How to record percussion (bongos)

K

Kroduscul

New member
So, I've been having trouble getting a good bongo sound... Mostly, some pretty heavy plosives due to air coming off of the drum surface. I've been using an Audio-Technica AT2021, angled down at about 45 degrees. I've been messing with mic distances and such, but even moving the mic up a foot or so still picks up some of the air ricochet. Either way, this distance just isn't gonna pick up what I need it to (I'd prefer a more up close and detailed sound). I've tried an SM7 at close proximity with the built-on windscreen which works fine for plosives, but I'm not a fan of the flat frequency response on these drums. I really need the high-frequency boost from the AT2021 condenser. That's what makes it so great for overheads, hi-hats, and especially percussion, except for this one problem...
 
Try micing the edge where the head meets the shell at an angle. Start @ 45 degrees and modify to suit.
 
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Bongos are rarely troublesome? Have you a clip we can listen to? Rick's advice is the norm, as the mic is above the hands so any wind they cause goes out horizontally, and the mic isn't in the airflow. Thinking back, I don't think I've ever used a condenser? Is there much output above 10K or so? I must admit I have never considered bongos as a sound source that has extensive overtones? Air at a foot away might bother a condenser directly in the airflow? Have you tried a hairy cover? They work pretty well? I think you've created a unique problem to solve we've never come across before?
 
Never had this problem and have used all kinds of mics from large condensers to the good old sm57. Post a photo or better still a video of what’s going on.
 
Bongos come as a pair. You'll need 2 mics to close mic them.
You will have hands and knees all over the place.
How you play them will impact on how you mic them.
I'd try the mic at a distance.
 
I record bongos and congas fairly regularly and I've never had an insurmountable problem recording them. Like Alan, I've used condensers and dynamics and put the mics in all different parts of the room and at different heights if I'm going high. You can close mic, but you have to be fairly deft in your touch, and not thwack them too hard. they're an instrument that takes skill to play, they're not just something to be smacked.
 
Don't forget to ensure your bongs are properly tuned. I use 2x 57's on a stereo bar run through a tube preamp and a tube compressor. Great results.
 
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