What microphone technique for recording a harp?

It is a pedal harp and the room is 12'x12' and is dead.
 
I have Shure KSM44's and Rode NT5a's.
 
Any help would be appreciated, I have never recorded a harp.
 
Thanks,
 
t
 

Thanks, Jeff
 
t
 

the best harp recording (ok, the recording that I liked best!) I ever made was done on a lark. I was playing in a pit band, the harp player showed up early one evening and I was experimenting with my then new stereo ribbon microphone. So for grins I asked her to play and recorded her. I started with the microphone set for X/Y about 15 feet back and probably about 12 feet high. It was a nice sounding auditorium - if you could get rid of the actors and audience...
 
Anyway, that was too much room so I just started moving it closer. When I got to about 8 feet away (kind of the edge of the pit) something magical happened. Then I rotated it so that it was more M/S and the harp just blossomed. You could still hear the room, but the harp was focused, (don't you just love trying to describe sound?).
 
In contrast, for my acoustic guitar I needed to be probably about 5 feet away, and only about 6 - 7 feet up. Recording the entire pit worked best about 20 feet away, but the same height. I didn't have time to try different pattersn with the pit, but for the guitar and harp I preferred the the M/S position.

Back to the harp, I added an AKG C-451 with the cardiod capsule placed about 1 foot from the player, roughly lined up with her head, and aimed at the middle of the instrument. That gave me ability to mix in a little more detail if I wanted to.
 
I wanted to try this again later in the run, using large and small capsule condenser microphone pairs at the far position, but alas we never got around to it. That pesky time thing. Even sadder, we had planned to record a bunch of material for her to release, but never had the opportunity to use that theatre again. I do hate it when that happens. Come to think of it I think I need to call her today to see if she is still interested, and then find a good hall.
 
So that was my favorite recording, and I do think it had something to do with the fact that I was using a ribbon microphone. I really need to find out.

As far as recording a harp in a studio setting, well, I've never really been thrilled with the results. I think (at least for my mental image of a harp) you need to give it some space to breath, and I haven't worked in a room large enough yet.

Absent that breathing space I usually go for isolation so I can "add some space" in the mix. To that end I use a small capsule condenser positioned a few feet from the player, lined up with their ears, and aimed at the instrument. I add a large capsule condenser as high as I can go, but no closer than 12-18 inches from the ceiling, lined up with the center of the instrument, and aimed towards same. I've also tried adding other microphones at mid-harp height, but that hasn't worked for me. If the room is not a good match for the instrument then I move the microphones closer until I "get rid of the room".
 

Concert harps are rather large instruments.  If you get too close, you run the risk of getting in the player's way.  20 inches is pushing it, but should be sufficient room.  
 
Also.  The instrument tips quite significantly when the player performs.  So be sure to set up the position while the player is actually at the instrument, otherwise you may find your placement to be quite different than intended.  
 
On Tuesday,  I tried something a little different for convenience.  This is a live concert, (Britten 8 Folk Songs)I had two omni spot mics (Josephson C617set) which I used for the harp, one on each side of the player, the one on the right for high frequencies, and the one on the left for low frequencies, panned right and left respectively.    In addition there was a main pair of mics in ORTF (Sennheiser MKH8040) about 5-6 feet in front and 9 feet up, and a vocal spot mic (Neumann TLM107).  All the spots did double duty for the string quartet(s).
 
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