Microphone without shrill?

Agirres

New member
Hello,

I'm a Txistu player (an ethnic instrument from Spain). It's a very high-pitched woodwind, something like a piccolo. The problem is, all the microphones I use shrill when I record a song, even in the lowest notes it can play. I'm trying it in the Blue Yeti, I guess it's not the best mic for this, so... what microphone could work with that high pitches? Are these kind of mics too expensive?

Thanks beforehand,
Agirres.
 
Hi there, and welcome to HR!

I guess a good place to start is to ask what microphones you have tried other than the yeti.
There is a trend amongst budget condenser microphones; A lot of them can be quite bright.

Would the volume of this instrument be pretty loud, like a picollo? It's possible your recording is distorting or clipping.
Regardless, the choices of room, microphone and microphone position are probably as important as each other.
The more we know about all three, the better!

Tell us more, with room pics and mp3s if possible! :)
 
I listened to a couple of the videos (very few) with this instrument and it made me think of a tin whistle. When I Google around for info on those, most of the comments are about micing at least a 12"-18" away (300-450mm), and when I can see a mic in tin whistle videos, it looks like that's the distance - more in the 18" range, mostly dead ahead at the height of the (downard pointing) whistle, i.e., more or less in line with the mouthpiece.

The mics appear to be condensers (I'm guessin good quality), but many of the postings about recording also suggest using the same kind of mic you'd record vocals with, like an SM58/57 or other similar dynamic vocal/instrument mics. I'd certainly consider giving something like that a try, as you might be able to borrow one from someone. Good condensers work best in good recording environments, where their ability to capture detail in a performance is not masked by them capturing all kinds of other noises.

And, as [MENTION=43272]Steenamaroo[/MENTION] says, inexpensive (or even moderately expensive from a HR POV) condensers may tend to be bright. Nothing a little EQ can't fix, but it's always nice if you don't have to fiddle with the track much.
 
The sound that the instrument makes is kinda like a loop (when you put the mic next to the speaker). The instrument itself has a multy-scale, so with the pitch depends on how hard you blow. So high notes are usually super loud and high-pitched.

I record myself one meter away with the mic in cardio. The room is not soundproofed, but it's quite small and full of wooden furniture and carpets, so that shouldn't be much of a problem.

I heard that rubber microphones work for this, but I have no idea what those are or which one to choose.

I will upload an MP3 tomorrow!
 
all the microphones I use ..
Again.. what mics?
...I record myself one meter away with the mic in cardio. The room is not soundproofed, but it's quite small and full of wooden furniture and carpets, so that shouldn't be much of a problem.. ..
And yes this could be a significant part of the problem. That's 'peaky sharp high frequency range'+'lots of hard sharp reflections messing with the natural sound of it.

One tack might be an inexpensive ribbon (very smooth sounding) + some gobos around you and the mic ..to attenuate both the reflections coming back into the mic, and.. how much of the instrument banging up into the room in the first place.
Sometimes part of what we perceive as 'mic frequency response' problems, are actually dwell time of the notes ringing' between hard surfaces!
 
The sound that the instrument makes is kinda like a loop (when you put the mic next to the speaker). The instrument itself has a multy-scale, so with the pitch depends on how hard you blow. So high notes are usually super loud and high-pitched.

I record myself one meter away with the mic in cardio. The room is not soundproofed, but it's quite small and full of wooden furniture and carpets, so that shouldn't be much of a problem.

I heard that rubber microphones work for this, but I have no idea what those are or which one to choose.

I will upload an MP3 tomorrow!
1m seems far away unless the room is quite forgiving. Otherwise you're recording a lot of reflections.

Maybe it's a translation issue - do you mean RIBBON microphone? I don't see a real advantage unless you're in a studio. I'd still try a good dynamic a bit closer, like .5m, and compare with the condenser (record at both distances, and adjust gain).

How are you recording, and what kind of record level are you setting in the recorder/DAW?
 
I'm going to go out on a limb here and suggest a Cascade Fathead ribbon mic or one of the other inexpensive ribbon mics. Ribbon mics have little gain, so a Cloudlifter would probably be needed.
 
I'm seeing that ribbon mics have a very small range of frequency. If the instrument is very loud and high-pitched, shouldn't I need a high frequency range?
 
I'm seeing that ribbon mics have a very small range of frequency. If the instrument is very loud and high-pitched, shouldn't I need a high frequency range?
Modern ribbon mics have more than enough frequency range to meet your needs. According to Wikipedia, one advantage they have is a "flatter response at high frequencies." Of course, individual mics will vary, and, as always, the recording space can become the main thing your microphone picks up, but if you have access to a good ribbon, it's worth a try. (Make sure to turn OFF your phantom power before plugging it in!)

But, honestly, it's a whistle you're recording, so I'd want to hear it done with different mic placements in different rooms - heck a clothes closet might be a good place for recording something like that. Then, liberal use of EQ might be all that's really needed, unless your instrument is really stroking the resonant frequency of your particular mic.

Here's my own bit of pedantry for Friday morning... It's always better to understand what the problem is before buying stuff and hoping it will sound better, assuming you have the time and patience to do that. Of course, all you probably want to do is find a way to record yourself playing your txistu in your place and have it sound better. (We all want that :)). But, if you buy mic brand/type X and it accomplishes that, be careful trying to extrapolate that - something a lot of us are often quick to do!

P.S. I'm still curious about your recording setup, levels, etc.
 
How can I share MP3?

I think the ability to attach MP3s is based on post count.

Once, you've passed the threshhold (go give some feedback in the mp3 mixing clinic!), if you click "Go Advanced" to get the full post editor, there's an attachments button (the paper clip)

I think as others have said, your room is going to make a pretty big difference, especially from 1M away from the mic. Have you tried moving the mic around to a few locations to see how that affects it?
 
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