Beagle
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Can I get some tips on Mic'ing a flute?
I think the subject pretty much covers what I'm asking! My niece is in town and she plays the flute, I'd like to capture some of her playing, but I'm a MIDI/keyboard/vocalist kinda guy and have never mic'd an instrument. All I have for recording audio is a 1.1" LD Condenser mic (M-audio Nova), and I don't currently have any other mics in the "studio".
any tips?
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Joe Bravo
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RE: Can I get some tips on Mic'ing a flute?
2006/10/09 18:29:14
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1.1" LD Condenser mic (M-audio Nova)
I've never miked a flute either. I've got a penny whistle, recorder and harmonica though, and a 1" diaphram condenser works well for all of them except maybe the harmonica. If you do a search here, I seem to recall Chaz or somebody talking about miking a flute once.
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krizrox
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RE: Can I get some tips on Mic'ing a flute?
2006/10/09 18:45:13
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horns and the like are no-brainers as far as I'm concerned. The mic you have will work fine. Just place it like a foot or so in front of her - same height as her face and you should be good to go. It might help to have her sit while she plays to keep her steady. Flautists tend to move around a lot if they stand - that could be the only challenge. What is your outboard signal chain?
Larry Kriz www.LnLRecording.com www.myspace.com/lnlrecording Sonar PE 8.5, Samplitude Pro 11, Sonic Core Scope Professional/XTC, A16 Ultra AD/DA, Intel DG965RY MOBO, Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 2.4GHz processor, XFX GeForce 7300 GT PCIe video card, Barracuda 750 & 320GB SATA drives, 4GB DDR Ram, Plextor DVD/CD-R burner.
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ToneCarver
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RE: Can I get some tips on Mic'ing a flute?
2006/10/09 20:59:24
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I am not a recording engineer, so I cannot vouch for this technique, but I read on a web forum somewhere that some engineers place the mic about a foot above and slightly behind the flute player's (flautist's ?) head. Like I said, I am not a recording engineer and have never tried this, but the technique itself was unusual and interesting enough that I happened to take note of it.
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serauk
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RE: Can I get some tips on Mic'ing a flute?
2006/10/10 06:56:02
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here's an article I found that has some useful info (not a lot, but some) http://www.summersong.net/writing/recording/flute/page2.htm I tend to use two mics myself (one onboard and another about 3 feet in front of and about a foot above the flautist), but that doesn't sound like an option for you... I'd have to go with Larry's suggestion to mic about a foot in front, although I would add a windscreen if you have one to help cut down the breath noise... HTH
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krizrox
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RE: Can I get some tips on Mic'ing a flute?
2006/10/10 09:04:23
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Perhaps a more appropriate suggestion might be to have the performer play for a few minutes and then slowly walk around the area and listen. Put a mic at the location where it sounds the best to you. As ToneCarver suggested, sometimes the best position isn't always the most obvious. Part of the nuance of a flute is the breath noise blowing across the mouthpiece. If you're Ian Anderson, that's an important part of your "sound". Just spend a few moments listening and put the mic where you think it sounds the best. It's really hard to screw this up. I mean you have to be just totally not thinking or listening. Horns and all that stuff are usually kinda loud (sometimes, not always) so putting a mic up anywhere near the performer usually produces acceptable results. Serauk's link brought up a good point too - sticky or clacky sounding keys. That's a really good point. That can be a real annoyance. If it is an annoyance, you might want to stop and address it before you begin. Read that link - good stuff. This is just for fun right?
post edited by krizrox - 2006/10/10 09:22:00
Larry Kriz www.LnLRecording.com www.myspace.com/lnlrecording Sonar PE 8.5, Samplitude Pro 11, Sonic Core Scope Professional/XTC, A16 Ultra AD/DA, Intel DG965RY MOBO, Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 2.4GHz processor, XFX GeForce 7300 GT PCIe video card, Barracuda 750 & 320GB SATA drives, 4GB DDR Ram, Plextor DVD/CD-R burner.
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Mr.Music
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RE: Can I get some tips on Mic'ing a flute?
2006/10/10 18:56:37
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ORIGINAL: serauk
here's an article I found that has some useful info (not a lot, but some)
http://www.summersong.net/writing/recording/flute/page2.htm
I tend to use two mics myself (one onboard and another about 3 feet in front of and about a foot above the flautist), but that doesn't sound like an option for you... I'd have to go with Larry's suggestion to mic about a foot in front, although I would add a windscreen if you have one to help cut down the breath noise...
HTH
The two Mic technique works well for me. I always use condenser microphones and sometimes use wind screens to warm up the sound. Dynamic microphones don't capture the top end detail.
. My music is best understood by children and animals. -------Igor Stravinsky
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Beagle
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RE: Can I get some tips on Mic'ing a flute?
2006/10/11 08:40:57
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joebravo - thanks, I'll search for it. appreciate your help! ORIGINAL: krizrox
horns and the like are no-brainers as far as I'm concerned. The mic you have will work fine. Just place it like a foot or so in front of her - same height as her face and you should be good to go. It might help to have her sit while she plays to keep her steady. Flautists tend to move around a lot if they stand - that could be the only challenge. What is your outboard signal chain?
Larry, my mic goes thru an Audio Buddy, then directly into the sound card. I also, tho, tap off the pre and take it into a 1604 for monitoring where I mix from the sound card output back into the mains for tracking. I wouldn't have any other inputs for this session (the only other things connected to the mixer are my keyboards anyway). Good point about the stool, yes, I've noticed she does tend to "sway" while playing!
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Beagle
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RE: Can I get some tips on Mic'ing a flute?
2006/10/11 08:45:01
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ORIGINAL: ToneCarver
I am not a recording engineer, so I cannot vouch for this technique, but I read on a web forum somewhere that some engineers place the mic about a foot above and slightly behind the flute player's (flautist's ?) head. Like I said, I am not a recording engineer and have never tried this, but the technique itself was unusual and interesting enough that I happened to take note of it.
Thanks for the tip, that sounds pretty strange to me! I don't know if I'll try this one or not, but it's interesting to know what others do. ORIGINAL: serauk
here's an article I found that has some useful info (not a lot, but some)
http://www.summersong.net/writing/recording/flute/page2.htm
I tend to use two mics myself (one onboard and another about 3 feet in front of and about a foot above the flautist), but that doesn't sound like an option for you... I'd have to go with Larry's suggestion to mic about a foot in front, although I would add a windscreen if you have one to help cut down the breath noise...
HTH
Thanks, CM. I was wondering about that. I have a pop filter, so I'll keep it on the stand! I'll check out the article, too, thanks.
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Beagle
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RE: Can I get some tips on Mic'ing a flute?
2006/10/11 08:51:53
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ORIGINAL: krizrox
Perhaps a more appropriate suggestion might be to have the performer play for a few minutes and then slowly walk around the area and listen. Put a mic at the location where it sounds the best to you. As ToneCarver suggested, sometimes the best position isn't always the most obvious. Part of the nuance of a flute is the breath noise blowing across the mouthpiece. If you're Ian Anderson, that's an important part of your "sound". Just spend a few moments listening and put the mic where you think it sounds the best. It's really hard to screw this up. I mean you have to be just totally not thinking or listening. Horns and all that stuff are usually kinda loud (sometimes, not always) so putting a mic up anywhere near the performer usually produces acceptable results.
Serauk's link brought up a good point too - sticky or clacky sounding keys. That's a really good point. That can be a real annoyance. If it is an annoyance, you might want to stop and address it before you begin. Read that link - good stuff.
This is just for fun right?
That's a very good point, Larry. And yes, that article is very helpful with things like that! Good stuff all! I definitetly don't want to hear clacky keys. Occassionally wouldn't bother me too much since it's part of the sound of the instrument, but constant would deter from the music! Yes, this is just for family. No "diva in the making" here! Mr. Music - I can see where two mics would probably be a good way to go, but I'm not going to be able to do that. Other than the 1 condenser I have, I have a dynamic mic available, but didn't think that would be a good idea for recording her. Thanks for your input, though! I appreciate it!
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Joe Bravo
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RE: Can I get some tips on Mic'ing a flute?
2006/10/11 09:28:32
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I always wondered how people dealt with that tapping sound you get from clarinets. I love Don Byron's "Bug Music" CD but that tap-tap-tap sound gets a little grating after awhile. You'd think someone would have a solution to keep clarinets from sounding that way by now.
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Dave S.
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RE: Can I get some tips on Mic'ing a flute?
2006/10/11 11:37:21
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Hi,
Thanks for the kind words about my article on recording the flute.
A quick temp fix for clacking keys is to place a small piece of Kleenex between the 2 offending parts and press down for a few seconds to keep it in place. That usually holds long enough for a few tracks. Also, the flutist may not even be aware of the sound. It’s often hard to hear while playing. You may have to play back a track to demonstrate the problem.
Dave S.
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bpclark
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RE: Can I get some tips on Mic'ing a flute?
2006/10/11 13:02:46
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This is about how I recorded the flute the last time I did it. I was more like 2 feet over the right shoulder and I used a small diaphragm condenser. Here's a link to the result -- Flute Audition Recording ORIGINAL: Beagle
ORIGINAL: ToneCarver
I am not a recording engineer, so I cannot vouch for this technique, but I read on a web forum somewhere that some engineers place the mic about a foot above and slightly behind the flute player's (flautist's ?) head. Like I said, I am not a recording engineer and have never tried this, but the technique itself was unusual and interesting enough that I happened to take note of it.
Thanks for the tip, that sounds pretty strange to me! I don't know if I'll try this one or not, but it's interesting to know what others do.
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Beagle
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RE: Can I get some tips on Mic'ing a flute?
2006/10/11 14:06:11
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Dave - yes, I have actually heard of doing that before, but I had forgotten it. Thanks again for the tips!
bpclark - you used ONE SD, huh? sounds pretty good!
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bpclark
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RE: Can I get some tips on Mic'ing a flute?
2006/10/11 21:14:03
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Glad you liked the recording. It sounds even better in the original .wav file.
On the flute, it was a Shure bg 4.1 and the piano had two bg 4.1s on top and a KSM27 underneath although I don't think I used it much. It was recorded two-track to a DAT through a little Carvin mixer.
I've have recorded the same flutist on another project with the KSM27 which has a better overall sound than the BG , but I think I prefer response of the SD.
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Beagle
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RE: Can I get some tips on Mic'ing a flute?
2006/10/11 22:44:36
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I had a pair of matched SDs, but I didn't like their sound. I ended up selling them on ebay and buying the LD m-audio. I haven't tried any SDs since.
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pattste
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RE: Can I get some tips on Mic'ing a flute?
2006/10/15 16:00:51
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ORIGINAL: ToneCarver
I am not a recording engineer, so I cannot vouch for this technique, but I read on a web forum somewhere that some engineers place the mic about a foot above and slightly behind the flute player's (flautist's ?) head. Like I said, I am not a recording engineer and have never tried this, but the technique itself was unusual and interesting enough that I happened to take note of it.
I'm not a recording engineer either but I'm a flutist and I can confirm that the above technique is fairly common and can give surprisingly good results, capturing more of the room sound. Especially useful when recording classical or acoustic jazz flute. I use an Audio-Technica AT3031 microphone but I've seen the technique used with larger condenser microphones too.
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