how to record a harmonica?

[littleredboats]

any ideas? condensor/dynamic? placement?

recording tomorrow and i've no idea how to record it properly!

thanks peoples

tom x

 

[SouthSIDE Glen]

A lot depends upon the type of music and - especially - on the harp player. You really need to talk to him/her first. If you're talking blues harp, I'd be surprised if the player didn't bring his own mic with him, probably in some form of bullet mic or other gritty-sounding dynamic that they'll cup in their hand right up to the harp himself, no stand desired or required. Also, with such a blues harp setup, typically you want to run that mic into some kind of small, gritty tube amp and then mic that amp with something simple like an SM57.

If they don't have their own mic with them, just give them a dynamic of a style that they'll be comfortable holding. Some prefer a ball mic like a 58, some prefer something not quite so fat, most probably won't care much because they can hold on to just about anything.

If it's chromatic/folk-style or country melodic harmonica, then they might or might not go the hand-held route and prefer to play to a stand. If so, just about anything that won't make the high end brittle will work, but you want to set the stand and mic to fit two conditions: one where the player is not necessarily blowing directly into it but rather just above or below it, and can do so at a head angle that's comfortable for that player (some like holding their chin up, other like burying their chin in their chest, many are somewhere in the middle.)

G.

 

[tmix]

SSG nailed it.
I just got through recording the Folk Singer / Guitarist / Harmonica type gig and a Decent condensor worked great. He played with it around his neck on a holder so he could play guitar and sing too. I set up the mic to where he sung straight out and the mic was just slightly higher than his mouth, when the harmonica was played it just below the mic.

If he was to be the gritty player a lot of them like playing into a bullet type dynamic, even into a guitar amp with some tube grit going on.

 

[austin.kursave]

I've personally had great results recording harmonica through a Rode NTK. It's a tube mic and it really gives the harmonica more of a desirable tone IMO. Sometimes if not mixed right they can tend to be rather annoying and tinny sounding. My 2 cents.

 

[SouthSIDE Glen]

Sometimes if not mixed right they can tend to be rather annoying and tinny sounding. My 2 cents

Again, a lot depends upon the genre.

For most rock or blues, if a harp sounds annoying and tinny, it's 99.99% the player's fault. As a harp play myself, I personally would never want to play to any side-address condenser - even though I agree the NTK is a decent mic. Much of the warmth and fatness of sound from blue/rock harmonica comes from the fact that the microphone is inside the player's cupped hands. Combine that with someone who really blows the harp and not just tentatively breathes through it and you get a big, fat sound inside that cup. You can mic it from the outside, but it just won't be quite the same.

Of course if it's just someone breathing "close enough harp" as an accompaniment to himself, then yeah, the harmonica IS a very tinny (and usually annoying) instrument. This is why I suggested selecting a mic that doesn't have a brittle high end. For example, while the NTK may have worked fine (I never tried one for harp myself) I most definitely wold not recommend an NT1 or most other cheap condensers which will just shrill the sound even more.

G.