best Mic for horns

  • Thread starter Thread starter Nick The Man
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Nick The Man

Nick The Man

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some ska bands want to come over and record soon .. they use trumpets, sax, and trombone


what are the best mics/thecniques/positioning for these instruments

will the basic 57 get the job done?
 
i recently recorded a live gig i did at church, which had a horn section and we just used 57's, i was suprised how good they sound espically the bones, i'll post a clip later for you
 
$a1Ty said:
i recently recorded a live gig i did at church, which had a horn section and we just used 57's, i was suprised how good they sound espically the bones, i'll post a clip later for you
Click to expand...
ok very good .. that makes things easy ... i didnt know if a condensor was called for
 
I would go with a 57 or prefferably a 58 on trumpet. you could also use a small diaphragm condenser for more detail if that's what you want. for placement I would put the mic about 2 feet out, facing the bell of the horn.

Trombone-same

Sax-I would personally use a large diaphragm condenser facing the ring finger of the left hand while in playing position. but, you could also use a cardiod dynamic like the 58 if you don't want as much detail. A nice ribbon mic would be pretty sweet here as well!!!

Jacob
 
Ribbons sound amazing on horns...I use them on horns exclusively....
 
Ive gotten really good results from a royer 121/ senn 421 combo on more than 1 occasion.

Really though the 421 wouldve been suffice.....ive never tried a 57 but im sure it would be fine too.
 
BigRay said:
Ribbons sound amazing on horns...I use them on horns exclusively....
Click to expand...

Amen! There are a number of mics great on horns, Beyer ribbons are relatively bright sounding ribbon mics, yet very smooth and fat.

Another great horn mic is the Sennheiser MD441, much more expensive than the 57/58, much better as well.

For sax I prefer a neutral sounding LDC, but the ribbon and the 441 will do the job like a charm.

Another great advantage is the off axis response of both the Beyer ribbons and the 441.
 
yeah i have this band coming in probbaly just to do a few songs .. so i probably wont spend any money and just stick with the 57
 
I think the concensus in the big time studios is that ribbons just work on brass. If ribbons are not available, the alternative seems to be the best dynamic you have got. If an SM57 is the best dynamic you have, it is probably the best choice. I use mostly SM7B, because it's the best dynamic I have.-Richie
 
Well, I am not a big-time studio, but I am a trumpet player. Hence, I have a ribbon, and I love it.
 
Jacobi1211 said:
I would go with a 57 or prefferably a 58 on trumpet. you could also use a small diaphragm condenser for more detail if that's what you want. for placement I would put the mic about 2 feet out, facing the bell of the horn.

Trombone-same

Sax-I would personally use a large diaphragm condenser facing the ring finger of the left hand while in playing position. but, you could also use a cardiod dynamic like the 58 if you don't want as much detail. A nice ribbon mic would be pretty sweet here as well!!!

Jacob
Click to expand...
Yes A ribbon mic will have a good figure 8 pick-up.Plus it will add a natural warmth to the sax that the other mics can't.
For horn 2 feet away is the perfect placement. You'll heard the dynamics better from there.
 
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