micing bagpipes, er, um miking bagpipes.

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Mamabear
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2008/05/15 11:25:43 (permalink)

micing bagpipes, er, um miking bagpipes.

I've got an opportunity to record with a bagpipe player this summer. Any tips on micing it? Thanks.
post edited by Mamabear - 2008/05/16 23:17:10
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    Beagle
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    RE: micing bagpipes 2008/05/15 11:52:06 (permalink)
    I don't have any advice on mic placement, but you probably should list what equpiment you have to work with, i.e. what mics and how many you have, will you be recording in a treated room or in a spare bedroom or any other details of what the limitations of your recording are.

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    #2
    Mamabear
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    RE: micing bagpipes 2008/05/15 11:54:00 (permalink)
    Oh, yeah, that might help. All I have at this point is a Shure57 mic. I have my living room or I could find a smaller room if that's what's needed. (no treated room) I guess I was wondering more where to place the mic or if I need more than one. I could probably get another mic if needed.
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    Jamz0r
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    RE: micing bagpipes 2008/05/15 12:29:45 (permalink)
    Not sure how one typically mics bagpipes, perhaps a stereo XY from high up but you would need to pick up some mics for the job. Naiant offer a very low cost option for SD omni directional condensers. Their sound samples for the cheap ($29) MSH-2 sound good. You can check them out here: http://www.naiant.com/studiostore/microphones.html

    Good luck.
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    krizrox
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    RE: micing bagpipes 2008/05/15 12:30:00 (permalink)
    I recorded a bagpipe player earlier this year. Actually. it was the bass player for a local cover band and he had a set of bagpipes he had mastered to the point that he used them on stage for a couple of songs that the band played (one of them was an AC/DC song called Long Way). Apparently he even went out and bought a kilt to wear on stage for fun. When I heard that the band was going to record these songs I was excited because it was going to be something new and different for me too.

    I just opted for a simple SM57 setup and it worked perfectly. One mic kinda pointed in the general direction of the pipes. Very unscientific. Virtually no effort involved. Worked just fine. Your mileage may vary Good luck! Let us know how it turns out for you.

    for what it's worth, here's the band's MySpace page:

    http://www.myspace.com/tonyvolinirocks
    post edited by krizrox - 2008/05/16 13:54:47

    Larry Kriz
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    Jamz0r
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    RE: micing bagpipes 2008/05/15 12:38:48 (permalink)
    Wow, after reading that...maybe some of these are in order...

    post edited by Jamz0r - 2008/05/15 12:59:52
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    IzovAge
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    RE: micing bagpipes 2008/05/15 12:55:15 (permalink)
    I'm uncertain of what your typical recordings consist of but if you do much instrument recording I'd highly suggest a Beyerdynamic M160. I am very impressed with how natural this mic records many different instruments. Just give it alittle space maybe 1 to 3 feet from the source and it captures things very beautifully. In fact, I just recorded a sax the other night and it sound great, just like being in the room. I've even used it as a single mic on a drum kit with great results. It's well worth the asking price. I'd love to have 5 or 6 of them.LOL

    If you don't want to spend the extra cash then I'll agree with Larry, a good ol' 57 would work just fine and be very usable, IMO.

    Even if your room is not perfect make sure to give the mic alittle breathing room, 1 to 3 feet and it should capture things nicely.

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    aaronk
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    RE: micing bagpipes 2008/05/15 13:46:48 (permalink)
    Any tips on micing it?


    Putting the mice inside the air sac generally gets the best results -- by the time the mice finishing their gnawing and scratching the bagpipes won't bother you much anymore.

    You mentioned recording in a living room or even a smaller room. Remember why bagpipes were invented: to project signals over the roar of battle, outside, over great distances. Be sure to wear hearing protection! But in fact, I would be inclined to record them outside if you can get away with that. (In my neighborhood, that's exactly the sort of thing people would do at 3 a.m. on a weeknight . . .) If outside is an option I'd consider a second omni mike at some distance (a few yards) for ambience.

    I've never recorded bagpipes myself but I would guess your Shure 57 would be excellent for them. Of the mikes in my (small) collection that's the one I'd grab myself.
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    krizrox
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    RE: micing bagpipes 2008/05/15 14:02:55 (permalink)
    I laughed so hard I almost swallowed my gum

    Actually, now I remember, these things are a little noisy (the sound of the air bag or the air rushing through this thing is strange). I think, like IzovAge mentioned, you probably want to keep the mic back aways from the instrument just to reduce that wooshing noise these things make. The sounds tend to be firmly focused in the mids and upper mid range so you can probably use just about anything and get good results. I would kind of let the player play them and then maybe walk around the performer and let your ears decide where you think would be a good place to position the mic. The drone pipes tend to point upwards and behind the player, maybe even positioned from behind and above?

    I don't remember that this thing was so loud you needed ear plugs (maybe a lot of them all playing together are loud) but I do remember the screetchy nature of the tone of the instrument. If there is an instrument that sounds like nails on a chalkboard, this is probably as close as you'll get. Of course, like I said, my client wasn't an expert. Maybe someone with a lot more experience can actually do them justice.

    Larry Kriz
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    Mamabear
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    RE: micing bagpipes 2008/05/15 14:12:54 (permalink)
    Well, I'm not sure he would appreciate mice in his bagpipes, but we'll see! Ha. I wrote that 4 different ways before settling on that spelling, and I still wasn't happy with it. Oh, well. Thanks for the tips, guys. I'll try a few things and see what happens. Now I gotta write more than one song for him to play!
    post edited by Mamabear - 2008/05/16 10:22:41
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    mcourter
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    RE: micing bagpipes 2008/05/16 10:53:12 (permalink)
    Here's a tip for micing bagpipes: DON'T!

    Just kidding. The pipes are a very impressive instrument. I can listen to them for.........oh, seconds, maybe minutes on a good day.

    A few guitars, a couple of basses, a MIDI controller, a mandolin, a banjo, a mic, PodFarm2
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    #11
    Mamabear
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    RE: micing bagpipes 2008/05/16 11:52:36 (permalink)
    I'll try to remember to give you adequate warning if I do come up with a song with him!
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    marcos69
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    RE: micing bagpipes 2008/05/16 12:03:48 (permalink)

    Mark Wessels

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    Guitarhacker
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    RE: micing bagpipes 2008/05/16 22:54:37 (permalink)
    fake it and use midi.....or a good sound font.

    A spelling lesson: mic a guitar......miking several guitars.

    mice are rodents......micing is what a cat does best.

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    #14
    Mamabear
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    RE: micing bagpipes 2008/05/16 22:56:59 (permalink)
    Thanks, Herb! I'm usually good at spelling, but that one stumped me.

    And since I've got a real bagpipe player close by I thought it would be fun recording it live. But we'll see! :)
    #15
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