A microphone is a transducer. It changes one kind of energy into another. As a comparison, the human body has two transducers: the ears and the voice box. What you need to know about microphones can be broken down into the following word: TRAP. Each letter of "TRAP" stands for a mic attribute or a fact that you should know about mics in general.
T — Type - Studio mics break down into two basic types: Dynamic and Condenser. Dynamic mics work on the principle of magnetic induction. They need no external power to run, are very simple to make and relatively cheap to buy. Dynamic mics come in two varieties: Moving coil and Ribbon. Moving coil mics use a magnet, a coil wrapped with wire and a diaphragm that sits over the top of both. Sound pressure hits the diaphragm and moves the coil across the magnet. This creates the voltage that travels out and along the mic cable on the way to the Mic Pre. A ribbon mic (like the Karma K6) is a bit different. Instead of a coil and diaphragm, a thin metal corrugated ribbon is stretched across the magnetic field. Sound pressure hits the ribbon and moves it across the magnet. Both of these mics have their own particular characteristics dealing with Frequency and Transient Response.
Condenser mics are generally more expensive and have a flatter frequency response than dynamic mics. They also operate in an entirely different fashion. For one thing, these mics need power to run. This is called PHANTOM POWER and is +48Vdc. Phantom power comes down the mic cable from the console, a battery inside the mic or standalone power pack. The phantom power charges a capacitor, which holds a charge in the mics' fixed back plate. In front of the back plate resides a thin diaphragm. When the diaphragm moves in relation to the fixed back plate, a charge is developed in relation to how much movement the diaphragm makes. Unlike the signal created by the dynamic mic, a condenser's signal is very weak and must be amplified before it gets to the console. In order to do this, the mic contains a small amplifier that boosts the signal before it leaves the mic.
R — Recognition - To run a session successfully in a studio environment, you need to know your tools, just like a carpenter could tell you what his/her tools are. To achieve this, you must study mics in general, ask questions and do a lot of comparison.
A — Application - Which mic for what task? Do you know the best mic for recording kick drum? How about vocals or horns? Once again, study is the key. Do your comparisons, ask engineers; everyone has their favorite. Soon you will have a bag of tricks that will serve well a studio.
P — Patterns - The Directional Response of a mic has to do with how the mic picks up sound around its polar axis. The front of a mic is called on-axis; all other directions into the mic are called off-axis. When you talk about the on-axis and off-axis response, you are talking about how a mic picks up sound in reference to those directions. There are five basic polar patterns that mics offer: Omni, Cardioid, Hyper-cardioid, Super-cardioid and Figure eight.
• Phantom Power
Phantom power is a DC voltage (typically 48V) applied to pins 2 and 3 of a condenser microphone's XLR connector to power the microphone's electronics. Pin 1 (shield) is the ground for the phantom voltage.
All condenser microphones require power for their impedance-matching electronics. Externally biased condenser mics also require a polarizing voltage between the diaphragm and back plate. Electric condenser mics get their polarizing voltage from the static-electricity charge on the electric material, which is in the diaphragm or on the back plate.
In professional microphones, a provision is made to supply this voltage directly through the microphone cable. This procedure is called phantom powering, and the most common phantom supply voltage available in mixing consoles is 48 VDC, although other supplies of between 18-24 VDC are widely used.
How does it work? In a balanced microphone cable are two inner wires surrounded by a shield. It is on these two signal lines that the polarizing voltage is placed, with the same regulated positive voltage on each line. With the positive voltage on the two inner wires, the shield wire is used as the negative return to ground. The audio signal uses the same cable on its way to the mixer, and is not affected by the phantom DC voltage since the signal is AC.
Dynamic or ribbon microphones connected to a phantom-power input are protected from damage, theoretically, since the system results in a net zero DC potential across the coil or ribbon. However, if the dynamic or ribbon microphone is unbalanced internally (one side of the coil or ribbon accidentally tied to ground), damage is sure to occur.
• Phase and Mic Placement
How microphone placement can cause your signal to be out of phase:
When micing an instrument in stereo (that is, with two mics) there is a possibility that the mics could be "seeing" the signal in different phases of the wave. This is because of the location of each mic in relation to the cycle of the sound wave. This can happen when the mics are different distances from the source. For instance, if you are micing a sound source with one mic up close and the other a bit back in the room, so you can pick up some of the ambience, there is a chance that the mics might be out-of-phase with each other.
See Drawing A:
As you can see, one mic is seeing the wave at a peak and the other at a trough; these mics would be 180 degrees out of phase to each other. To fix this you'd simply have to move one of the mics up or back until you heard that the signal was in phase.
Checking For Polarity
Finding out if your stereo signal is in good shape is an easy matter. A signal out of phase will have an absence of low end, sound very thin or even sound like it's coming from around the side of your head. The best way to troubleshoot this is to put the console output into mono by either pushing the mono button or simply panning the two channels up the center. Bring the volume of the two mics up at equal levels and then flip one or other of the mics out of phase using the phase button on the console. You should hear a marked change in the sound (for the worse) as you flip the polarity. If your home system does not have it you can wire a cable out of phase and put it somewhere in line with one of the mics. Although a bit cumbersome, it is the same thing as pushing a phase button. In reality, the mics can be at any degree of "out-of-phase".
To wire a balanced connector out of phase, you simply swap pins two and three (XLR) or the tip and the ring (TRS) at one end of the cable. If you are looking for a phase button on a console or on a piece of outboard gear, it is usually represented by the following symbol:
The Three to One Rule
To place two microphones in a good phase relationship you can follow what is known as the Three-to-One rule. This rule states that for every unit of distance away from the sound source, your mics should be at least three units apart. For instance, if your mics are six inches away from the source then they should be eighteen inches apart. If they're 1 foot from the source, they should be three feet apart. This will keep you in good shape when close micing instruments in stereo.
Hot Tip: A polarity switch will just correct signals that are 180 degrees out of phase. To correct signals at other degrees out-of-phase to each other, Little Labs makes an excellent tool called the IBP.
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• Recording Vocals •
How to do this
One of the most challenging things to capture is the human voice. To get the right performance, there's more to it than being a good engineer. First let's lay out what it takes to get a good vocal sound. The room, mic, cables, pre-amp, compressor and recorder will determine the sound you get. My recommendation is to use the best you can afford in all categories. If you don't have the best in one department, borrow or rent something if you have an important session. My favorite choice for female vocal is a Karma K55; for male vocals it's a Karma K58. Both of these are tube mics and sound great, and are priced competivly. If you have a few to choose from, don't be afraid to try them all. Time spent up front experimenting is never wasted. The limiter/compressor is just as important, some music calls for a compressor with a large footprint. This means that you can hear it working. Other genres, like Jazz, call for a more transparent sound. Train your ear to hear what compression sounds like in a track. I bet you anything that there is compression on about 98% of the vocal tracks out there. The bottom line: Always use the best gear you can.
The Surroundings
The recording environment is just as important as the gear used. A recording space that's too live will cause reflections back to the mic. It's necessary to deaden the room. This could involve anything from placing carpet on walls to tacking blankets up with stuffing behind them, or if in your budget, purchase some aura flex. Not only are you recording the vocalist, but also the room. Plus for vocals, it's a thought to place a rug on the floor to keep from picking up foot movement, and deaden the reflection from the floor. Another thing to keep in mind is the angle of the music stand. You don't want the vocals bouncing off of the music stand into the mic. That could cause phase problems. A solution is to put down a piece of thick towel. Angle the stand down a bit so if there is any reflection, it is going away from the mic.
Where Does the Mic Go?
Placing the mic is critical in getting the best sound without popping. A pop screen will be used along with perfect positioning. Popping are the Ps and Ts of a person that hit the diaphragm of the mic, causing irritating low-end noise to get onto your recording. Place the mic so the diaphragm is just below the vocalists' nose and pointing down to the mouth & about six inches away. Then place the pop screen between the vocalists' mouth and the mic. You may still have to move the mic around to get it perfect.
Psychological Aspects
Always make sure the singer is comfortable. A killer headphone mix helps. Have them bring candles and what not to ease them. I worked with this guy once that the only way he could lay his vocal tracks was in complete darkness and lying down on his back. Plus if the singer gets discouraged during the tracking, be calm and nice and coach them on what you think will help them get the track down right. People will react and by the end of the day they will thank you for helping them out.
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• Recording Techniques •
• Mid-Side Technique
M-S stands for Mid-Side. It describes the technique whereby you use two mics to capture the direct and ambient signal of a sound source. The beauty of this technique is that you can mix the ambient vs. direct mix at a later date. You can also fold the stereo signal down to mono with very little or no ill effect. As you'll see later, the effects of phase cancellation can be a real problem when recording in stereo, especially if you're not sure if the signal will end up in mono. For this reason, M-S is very popular in film sound applications. However, you can also use the technique for music recording with very good results.
Necessities
The essentials are simple in regards to M-S. You'll need the following:
• Cardioid pattern microphone
• Figure 8 pattern Microphone
• M-S Matrix or
• A Console with phase invert on the channel
The microphones can be fixed pattern or variable, as long as you've got them in the two required patterns when you're recording. As for a M-S matrix, some mic preamps come with a built in M-S matrix. As for the console with phase inversion capabilities, if you don't have it you can get around it by constructing a cable that's out of phase.
To set this up
To setup for M-S recording is as follows:
Place the Cardioid pattern mic towards the sound source, then place the Fig 8 mic off axis to the sound source. This means if the cardioid were pointing on the X-axis, the Fig 8 would be on the Y-axis. Another way to think of the setup is as a cross. The on-axis lobes of each mic are occupying a point on the cross. The only point of the cross that's not being covered at all is the back, the side opposing the sound source.
DON'T FORGET! Keep in mind that when you're setting up the mics, the capsules should be as close together as possible. This will keep you out of phase trouble because the sound waves will be in the same cycle when they hit the capsules.
Finished Results: Once you record the session, you now have two signals on tape, one from the Cardioid and one from the Fig 8 mic. You now need to put it through a matrix or create your own. This can be simply done by doing the following:
• Bring the Cardioid signal back to a channel on your console (panned center)
• Split the figure 8 signal and bring it back to TWO channels on your console (panned left and right respectively)
DON'T FORGET! Flip the phase of one of the Fig 8 channels.
Now you can start to mix your signals. Bring up the Cardioid signal's fader to taste; this will be the main ingredient in the mix of the three channels. Then as a pair, bring up the split Fig 8 left/right signals. Notice as you add ambience how the sound changes, this is very subjective, and you may like it or you may not. If you don't like it then you can always dump the Fig 8 mic in the mix and use just the Cardioid.
Personal Opinions
I've used this technique and thought it sounded good, and I've used it other times and thought it was awful. It depends a lot on what your room is like and how big you want your sound to be. It's all a matter of taste, but it never hurts to know little secrets. This technique along with the Blumlein technique is nice to know and use in your recordings. Experiment and have fun, you learn a lot by making mistakes then re-doing.
• Blumlein Technique
A. D. Blumlein
A cool mic technique was invented by EMI sound engineer Alan Dower Blumlein (1903-1942). Through his contributions to science, he greatly dabbled in the development of stereo and mono recording, telephony, television, radar and amplifier technology. He died in 1942 when a plane crashed while testing his prototype for ground radar.
The technique is using a pair of microphones in a figure-8 pattern and putting them in an x-y configuration. By using the figure-8 pattern you are able to pick up the off-axis sound and have it be a part of the mix. Using cardioid pattern mic would cancel off-axis signals and just pick up the subject at the front of the mic. This can work well mind you, especially when you're recording in a room that has no particular personality that you'd want to capture.
Practical Uses
This technique was used recently on the Page/Plant record a few years ago. Use the pair as overheads on a drum kit in a large room. This would also be a great technique for micing an acoustic solo piano in a nice concert hall. As always, use your ears to decide what technique is best for you. If you're recording in your bedroom and it sounds bad, obviously you would not want to capture that. You want to record in a nice arena, or if you're stuck, treat the room to make it a better place to record. Keep the Blumlein technique in your bag of recording secrets.
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• Recording Percussion •
• Snare
For the snare drum, it's always a safe and highly effective choice to use the Karma K10. Bring it in from the audience side of the kit and give it a 45 to 60 degree angle with the capsule about an inch or two above the head. The farther away it is from the head, the roomier the sound, but the more potential you have for phase problems. The closer to the head you get, the more bottom end you'll get - it will give you that "goosh-y" sound. By the way, it's always a good idea to have the snare mic follow a line to the drummer's crotch - not that it's a particularly good sounding part of the anatomy, but because it's away from the hi-hat and any potential leakage problems.
Recommended eq for the snare is: +2@100Hz on the bottom if necessary; roll off 300 to 700Hz in the lower mids to eliminate the box-like sound; and +2 to +6 dbs © 5, 8, or 10Khz to brighten up the top end. Tuning the snare is very important in getting the right sound. If you encounter undesirable ringing in the snare, try a small piece of gaffers' tape. You can also try taping a small piece of a feminine napkin to the outer edge of the top head to eliminate over ring.
Remember that a snare is full of transients, so keep your levels fairly low to avoid overloading your preamp, tape machine, or the tape itself. -2 or -3 VU or + 2 or +3 peak reading are typical levels.
• Kick Drum
Favorite mics: Karma K25, Sennheiser 421, AKG D-12 or D-112
If the mic you're using has a pad switch, use it. If not, pad the input at the console. Mic the kick drum from the audience side, but only after throwing a sandbag in the drum to weigh it down. Let the sandbag touch the head (that the beater hits) just enough to dampen out any obnoxious overtones, but not the good, natural sounding ones. The mic should be placed about half way in to the drum itself and pointing at the beater. If you bring the mic in from the right side of the drum and angle it at the beater you will be avoiding leakage from the snare drum, which is a good thing to do. You can experiment with the depth of the mic, but always keep the mic pointed at the beater for maximum attack. If you want a "poofier" kick sound, you can point the mic away from the beater, but again, try to avoid letting it point in the direction of the snare to minimize leakage. If you want a roomier sound, you can pull the mic out of the drum a little bit. The further out you pull it, the roomier it will get. Some engineers use a second mic about a foot or two outside the kick. Be sure to check the phase relationship of the two kick mics if you try that technique. If you have phase cancellation problems, they will usually manifest themselves by canceling out the bottom end of the kick.
Eq: If you need more bottom end, try boosting @ 60 or 100Hz. Try rolling off lower mids (300-700Hz) to get rid of a box-like sound. To add more attack, try boosting in the lKto 3K range.
Remember that a kick drum is full of transients, so keep your levels fairly low to avoid overloading your preamp, tape machine or the tape itself. -2 or -3 VU or + 2 or +3 peak reading are typical levels.
Tips: If you don't have gobos to block incoming and outgoing leakage, try placing a moving blanket in a tent-like fashion around the mic stand and kick drum opening. Tune the kick drum up or down according to the key the song is in, making sure that the tuning works well with the register the bass guitar is in.
• Tom Drums
Favorite mics: AKG 414, Karma K25, Sennheiser 421
If the mic has a pad switch, use it. It's always better to pad at the mic, rather than the console. If the mic doesn't have a pad switch, but you're seeing too much level coming into the console or hearing any break-up/distortion, try padding the mic input at the console.
Mic all three toms with the mics set at a 45 degree (or thereabouts) angle to the drum head with the end of the mic (the capsule end) pointing at an imaginary spot about 2" past the rim nearest you as you place the mic (this is assuming you're working from the audience side of the kit). The floor tom mic can be placed a little closer to the center of the head, but not too close. The distance of the mic from the actual head should range between one inch and six inches depending on how "roomy" you like your drums to sound. The further the mics are from the drums, the roomier the sound, but you'll have to pay more attention to possible phase cancellation problems.
Eq.: +2@lOOHz, -4@300 to 700Hz, -i-2@5K or above.
Tips: Dampen the drums to reduce ringing using a little bit of gaffers' tape, or tape a piece of feminine napkin to the outer edge of the drum head using gaffers' tape. Generally speaking, the more mid-range you roll out of the toms, the better they will sound, to a point. You can roll out too much, and the result will sound hollow and box-like.
Experienced engineers concerned with saving tracks will often combine the stereo overheads/cymbals with tom-toms, using just two tracks panned far left and far right for all the toms and cymbals.
Remember that a tom-tom is full of transients, so keep your levels fairly low to avoid overloading your preamp, tape machine or the tape itself. -2 or -3 VU or + 2 or +3 peak reading are typical levels.
• Hi Hats
Recommended mics: Karma K10
Many engineers find that they often don't need a separate mic on the hi-hat because they get enough of it leaking in to the other drum mics. If you do need to mic a hi-hat, generally, it's a good idea to place the mic about an inch away from the outer edge of the hi-hat. It's also a good practice to angle the mic away from the kit so that the hi-hat mic doesn't "hear" too much of the snare or other drums. Because you don't want any extraneous low-end rumble from the rest of the drum kit, it's recommended that you use the mic's roll-off switch if it has one, or use the console's high-pass filter or equalizer to eliminate low-end information from cluttering up your hi-hat signal. Remember that a hi-hat is full of transients, so keep your levels fairly low to avoid overloading your preamp, tape machine or the tape itself.
• Cymbals and Over Heads
Favorite mics: Karma K10 or K25, Neumann U-87, AKG 414, Neumann KM 84
Recording overheads can be remarkably simple or incredibly difficult. The important rule of thumb is to watch out for phase cancellation. The overhead mics will often interact with individual drum mics causing phase anomalies which manifest themselves as dropouts at certain frequencies in any or all of the drums.
If your drum sounds get "cardboard-y" after you bring up the faders on your overheads, you probably need to adjust the overhead mics.
Typically, engineers will record the overhead mics in stereo, making sure to bus or assign the overhead on the left side of the kit to a tape track that will correspond with the other drums on that side of the kit (e.g., the right overhead should ultimately end up being panned to the same side as the floor torn).
Some engineers will start with the two mics about 16 inches over the cymbals, and point them straight down, looking directly at the center of the cymbals to achieve a more bell-like sound. Other engineers prefer to angle the mics toward the outer edges of the cymbals to get a brighter, wispier sound.
The closer the mics are to the cymbals in either case, the less chance you will have of experiencing phase problems. If you do experience phase problems, it's often fixable by simply flicking the phase switch on one of the mic inputs or the other. A good rule of thumb is to always make sure that the distance between the two mics is at least twice as far as the distance between each mic and the cymbal it's over.
To get a roomier or bigger drum sound, just raise the mics higher - try moving them six inches at a time. But remember, as you get farther from the cymbals, you increase your chances of phase problems.
If the drummer you are recording really whacks their cymbals, you may need to pad your mics or your mic inputs. If the mics you are using have a roll-off switch, then use it. Good chance you won't need the low end frequencies that the roll-off will eliminate. If your mics don't have a roll-off, you can use the high-pass filter on the mic inputs of the console to do the same job. If you don't have roll-off or high-pass capability, then roll-off 10 or 12 dbs @30 or 60Hz using your equalizer. Generally speaking, cymbal mic require very lithe, if any eq on the top end. If you feel that your cymbals are dull, and need to be brightened up a touch, try a smidge @ 8 or 10Khz. Be careful! A little bit can go a long way.
A little strip of strategically placed gaffers' tape can eliminate the nasty overring that some cymbals have, It can also mellow out an overly bright cymbal.
Experienced engineers concerned with saving tracks will often combine the stereo overheads/cymbals with tom-toms, using just two tracks panned far left and far right for all the toms and cymbals.
Remember that cymbals are loaded with transients, so keep your levels fairly low to avoid overloading your preamp, tape machine or the tape itself. -4 or -5 VU or +1 or +2 peak reading are typical levels.
• Boxy Drums?
Most likely, you are causing phase cancellation by poor microphone placement. The quickest remedy is often just a minor adjustment in mic positions. The culprits are often the overhead mics. Try moving them closer to the cymbals. The next most likely place to look is the rack mount tom-tom mics. Try moving them closer to the drum heads, and make sure that the mics aren't too close to each other. Other things to avoid: place the kick mic in such a way that it doesn't aim through the kick and at the bottom of the snare drum. Also try angling your overhead mics out to the sides slightly. A good rule of thumb is to always make sure that your mics are twice as far apart from each other as they are from the source when micing in stereo or when using multiple mics such as with a drum kit.
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• Recording Guitar •
• Electric Guitar
Recommended mics: Karma K10 or K25, SE3, Shure SM57, AKG C1000, Neumann U87.
The single most important factor in getting great electric guitar sounds is that the sound coming out of the amp should be great. That's determined by the guitar, the amp, and the person playing it. In the interest of brevity, let's assume that we have met those conditions and move forward.
As a general rule, it's a good idea to set up the SM57 right against the amp's grill cloth, pointing it directly into the speaker (sometimes at a slight angle from the outer rim of the speaker pointing toward the center). Next, place a condenser mic about two to three feet in front of the amp (at the same height as the amp) and point the mic at one of the speakers. If you have another condenser available, place it about five or six feet away, in front of the amp. You might want to raise the "far" mic to a height of approximately five or six feet off the ground.
By following this formula, you will have given yourself a choice of three different sounds - a close, ballsy sound, a mid-range room sound, and a more distant room sound. By setting all three mics up at the same time, putting them each in a different input, and assigning them all to the same track on tape, you've given yourself the option of having any one of those sounds immediately available.
Today's modern rock guitar sounds tend to be somewhat "dry" (less room ambiance and reverb), and most often use a close mic technique. There's really nothing to it. Simply use the close mic, run it through the compressor, set the compressor at a 3:1 ratio and adjust the threshold so that the compressor is usually working, but not squashing the signal too much. You will be able to make most of the tone adjustments you need at the amp or guitar, and chances are you won't need to tweak the console' s equalizer at all.
For a slightly more distant, but fuller sound, bring up the fader on the mid-distance mic. Slowly add that signal to the close sound described in the previous paragraph. You'll have the detail of the close mic, but with the fullness that comes with adding some "room" sound to it (just like sitting in the tenth row). This is a pretty standard approach that will give you a pretty standard rock guitar sound.
The far mic will give you a bigger, more heavy-metal type of sound with a boomier bottom end on it. The reason for that is low end sound waves take much more distance to fully develop than high end waves. Someone once told me that a low E note on a bass guitar takes thirty-three feet to fully develop. Whether or not that is true will only be known by people who have enough time on their hands to calculate such things.
The key to getting a great guitar sound is to constantly experiment and apply some basic physics. Try different mics, try moving them closer and farther, try different angles, try putting the amp in a corner, try putting the amp on a concrete floor, try it on a wood floor, try it on a floor with green shag carpeting, just try anything!
If you find that you want to eq an electric guitar, you will find that adding 100Hz will give you more bottom, rolling off 300 to 500Hz will eliminate some of the nasal quality, adding a touch of 700Hz will create a throaty or woodsy sound, adding a pinch of I K or 1000Hz will give the guitar more edge, adding 3K or 3000Hz will give the guitar more bite, and adding 5, 8, or 10K will make it brighter.
• Jazz Guitar
The key to recording Jazz anything is simplicity. Jazz guitar is no exception. Jazz tones tend to be mellow and warm. Players tend to use small amps, and they don't crank them up like a stack of Marshalls. Room sounds are usually achieved through bleed, not room mics.
The simplest way to record a Jazz guitar is a prescription that quite frankly works on just about any guitar - a TBK1000 or Shure SM57 close to the amp's grill pointing just east or west of the speaker's voice coil will almost always give you what you need.
Other variations would of course include outrageously expensive classic tube mics and equally expensive mic preamps and equalizers, but hey, this is Studio Buddy, not Bank Buddy. We're assuming that you're recording in something less than a multi-million dollar studio.
Going back to relative humility, the Shure 57 is the default mic for almost any electric guitar application, and for good reason - it almost always sounds great. You simply can't go wrong with the 57 up close, through almost any limiter/compressor, and with minimal eq. Try it. You'll like it!
Another mic that I've always loved is the Sony ECM 37P or Karma K25. I've found both of these mics to be exceptional for recording jazz guitar, and if you can find one today, I'd guess that you could buy one for a song (pun intended).
Some engineers will throw a "far" mic on a Jazz guitar to give it some room sound. All fine and good, but I've always found that due to the live tracking on Jazz dates, I always got plenty of bleed from other mics in the room which gave me a very pleasing "room" sound.
• Acoustic Guitar
Recommended mics: Karma K25 or K10, AKG 414, Neumann U87, Neumann KM 84, Neumann KM 184, AKG C3000, AKG C1000
While the acoustic guitar remains one of the most simple instruments by design, it also remains one of the hardest to get a great sound on in the studio. It's really not brain surgery, but knowing some of the basic laws of physics doesn't hurt. Unfortunately, I skipped school that day and didn't learn my physics, so I had to learn how to get a great acoustic guitar sound one mistake at a time. After making those mistakes, I sat down and formulated these laws which are considered to be the Ten Commandments of recording the acoustic guitar (by me, anyway).
For the sake of argument, I'm going to assume that if you're reading this, you at least have a home studio, some basic outboard equipment, and you don't own any $2,000 microphones. If you own a 13 foot long console and a 48 track digital machine, you can skip this because you probably know what I'm about to tell you.
Rule #1 A condenser mic will almost always sound better than a dynamic mic for acoustic guitars. There are several condenser mics that are currently on the market in the $99-$350 price range that sound great on acoustics, such as the Karma K10 or K25.
Rule #2 New strings will always sound better for recording than old.
Rule #3 Skinny strings sound brighter than fat ones.
Rule #4 The sound you get has a great deal to do with the dynamics of the player.
Rule #5 Get down on your knees and position your ear as if it were the microphone while somebody else is playing the guitar. Move your ear around to find "sweet spots". You'll learn more from that, than you will by reading this. Don't try it with an electric guitar!
Rule #6 If you have somebody that is assisting you on the session, have them move the mic around what you think will be the sweet spot while the player is practicing the part he or she is about to lay down. Have your assistant wear headphones so you can communicate with him or her while the moving of the mic is taking place.
Rule #7 A limiter/compressor will almost always help you get a better sound.
Rule #8 Don't believe everything you read. I only have seven commandments, not ten.
Let's get right to it. If the sound you want to get is a country/pop, strummed sound similar to the Eagles "Lyin' Eyes", here's the formula: Place the microphone about 6 to 8 inches from the guitar's sound hole, but angle the mic toward the area where the fretboard and the sound hole meet. If you point the mic directly into the sound hole, it will be very full - probably much too full, and very boomy. Use a compressor/limiter to knock down any peaks (3:1 ratio), and set the threshold a little lower to give it a slightly "squashed" or tighter sound. Set the threshold higher to just limit the peaks and give a more open sound. You may need to eq out some boominess. If so, try rolling off some bottom (100Hz), or cutting a couple of db at 300Hz. To add some "silk" on the top end, try something in the 8-10K range, but be careful, too much will add noise to the track. Positioning the mic so it angles toward the pick will give more attack - less sweetness.
For that John Mellencamp sound, try medium gauge strings, a little more compression, and try adding a little eq around the mids - lets say 700Hz to 1.2KHz. That will give you a sound that is a little more "woodsy" (a highly technical term).
Melissa Etheridge? Try this on for size. Use a guitar with a built-in pick up and a microphone to boot. You will undoubtedly get some phase anomalies, but that's part of the sound. Experiment with moving the mic closer and farther. That will affect the phase relationship of the two sound sources. Sooner or later, you'll hit on something that will put a smile on your face. You can pan the two signals left and right to get a broad stereo sound, but make sure that if you check the sound in mono, that the signal remains fairly well intact.
Gut string or classical guitar? Piece of cake. Once again, use a condenser mic, but place it about ten inches away from the guitar. As a matter of fact, try placing it about 3 to 4 inches up the neck, but aim it at the players picking fingers. This angle will reduce boominess by virtue of the mic's cardioid polar pattern producing a natural roll off when it's aimed off-axis, while simultaneously delivering the attack of the fingers. Try and say that three times in a row! The added distance will pick up some of the guitar body's resonance. A compressor/limiter is a must for this case because of unexpected peaks. A 4:1 ratio is a good place to start, but set the threshold fairly high so that the most of the guitar's natural dynamics are left intact.
When mixing acoustic guitars for rock or alternative tracks, you will usually have an electric guitar or two in the track as well. My personal preference is to pan the acoustic and electric across from each other. Send one full left, and the other full right. You'll quickly discover that the electric will overpower the acoustic and the most effective way to even them out is to compress the acoustic a little bit more than what you may have already done going to tape so you can bring the acoustic's level up high enough to compete with the electric.
Another simple but effective trick is to have the acoustic and electric guitars play parts that counter each other rhythmically (giving them each their own space), and have them each play in a different octave. That will give you a full sounding track that remains open and airy at the same time. You can also make an acoustic guitar sound bigger or more rock-like by panning the original to one side and a delayed signal (short delays are best) of the same guitar to the other side. That effect can be taken one step further by using the pitch change option on your delay to "de-tune" one of the guitars just a pinch (one cent is a good place to start). The delay will provide the brain with the psychoacoustic information it needs to perceive the guitar as bigger, while the pitch change will make it appear "fatter."
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• Recording Bass •
• Bass Guitar
Using a direct box is the most common way to record a bass. Coming out of the direct box into the console's preamp or an outboard preamp will give you the ability to get the appropriate amount of gain. For a cleaner, more direct route, try going into, then out of an outboard preamp, directly into your recording machine input on the appropriate track.
Most engineers use a limiter/compressor on the bass. It gives the bass a fatter sound by controlling peaks so that all the notes coming out of the bass have roughly the same level. Many engineers prefer to use a tube limiter such as a UREI LA-2A to get the fattest and warmest sound possible. It's an expensive piece of gear, but it works great. Most engineers set the threshold and ratio knobs so that the bass signal is always getting "squashed" by 2 to 5 dbs. A typical "ratio" setting is 3:1, meaning that for every 3 db of peak signal over the threshold, the limiter will only output 1 db.
For a more punchy bass sound, set the threshold so that the signal is getting hammered, and when soloed, it sounds obviously squashed. When in the context of the entire track, the squashed sound will tend to be less obvious, while making the bass much more apparent.
Other limiters that are often used include the UREI 1176 (also not cheap), and the DBX 160 (fairly inexpensive). The 1176 is famous for its wide range of control on the attack and release, as well as its "classic" sound. The DBX 160 is a favorite of engineers looking to get a snappy, poppy bass sound often used on dance records.
The DBX 160 X (notice the X) is also a good inexpensive limiter for bass recording. It combines the range of controls of the 1176 with the fast attack and release times of the DBX 160.
EQing a bass for recording is usually pretty straight ahead. Add a little bit @ 100Hz to make the bottom fatter. Try 60Hz if you want to go even lower and fatter, although most car radios won't do a great job of reproducing 60Hz. If you're recording in a digital environment, it's always a plus to use a tube equalizer such as a Pultec to warm up the sound. The natural distortion caused by the tubes tends to add desirable harmonics to the bass signal.
To get more "bite" from your bass, try adding a couple of dbs @ 2.5Khz. When recording a bass, it's always good to be aware of the octave that the part is being played in. The octave may dictate where your most effective eq points are.
Some people prefer to record a mixed signal that comes from a direct signal, as well as using the sound coming from a bass amplifier. A more advanced engineer might typically combine or mult the signals to just one track of tape. For a less experienced engineer, it might be a good idea to record the two signals to two distinct tracks, then combine them at a latter time. It's extremely important to remember that when recording the same signal from two sources that you are likely to encounter phase anomalies, meaning that the two signals will arrive at slightly different times. The result will often be comb filtering which will make some frequencies less audible the others. The bottom end is usually the first thing to disappear. This can be fixed by engaging the phase switch on the console, moving the mic closer to the bass amp's speaker, or using a very short delay on the direct signal so that it hits the console or tape machine at the same time as the later, amp/mic signal. This is a pretty tricky endeavor, and not recommended for novices.
When using a mic on a bass cabinet, it is usually desirable to try a condenser mic that is well-known for its bottom end, and to place it a foot or two back from the amp's grill. The reason: bass notes have long waveform, and require some air to fully manifest themselves. Rule of thumb: the closer your mic is to the amp, the more attack and edge you will hear; farther away will give you more bottom end.
• Upright Bass
Not that many engineers get the opportunity to record an upright bass. Too bad, it's challenging. The objective is to get the most you can from the bottom end, while still maintaining the detail that comes from the fretboard.
While there are many mics that would be suitable for an upright, I would lean toward the Karma K55.
The upright presents a strong case for giving distance between the mic and the instrument so the low end waves have room to develop. A Neumann U-87 is also a popular choice because it has a pretty friendly bottom end on it combined with just a little bit of edge around 3K that does a nice job of accentuating the buzz and bend that come from the fretboard and fingers plucking strings.
Simply place the mic about two feet away from the front of the instrument, aiming for the area around where the fingers pluck the strings. A tube limiter is a wonderful thing on an upright. If you have one, use it. If you don't, not to worry. Any reasonably good limiter will do the job. For a jazz combo sound, you'll want the bass to sound very natural, so go easy on the compression ratio (start at 3:1), and keep the threshold fairly loose.
If you find that the dynamics and the octave spread of a particular tune make for notes that aren't annunciated very well, or disappear altogether, then go for a little more compression. If you need to hear a little more "wood" from the bass, kick it up a couple notches at 700Hz, but be careful, this frequency can be lethal in large doses. 100Hz will fatten up the bottom, and 2.5Khz will give definition, but can also be dangerous in large doses.
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• Recording a Mix •
Another classic battle in the mix process is the kick drum vs. bass guitar. That's because they share similar frequencies. While in some cases the bass plays a far more important role than the kick, more often they are expected to carry an equal load.
Low-end Tip: try assigning different low-end frequencies to each instrument. For example, you could boost 60Hz (with a somewhat narrow bandwidth) on the kick drum, while boosting 100Hz (also narrow bandwidth) on the bass. Or vice versa. This allows them to fill up the bottom end without competing with each other.
High-end Tip: Usually, though not always, you want to see the kick and bass as well as feel them. That is, you want to hear the actual notes of the bass and the pattern the kick drum plays. Finding the right upper-midrange frequencies to feature is the answer. On the kick, try adding around 2K for presence and 10K to put a "point" on it. For the bass, it might be 5K or 8K that allows the instrument to speak in your mix; you can also look at 800Hz for an aggressive bass sound.
Bottom line: Be careful to let these two instruments occupy their own space. Adding the same frequencies to both will just muddy up your mix.
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• Recording Woodwind •
• Clarinet
I would suggest using a condenser mic. A nice warm sounding mic is Karma K25. I've also had good results using a K10. It's mellow tone is well-suited for clarinets.
As with the flute, and/or oboe, the key to recording a clarinet is to capture the sound of the entire instrument. Place the mic facing the clarinetist about twelve to eighteen inches from the instrument. Keep the mic at chin level, and tilt it down toward the player's belly button. This is a great technique if you're recording Britney Spears doing a clarinet solo! Beware of key noise.
Clarinets have a relatively narrow frequency range, and I've typically found that they require little, if any eq. Rolling off the unused bottom end, using an equalizer or high-pass filter is a good way to eliminate unwanted low-end rumble that will ultimately muddy-up your mix. I've known some engineers to recommend adding a pinch at 700Hz to make the "low end" of the clarinet more apparent. Sounds good to me!
As with other woodwinds, using a compressor/limiter is recommended by varying degrees. If the part being played leans toward staccato, use more. If it's a dreamy legato part, go easy. Judicious use of reverb is always a nice touch, but save it for the mix.
• Flute
The flute is a relatively easy instrument to record. I would suggest using a condenser mic. Unless you're recording a solo album of the first-chair flautist from the London Philharmonic, an inexpensive condenser mic will do just fine. I remember getting an exemplary sound once upon a time using a Karma K10 or K25.
The key to recording a flute is to capture the sound of the whole instrument. Easy enough— simply place the mic about twelve to eighteen inches above the flute, looking down. To get more of the lip and tongue (think Jethro Tull, Locomotive Breath) just angle the mic a little more toward the flautist's mouth. To get a less articulated sound, aim the mic away from the mouth, and more toward the keys. Beware of key noise.
If, on the rare occasion you are recording a flute live with a rhythm section, and need some isolation, just stick the mic a few inches from the flautist's mouth and go for it. There are times you'll need to sacrifice sonic perfection in favor of practicality. Remember, nobody ever had a hit record because their flute sounded "perfect."
Flutes have a relatively narrow frequency range, and I've typically found that they require little, if any eq. Rolling off the unused bottom end, using an equalizer or high-pass filter is a good way to eliminate unwanted low-end rumble that will ultimately muddy-up your mix.
Using a compressor/limiter is recommended by varying degrees. If the part being played leans toward staccato, use more. If it's a dreamy legato part, go easy. Judicious use of reverb is always a nice touch, but save it for the mix.
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• Recording Strings •
Recommended mics: Any condenser will do the trick. Karma K25, AKG 414's and Neumann U87's are often used, but you would be surprised at the sound that many of the less expensive condenser mics will produce.
The key to recording strings is to give them some air to let their full sound develop. When you hear an orchestra, you're not listening to individual players, you are hearing the sum of all the players.
I could write a book on recording large string sections or orchestras, but assuming that most of you reading this are overdubbing strings on pop records in small studios, I'll give you the pertinent information for that discipline.
Let's start with an imaginary section of six violins, three violas, and one cello. Let's also assume that you want to make this relatively small section sound larger, so you will be double tracking it. There for, I'm also going to assume that you will be recording each pass in mono, and then panning them far left and far right.
The set-up is fairly straight ahead. One row of three violins. A row of three violas behind the violins, and the cello in back to eliminate bleed from the violins and violas by virtue of the cello mic pointing into the cello and away from the other strings.
Place one mic (typically in cardioid pattern) at least a couple of feet over the violins with the mic stand placed behind the center violinist with the boom extending out over the player. It's probably a good idea to place the most proficient violinist in the center position as the mic will pick up a little more of that person in the blend. The higher the mic is, the more you will hear the outer players in the blend, and the more "air" you'll get. Be careful, as with most engineering, there is a point of diminishing returns.
Repeat the same procedure for the violas, and mic the cello with a single mic (I like the K10) pointed at the area between the F hole and the lowest string. Try placing the mic about a foot away from the instrument. For an edgier, more grainy sound, make sure the mic is at the same level as where the bow makes contact with the strings. For a less strident sound, avoid the area where the bow hits the strings.
It's always a good idea to send the players a mono headphone mix containing bass, drums, and a main instrument such as piano, so they can get a good read on the tempo and pitch. Have the players remove one side of their headphones so they can hear their intonation relative to the other players.
Once you learn what a good blend sounds like, I would recommend bussing all three mics to one track, and getting your string blend on one track. Pan that track down the middle while overdubbing the second pass so the players can play to their last pass.
When you get what feels like a good overdub (second pass/double), pan the two tracks far left, and far right. Any major "clams" will readily show up. Slight imperfections are usually acceptable. They'll make your string section sound more like strings, and less like a synth.
I've been known to record a third pass of strings, and pan it down the middle. Be careful, too much of a good thing can be too much of a good thing. The smaller the section, the more desirable the third pass might become.
I've also been known to make the third pass a synthesized string part. Sometimes after the string players have gone home, you may hear an extra part and want to add it. Other times you'll need to drop an extra cello in the middle of the panorama to make a section more emotional, or to make it darker.
A little reverb is usually added to strings in the mix. The reverb you will need is often dictated by the tempo of the songs, and the way the entire production sounds. A good rule of thumb is that for string overdubs on a Pop record, a one to two second "plate" setting is a good starting point. For a quiet, sensitive, singer/songwriter, string quartet part, I might try a small "halt" setting as my starting point. I wouldn't recommend printing the reverb to tape. Save it for the mix.
I would guess that most engineers use a limiter to avoid any unwanted peaks when recording strings, but I wouldn't compress them. If you lose too much of the natural dynamics, you'll end up with a very expensive synthesized sound from human beings!
• Cello
I've tried many kinds of mics on cellos, and remarkably, most of them work fairly well. Most people prefer condensers, and I've had amazing results from Karma K25 and believe it or not, from the venerable K10.
The most important thing to remember about a cello is that it takes a few feet of air for the sound to fully develop. If you're not in a situation that requires isolation, I would recommend placing the mic at least two feet away from the front of the instrument, and aiming it in the direction of where the bow meets the strings.
If I were recording a solo cellist, I might also try adding a "distant" mic that is six to ten feet away. When combining the two mics, be careful that you don't get phase cancellation.
A cellist with excellent feel and technique will require very little in the way of EQ, but may need some limiting to avoid unexpected peaks. Compression on a solo cellist would be considered a sin. Reverb should be kept to a minimum, and added in the mix. If you're recording a solo cellist directly to 2 track DAT, I would try adding a little reverb to the live mix. Relax on the situation.
If you find that you do need eq, I would recommend a pinch of 10K for top end, and a pinch of 30 or 60Hz for fattening up the bottom.
• Violin
Recording a solo violin is very straight ahead. Rules of thumb: Use a condenser mic such as the K10 from Karma Audio. Keep at least a couple of feet of distance between the mic and the violin to give it some air. The mic should be above the violin, and looking down at it. EQ should be minimal - if anything, just a little 10K on the top. Use a limiter to catch any unwanted peaks.
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• Recording Keyboards •
• Piano
There are far too many variations on how one might go about recording a piano to cover them all, but here are some of the basics.
Rules of thumb:
1. Condenser mics are preferred by pro engineers.
2. Pianos are usually miced and recorded in stereo, but don't necessarily have to be.
3. Much like recording drums, the sound is greatly affected by the touch of the person playing it, the type of music and register it's being played in, and the overall quality of the piano.
Assuming that you are recording a grand or baby grand piano, the most often used set-up is to record in stereo with two condenser mics of the same make and model. A favorite of pro engineers is the AKG 414 or Karma K25 because of its robust bottom end, and bright, transparent top end. Neumann KM Ms and KM 184s or Karma K10 seem fairly popular as well. Engineers recording classical music are prone to use identical, matched pairs.
For home or project studio recording where the engineer is looking to get great results for far less investment, I recommend the K25. I like to think of it as the poor man's 414. Frankly, they sound pretty darn close.
The best starting point is to place one microphone over the bass strings at a height of 4 to 6 inches, and the other mic over the upper register strings at a matching height. It's important to keep the mics on the same plane to avoid phase cancellation problems. It's also important to keep the mics separated by a distance of a couple of feet to help in avoiding phase problems.
I would recommend using the pad switch on the mics to avoid overloading the console preamps. If the mics you are using don't have pad switches, then use the pad switch on the console. You will find that placing the mics closer to the strings gives you a sound with more attack or edge, while raising the mics up will give a richer, fuller sound with a little less attack.
If you are overdubbing the piano, it's usually preferable to keep the piano lid open to get a more natural, "airy" sound. However, when cutting the piano live with other instruments, it's often necessary to close the lid most of the way to avoid leakage. Most engineers will use gobos or moving blankets to cover the piano opening to further block out any unwanted leakage. Be careful as you are blanketing the piano to not let the blanket move the mic stands or boom arms.
If you are looking to get a sound with a great deal of attack, you may want to try placing both mics nearer the hammers in order to get the attack of the hammers hitting the strings.
Placing your head inside the piano while the pianist is playing the actual part you will be recording (with the lid open), and moving your head around until you hear the sweet spots is a great way to get a good sound, but don't try it if the part being played is loud and could damage your hearing.
It's always a good idea to see where the piano part is being played, and place your mics above those strings. You'll get a more direct sound and find that you'll need less eq both in the recording stage and the mix.
Engineers who are recording classical or new age piano parts will sometimes employ MS or XV micing. Those methods can be very effective, but can be pretty challenging for novice engineers, so I'm not going to cover those methods here.
Many engineers record their piano tracks flat (without eq), and add eq in the mix. If you do record with eq, I would suggest just adding a little bit of top end @ 8 or 10K, while rolling off some bottom on the high end mic. Adding a little upper mids around 4 or 5K to the low end mic might add a little definition and/or "growl" to the low end. Be careful not to add too much in the upper mids to the low end mic, as it may cause that mic to pick up the high end strings a little too much.
Some engineers will limit or compress the piano signal. This is typically done more so on rock and roll parts, and far less on classical parts. Unless you are specifically going for an obviously compressed sound, I would recommend being cautious. A little dab will do ya! Too much compression can be a dangerous thing on a piano, so my advice would be to add it in the mix rather than in the recording.
Just because a piano sounds great in stereo, it doesn't mean that it always sounds best in stereo when in the context of the entire track. Don't be afraid to try a mono piano panned to one side of your mix while balancing it out with a complimentary guitar part panned to the opposite side of the mix. There are times that a mono piano panned at ten or two o'clock can be very effective as well. When going for the middle of the mix, you may want to make sure that the piano part doesn't "step on" the lead vocal's register, making the vocal hard to hear or muddy.
• Synthesizer
Recording a synth is essentially a no-brainer. So much of the sound is "designed" by the player, that you don't really have to do much else to the signal other than avoiding peaks that will break up your mic pre or distort the tape (if you're using tape). It's definitely a good idea to have the player run down the entire part so you can see where the peaks are, and set your threshold and compression ratio accordingly.
If you're recording a bass synth part, you may want to compress it much more than you would a string part. I also recommend using a tube limiter if you have one to warm up the synth.
If you're recording a synth organ (B3, etc.), you may want to set the compressor's ratio at 5:1, but keep the threshold fairly high. By doing that you'll get some nice "natural" dynamics, but be able to slam down any excessive peaks that could cause distortion in any number of places in the recording chain.
Now for the fun stuff. Recording synth strings? Try running the signal out of the control room into the studio or another room, and into a pair of stereo speakers. Then mic the speakers at a distance as if you were micing a real string section. This will give your synthesized strings an airier sound. You can take it a step farther by slightly detuning one side of the signal that goes to the speakers to imitate the natural pitch variances that happen in real string sections. Experimentation is a wonderful thing.
A similar technique can be used to get a more authentic Hammond B3 sound. Place two speakers back to back (or even better, two guitar amps) in the studio. Send the stereo synth signal to the speakers/amps, and mic each side. This will give you the ability to add some "air" to the sound, and if you desire, you can overdrive the amps to add some distortion.
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• Recording Horns •
• Trumpet
Straight ahead, and I mean straight ahead! Pick just about any condenser mic. Pad it at the mic if the mic has a pad switch - if not, pad the mic pre at the console. If the trumpet part is an overdub with no potential leakage issues, then use the mic in omni for best frequency response, and most likely, some improvement in overall sound due to room reflections.
The mic should be placed directly in front of the trumpet's bell at a distance of ten to twenty-four inches. The reason I'm not suggesting closer than ten inches is that you increase the chance of distortion, and the sound coming off the horn's bell will be better with a little distance between it and the mic.
It's recommended that you use a limiter to catch any nasty peaks. Some engineers will throw heavy compression on a solo trumpet, then steep it in reverb with a long decay for an effect.
EQ will most likely be minimal. I do recommend using a high-pass filter if you have one. It's always a good idea to roll off bottom end if the instrument you are recording doesn't have any bottom end. Why muddy things up with air conditioning noise?! If you use a mic that's naturally bright, you probably won't need any additional eq. If you do need any eq, my guess would be just a smidge on the top end - +2@ 8 or 10K.
• Saxophone
A tenor sax can be a beautiful instrument to record. It's rich with all kinds of tones. The secret (like most horns) is to not get too close to the bell. Use the resonance of the whole horn to get a nice full sound. Condenser mics are favored, and most engineers use one mic placed about two feet away from the horn, and aimed at the keys. You'll get the best sound by making sure that the mic's pattern is looking over the top of the sax's bell while aimed at the keys. By doing that, you'll get the sound coming out of the bell combined with the resonance coming off the whole instrument.
As with most horns, judicious use of eq is key. The octave the part is being played in will dictate the overall tone, and where that part fits into the whole track will help you determine if the horn needs any eq. Be careful when eq'ing the sax. It's very easy to over-eq to the point where the sax will step on or mask the lead vocal if the two are happening at the same time. A cool mix trick is to add a couple of db's @1-3K to the vocal, while rolling off a couple at the same frequency on the sax. That will permit a happy coexistence between the two.
It's important to remember that eq'ing an instrument so that it sounds good when listened to it all by its lonesome, may not be the best way to eq at all. EQ is more useful as a tool to make instruments stand out or hide behind other instruments in the track. Therefore, it's always a good idea to check your eq in context.
A saxophone is a great instrument to run through anything with tubes in it. A tube limiter is a wonderful thing on a sax. I prefer to go slightly on the heavy side when limiting or compressing a sax. There are a lot of dynamics in sax parts, and compressing the signal will help the sax cut through in the context of the entire mix. I would recommend cutting with some compression, then add more in the mix if necessary.
Karma K58 or K55 sound great on a sax. So does the K25, but my advice would be to lean toward mics that are warm and not too bright. As with other horns, if you're overdubbing the sax, with leakage not being a concern, put the mic in omni. It'll just sound better.
