Discovering Music in about 1996 its probably on that. Thanks Good Knight Ariel Wherever you are.

B. A. E. S-D-A Ariel Studios U. S. A.
Post Script According to Neumann the TLM 103
is used in some places in the tonight show.

[PDupre]

After you are done tracking, take the click out with the Waves restoration product - Click. It is great for removing valve noise and allows you to confidently close mic the instruments

[Park Seward]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:<HR>Originally posted by STUDIO-DE-ARIEL:

He says the RCA was the one like Johnny Carson had on his desk at the tonight show.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

In the early years the 77DX was used on "The Tonight Show". Later is was a Shure ribbon mic. Today, Letterman and Larry King use the 77.

Also, today Leno uses a Shure condensor on his desk. It is not used; Leno's voice comes from his lav mic. The band did not use any ribbon mics the last time I was there. Tannoy speakers are used all over the studio.

[Aussie169]

Woodwind instruments have keys and pads, and sometimes even just a hole [img]images/icons/shocked.gif[/img]