Microphone recommendations for recording classical violin?
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Posted on Apr 05, 2008 08:39 pm
sinoslav
Member Since: Apr 05, 2008
I'm new to home recording and am looking for recommendations for a good microphone to use for recording classical violin. The price range I had in mind is a few hundred dollars, though I don't mind investing more in good equipment.
Many thanks!
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Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Apr 06, 2008 05:31 pm Welcome to HRc first off.
I'll ask one question though as well. What type of room would you be recording in? There are several different mic's that can be used but some are going to be dependent on the room you are recording in.
Apr 06, 2008 07:55 pm I have two main options as to the room: either a 12x12 room with an 8' ceiling or a larger room (~20'x25') with a vaulted ceiling going up to about 16 feet. Both rooms have hardwood floors so they are somewhat lively.
Many thanks for your help!
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Apr 06, 2008 08:21 pm I guess I should have asked this in my first post as well. One thing is that a Condenser mic is going to be your best choice to capture the best quality sound. But that also requires a bit more to get the mic into your recording device.
Which brings up the other question, what are you going to be recording into, PC, digital recorder, etc..?
The reason I ask is if you are going into the PC you will need a microphone pre amp to not only bring the mic to line level but to supply the condenser with the 48 volt phantom power it needs to operate.
That can actually be supplied by a small mixer or a dedicated pre amp unit.
But both rooms sound like they would be wonderful. For the larger room you might consider a large diaphragm condenser to capture a bit of the room itself which can really add to the sound you get. But as well you can use a small diaphragm as well which will cut out a little of the room ambiance. As well in the small room I would go just the opposite, a small diaphragm first choice but the LDC would work as well if the room has good sound to it.
BeerHunterwww.TheLondonProject.caMember
Since: Feb 07, 2005
Apr 07, 2008 12:25 pm On paper the 20x25 will be better to record in. The 12x12x8 is a troublesome room mode.
Apr 07, 2008 02:00 pm Definitely the larger room would be better. If it's furnished, even better. Parallel walls can be a bit of a problem so, anything to break that up a bit is good. I would try and find a used SM81 pencil condenser or if you need to rent, an AKG C414.
Of course there are a million mics to try. You could go all out and find a Geffel but they are expensive. You could even try a Sennheiser 441 Shotgun mic(dynamic). I know at least a few that might try a Ribbon mic but those require a lot of gain and if you don't have a very good quality preamp, you're going to end up banging your head over the amount of noise you'll get from these cheaper preamps.
What will probably make more of a difference is your mic placement. I would try one mic between 1 and 3 feet away from the violin body. If you use more than one mic you'll start running into problems with phase.
Edit: I earlier stated that the Senn. MD 421 was a shotgun. OOPS! Typo. I meant the Sennheiser 441.
BeerHunterwww.TheLondonProject.caMember
Since: Feb 07, 2005
Apr 07, 2008 02:30 pm +1 on the 414. Place that sucker about 3 feet away in a circle pattern.
Apr 08, 2008 01:17 am Thanks so much everyone for the suggestions. I was planning on recording into a PC or Mac, and so yes I'll need a pre-amp as well. Does the choice of pre-amp depend a lot on the specific microphone?
I see listings for the SM81 at around $350 -- that is within the price range I'm game for. Any suggestions for a good pre-amp for that mic, or for other mic's within that range for that matter?
Many thanks once more to everyone.
Apr 08, 2008 04:19 am It really depends on your budget. You will need a preamp/recording interface. I have heard remarkable recordings with an Apogee Duet. It is however Mac only, so you'd have to take that into consideration.
www.apogeedigital.com/products/duet.php
A budget and some system specs would help.
The type of preamp really depends on the kind of sound you are looking for. Clarity can be found in both Tube and Solid State preamps. Color in both as well. At this point however, I think it would be best to get a preamp that also acts as an analogue to digital converter like the duet. Pluging a preamp into a cheap soundcard will not do your recording any justice.
Mics are so varied. It would be difficult to cover all the possibilities. At under $500 though, you'll find that most of them are in the same range sonically as well. There may be differences in tone and color but essentially you won't find anything that stands out well beyond the others.
Rode NT1 or NTK, Studio Projects C1 or T3, a used C414. Don't be put off by getting a used mic. As long as you can test it, you should be ok. Our local Long and McQuade sells used gear all the time. I love to scour the pawn shops as well. Unfortunately musicians tend to live up to their label as "starving". Fortunately, I have a day job. LOL.
Apr 10, 2008 11:38 pm I have a PC at home but also may have access to a Mac, and I'd like to keep the total cost of mic + preamp at below $1000. The Apogee Duet looks great though I guess it would limit me to using my Mac which is not always at home. Are there similar types of high-quality integrated preamp/recording interfaces ("breakout boxes"?) that can do either PC or Mac?
Thanks again for the advice!
Apr 12, 2008 12:41 pm It all depends in your budget, but ill say that if budget is not an issue ill go with the Neumann M149 or the Schoeps Mk4 or a B&K mic.
In a more limited budget ill go with the AKG 414.
Although i think the SM81 is a good mic its worth mentioning that its not really a condenser mic but an electret mic and the sound quality is not the same as a good conderser mic although the price is very attractive
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Apr 12, 2008 08:55 pm I have to jump in here and state that the M-Box is NOT a high end interface by any stretch of the imagination. High priced, yes but not high end at all.
High end will be something along the lines of the Apogee Duet which is a Mac only interface and is one killer clean interface.
The M-Box is nothing more the any other kit with those features and the specs are a little out of wack. We have tested a pair of them at another studio and the quality is very low and the specs given on the unit are a complete shambles. Neither unit we tested came close to hitting the specs they list. I wouldn't give $250.oo for that unit.
I must agree with the UltraLite unit from MOTU though. That is a killer high end interface with plenty of options and an interface I would put up against the Apogee pieces as far as AD/DA is concerned.
Apr 12, 2008 10:07 pm Quote:
the M-Box is NOT a high end interface by any stretch of the imagination.
I agree with you, the M-box is not a high-end interface, what i found with the cheap digi interfaces (which are not cheap at all) is that their main problem are the AD converters, i've tested m-boxes and digi's 002 and 003, and the main problem i found as i said are the AD converters, weird things happen, for example i was once recording a jazz band and a high peak entered a channel, protools didnt turned the clip light on although the peak meter was very close to clip.
When analysing the waveform in the place i saw that high peak, the waveform looked "squared" just like a clip eventhough the software didnt recognized the clip, my conclusion: Digidesign's cheap interfaces have cheap A/D's, but what makes me angry is that the price of their products are not by anymeans cheap, at least they could upgrade their A/D's instead of just ripping you off.
