How do I record a harp

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tvolhein

Tom Volhein
I have a dead room, so no room sound. It is a pedal harp.

I have Shure KSM44's and Rode NT5's.

I would like to have just one track.

What is the best mic placement for recording the harp?

Thanks

t
 
there's no one size fits all answer to this, there's a lot of options, M/S, spaced pair, omni or cardiod e.t.c, it's just as complex as recording piano.
 
Indeed. And then there are a number of room miking options and PZMs (pressure zone microphone).
It's easiest to throw up an condenser about 3' in front of the harp and 1/2 way up the longest string where the best listening position is (Use your ears to find the position and place the mike). It's better to add a spaced (18-20") pair 1' above the harp's height and 1' in front of the condenser (to capture the stereo imaging). It's best to add a PZM from one side or the other to gain some subtle nuances that you can blend in to taste.
 
If you have two nt5's use my better method and see what you get. Make sure the spaced pair point straight back or there's phase issues. If you want a single track, record three and mix down. Can't go wrong with more options. Unless you only have one input for a microphone...
 
I almost always start with something (usually a LDC, but perhaps a SDC) about a foot off the middle of the soundboard on one side (the side that the player prefers) and go from there. Another a few feet back probably wouldn't suck... One low on the board and one high... There are a few options there.
 
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