harp recording (from a beginner)

[mui]

I was wondering if anyone has had experience mic'ing solo harps, both pedal and lever/celtic. Did you mount the microphone inside or outside or both? Any suggestions for sub $200 microphones? My specific application will be for jazz harp.

I am just getting started in recording, so any and all suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Mui

 

[Prism]

I recorded a friend playing a Celtic harp during Christmas 2000... I am not happy with the sound, and I believe that it is because the room had too much carpeting and other absorptive objects. It had no "life," if you take my meaning...it was very dull. I tend to think that some good small diaphragm condenser mics (Marshall 603s?) in a stereo pattern would work well in a good sized room with little or no carpeting, no bookcases and such, but with some diffusers or some sort of paneling on the walls or around the performer so you don't get a lot of reflection.

Isaiah

 

[Harvey Gerst]

Recording solo harp is a bitch - your signal chain has to be very clean - and very quiet. I've used the Shure SM-81's before and those worked very well. When I do it again, I'll probably try the Marshall MXL-603S's (from about a 4' to 6' distance), or the Behringer ECM8000's (in pretty close). Some points to consider:

The pedals can be noisey, so getting the mics about 6 feet in the air or more can definitely help. Put the harpist on a 4' x 4' square of plywood to direct some of the sound up in the air. Try both X/Y, ORTF, NOS, and even wide A-B spacings to see which works best in your room.

Also, try putting the harpist in the long corner of the room to cut down some of the other room nodes, and then adjust the mic distance, to balance out the one major node you've created (by putting it in the corner).

What didn't work well was the Neumann TLM-103, an AKG 414BULS, an AKG C3000, EV CS-15, and just about every other mic in my damn locker. The woman brought 3 different concert size harps and a medium Celtic harp to the studio.

It took a whole day just to decide on the mics and the placement. Good luck; jazz harp will probably be a little easier, but not much.

 

[Whyte Ice]

The shure 545 series mics are good for recording harps. The ones with the low/high impedance switch on it.

 

[Michael Jones]

I don't know if this will help with a harp, but here's a link on microphone basics, applications, and techniques. It's quite informative, especially the "Basic Concepts" portion.
http://www.audiotechnica.com/using/mphones/worship/index.html

 

[garf]

Definitely useful...
--thanks