Recording/Micing a Cajon

W

WillyWoosta

New member
Hello, I am new to this site and I am new to recording in general. I've been playing the cajon for a couple of months now and I want to start recording with my band. I have looked at other posts on this subject and there doesn't seem to be a definite answer. All I want to do is to be able to record clear sound with, preferably, just one mic. An example would be from Daniel Manzano in Boyce Avenue in their cover of Fix You. If you skip to about 2:45 you can hear him playing and, to me, it sounds perfect. I'm not totally sure what kind of condenser mic I need and where I would need to place it, but if someone could lead me in the right direction that would be great. My price range is around $150-200.

Will
 
Hey, our drummer uses Cajon at live gigs in smaller venues and we've had good success using an AKG D11 at the rear sound hole but when we started taking him into studio (we're making a demo) I decided to add a Røde M3 on the front to capture the crispness and as he also plays foot tambourine we get a nice round balanced natural sound. The M3's are €77 each off thomann, they don't sell the D11 anymore but if you check it out you might get the two used in your price range :)
 
I do a lot of live and recording of the cajon and the Shure Beta 91 is the way to go. Just set it inside on a piece of foam and your all set.

LQQK HERE for used and new.
 
I'm not totally sure what kind of condenser mic I need and where I would need to place it
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I don't think I've ever used a condenser on a cajon in 30 years. Maybe as a distant mic... But the "meat" was almost always from a 57, RE20, SM7b or M88 right in the hole. Maybe a slight preference towards the M88. And probably a 57 on the outside...
 
Massive Master said:
I don't think I've ever used a condenser on a cajon in 30 years. Maybe as a distant mic... But the "meat" was almost always from a 57, RE20, SM7b or M88 right in the hole. Maybe a slight preference towards the M88. And probably a 57 on the outside...
Click to expand...



That's what I usta use before going to the Beta 91
 
Hi WillyWoosta, glad you like the Boyce Avenue cajon sound. I know this thread is older, but figured I would responded anyway since I record the Boyce Avenue stuff. For a cajon, I use a stereo pair of audio technics 4060's and I put a sennheiser mic in the rear. I use Neve 1073's and a Tubetech LCA2b compressor on the 4060's. I have a video on youtube detailing the mic's and setup I use.

Hope this helps
adaM barbeR

youtube.com (slash) adamwbarber
 
Using a Shure Beta91a condenser boundary mic on a Cajon

I've used lots of mics on a cajon. The dullest response came from dynamic mics like the RE-20 and MD421. The best, full range response was with condensers, such as an AKG Perception 400 large diaphram. But the solution I've just discovered that is the easiest to use with best results is a boundary condenser mic called the Shure Beta91a. It looks like this:

750-Beta91A_detail2.jpg


I place this inside the cajon on the bottom, facing the front where the player taps the instrument. It requires phantom power from the recording device. Here is a sound sample recorded directly into a Zoom H6. I had the mic's mid-cut switch enabled as this produces a tighter, less boxy recording. In post, I applied light compression of 2.2:1 and used a hi-pass of 75Hz. This solution produces great results. AND there is no mic/mic stand that is so easy for the percussionist to accidentally hit or knock over as they're playing -- particular since players often tilt the cajon backward as they play.

 
Not bad at all man! I would still use another mic outside to capture the details in the high end myself.
 
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