Moderators Lee Knight Posted August 29, 2005 Moderators Posted August 29, 2005 I'm recording Marimba this weekend. Has anyone here had any experience micing this beast? I'd love a tip or 2 regarding mic selection/placement from anyone that's been there... Tom Waits... early Peter Gabriel. Like that.
Moderators Lee Knight Posted August 29, 2005 Author Moderators Posted August 29, 2005 Marimba's pretty popular, eh?
Members doug osborne Posted August 29, 2005 Members Posted August 29, 2005 Kind of like a piano in frequency range, but not dynamics. A couple of matched cardioid mics (high end dynamics or neutral condensors) in your favorite configuration, high enough above the instrument for the sound to bloom. You're meters won't bounce much since so much of the sound is percussive, so don't record with your eyes. Keep your preamp gain reasonably between self noise and room noise.
Members DigitMus Posted August 30, 2005 Members Posted August 30, 2005 Marimbas are LOUD (or they can be, depending on the player, piece, blah, blah blah...) so you don't want to close mic them. This also means the room plays a big role in the sound (hint: don't try to eliminate the room, try to make it sound good). I've had great luck with SDC cardioids in XY or ORTF from about 6ft. out. I've also used spaced omnis - the image was less "focused" but the tone was wonderful. Scott
Members UstadKhanAli Posted August 30, 2005 Members Posted August 30, 2005 I use two small diaphragm condensers in XY fairly high up over the marimbas (at least 3 ft. or more, typically). I move them around a bit until I can get a really nice sound, making an attempt to get the stereo picture as best I can. I often put an LDC in front of the performer, usually between 6-10 ft. back, depending on the room, marimba, player, song, etc. Depending on who is playing the marimba and what kind, the instrument can have a very wide dynamic range, so watch out for that.
Moderators Lee Knight Posted August 30, 2005 Author Moderators Posted August 30, 2005 Kind of what I fiigured. A nice stereo setup picking up a good room. I think I'll start with an ORTF pair 6' up and 6' up in the big room and take it from there... Thanks to everyone for the input. More input is always welcome though... I want to try the Peter Gabriel double tracked, L and R panned thing on this one ... has anyone been there?
Members UstadKhanAli Posted August 30, 2005 Members Posted August 30, 2005 No, haven't tried that with marimba. Should be fun, though.
Members Kendrix Posted August 30, 2005 Members Posted August 30, 2005 Im no help here.Marimbas are one of the reasons I own a sampler.A good marimba is a very expensive instrument.Good luck with the dynamics.
Members UstadKhanAli Posted August 30, 2005 Members Posted August 30, 2005 The only other suggestion I have is to throw up a room mic in addition to the pair. If it helps, great. If not, don't use it. But I've found that it is often quite useful. I'll have the thing about maybe 6-10' back, depending...
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