Viola da Gamba and headphones

Marais

New member
I have been recording the viola da gamba for quite a while now. I'm both a sound engineer and performer.
I noticed as this instrument especially is very rich in harmonics it sort of saturates in excellent headphones (Sennheiser for example).
Nothing to do with gain or mixing.

I checked my own recordings against three others one as old as 20 years ago.

Always the same phenomona.

Is the instrument at a certain level causing actual buzzing (not really) in the headphones themselves?

I tried two different pairs always the same.

Not at all the case on a Bose speaker.

Maybe I'm just imagining things.

Very specialized question sorry.

But if anyone has any ideas...
 
You are probably one of few, if not the first person to specifically ask about the Viola da Gamba on this forum...so I don't think you will get a lot of replies...but since it has similarities to a cello...there may be a few people who have recorded that, and they might have some input on your experience.

I think both of these have a lot of low, resonant harmonics and timbre ...and that might be the source of your "problem"...though I think it isn't a problem, more of a reality that you just accept and deal with.

It must sound wonderful though, generally speaking. I love cellos, and have always wanted to work that sound into some Rock/Pop mixes, though my only option has always been samples, never a live recording.
 
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If you want to listen the same is true on my Spotify releases.
Here is the link :
Spotify Web Player - Jonathan Dunford

That's me. Viola da Gamba performer and sound geek.

Let me know if you hear what I'm talking about. My wife who also is a viola da gambist thinks the same as you.

But would love to know what y'all think...
 
But would love to know what y'all think...

You play quite well.
So my fist impression of the Viola da Gamab is that it is similar to the cello, but definitely not the same sound.
It has more "edge" to it, for lack of a better word...and while it does have some pretty low note range, overall it sounds a bit "tenor-ish" compared to a cello.
At least that's my immediate reaction...I may be wrong. I would probably need to hear it side-by-side with a cello.

Is this the music you are trying to get on CD, with that CD printing company?
Good luck with all that...I hope you get it sorted out.
 
Thanks I recorded FOR (as a musician) Universal before. They don't pay streaming royalties. As I am also a computer geek and have diplomas as such I started my own label in 2014. So yes this is for the CD printing company. I decided to upload the files and pay. Easier. I'm making a double album. The first is already released and also has the same vibration phenomona on headphones. Here is one of the first ones that I'm going to release on "the plastic form from last century" :
Spotify Web Player - Jean-Baptiste Cappus: Pieces de Viole - 1730, Vol. 2 - Jonathan Dunford
 
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