Micing a Djembe with a C-ducer mic

S

SmattyG

New member
So, I began the process of trying to mic my Djembe last night to no avail. I tried using a few condensers (c3000,at4040, and a c1000) and none of those worked... tried a dynamic stage mic that I have (similar to a beta58) but that didn't sound too great either.

At the local recording shop, they recommended a C-Ducer mic above everything else. Apparently, it's similar to an acoustic guitar pickup, and the guy seemed really sure that it would sound great just by taping it onto the outside of the drum. Apparently, it should be able to pick up all of the sounds of the drum... He also said that he has done piano recordings using two of these, and that they sounded absolutely great. Does anyone here have any experience with these that can confirm these claims?
 
Give it a shot

I heard one on a piano--it sounded OK but not great.

If you use the C-ducer, I would add a close in condenser to fill in what it misses--that could work really well. While the C-ducer will capture sounds of the drum, I think the condenser will be needed to capture the sounds of the hand on the drum.

If that doesn't work, try the condensers again, but get them very close. It's a hard intrument to capture!
 
I guess that my only concern, is that for the $360 canadian that it will cost, I might just be better off getting a proper mic for the situation... That is also a good point about capturing the sound of the hand. I also have a feeling that it will not be able to capture the large amount of bass that comes out the bottom of the drum.

Anyone else have any experience with these?
 
I recorded a smaller djembe with a 57 about 3 inches above the drumhead, and a BETA-52 on its back inside the drum.

I've also used a single SD condensor about a foot from the edge of the drum, in front.


You really need an excellent room for ethnic percussion, I've found


(too bad a don't have one :( )

-Chris
 
Chris, which of those combinations got you the better sound? Also, is the beta-52 a kick mic? I was thinking that something like that might be a good idea... Jeez, I really hope that I don't need to start looking at finding the right room! That would be tough.. esspecially since I use a PC so my recording setup is not all that portable :(
 
I would try any kick mic as they are "tuned" with lows and highs in mind. Try it up and out a few inches from the top head.

Hopefully Rimshot will be along soon as he is somewhat of a world percussion "guru".
 
what chrisjob said should work. a 421 or d112, atm25?(the at kick mic) on the bottom could also do it.

Actually try the 4040 on the bottom, and 1000 or 3000 on top. The top mics is to capture the slaps and overall high tones, and obviously the bottom for the lows, and Djembe 's do have lows.
So you want to kill most of the lows on the top mics with low cuts if they have them.

It depends on what you are trying to do, if for percussion only you want a little more low end, if its for a full band mix, you want less lows and focus more on the highs, but try to get some lows for overall tone just so it doesn't sound like bongos. Just get a good balance.

You have to move the mics around to find the sound you want.Is the Djembe on a stand , or a sitting position.
Also you can try to have the djembe position with either going out of a corner or into a corner. You may have to play with the distance from the corner, try not to get too close. But it really matters on what "sound" you trying to capture. Is it for rocknroll, or african tribe ensemble, dance class tape?

You never said what the recording room is like, and that coul make a world of difference.

IMO you should'nt have to buy another mic, what you have should be fine
Good luck , let us know how it goes.


Tony
 
Thanks letterq, I am a djembe player and I've had a lot of experience mic'ing djembes. You can't do it effectively with one mic.
----Ideally---------
This is what you'd use if money is no object:

1.) AKG C414 or another awesome condenser large diaphram flat pattrn mic aimed at the head

2.)a great kick mic at the throat. Either a Sennheisser 441, an Audix D6, an ATM25, an AKG D112. or an EV E20. The Beta 52 will concentrate on the lows too much.

----In a less than perfect world----

1.) a good flat response dynamic like the SM57 that can handle broad ranges well. (It'll be okay until you get to the booming lows)

2.) a kick mic (You really need a kick mic at the throat) an AT Pro 25, a CAD KBM412. don't reccommend the PG52 because it isn't flat.

The dynamics of mic'ing a djembe are very different from other drums. They have an incredible range from a sharp piercing slap that will drown out a snare drum
to a deep resonant bass that will rival a big kick drum and every frequency in between. You don't just want to concentrate for bass below and highs above, you want some range to come through on both mics. It wouldn't be out of the question to use a room mic as well to capture the full body of its very distinct tone.

Unless of course you are using a Remo djembe and they sound more like a marriage between a doumbek and a conga. The slaps just aren't there and they ring terribly.

-Jeff
 
I've always mic'ed Djembe with dual mics. Usually a 57 up top and a kick mic below, although the best sound was with a Sennheiser E 604 up top and a kick mic (I believe that it was a Shure but I can't remember exactly) underneath .
 
One idea is to record it outside, almost all africans play their djembes outside. Its supposed to sound that way ;)

Anyway, almost all of the sound is in the player. A great player is very easy to record. Great djembeplayers can get incredible sounds out of pretty much any djembe in any condition. Trust me, I studied djembe in west africa for some time (a very nice experience btw)

Other than that, the other guys advice were pretty much spot on... :)
 
I have a little experience with Djembe (Rimshot's my drummer), and I think it's just a word. A small djembe is a far cry from one of the big suckers. First, the room is key. A low hard ceiling will reverberate like all hell. The first time I heard Rimshot's slap on that monster in my live room, I almost peed my pants! First, I stuck him in a heavily treated vocal booth with 10" of fiberglass insulation covered with Auralex foam over his head. That helped *a lot*.
I put a Shure SM7B on the head, positioned like a snare mic, and an AKG D112 about 4" out from the throat. Remember to reverse the phase on one of the mics. Basically, you can use any good dynamic, padded like a mother, on the head, and any good kick mic on the throat, where almost all the bass comes out.
Most importantly, the space has to be heavily conditioned, or the whole room will ring like a bell. The smaller the Djembe is, the easier it will get. For cheap, I would try an SM57 on the head and an AT pro 25 or similar kick mic on the throat. Good luck.-Richie

P.S.- even with a 20 dB pad on the mic and a 20dB pad on the pre, my C414 isn't getting anywhere near that monster. You know those talking drums that are used to transmit messages up to 18 miles on a clear day? That Djembe is it. Also, I believe that anyone who thinks you can capture this with one mic on the outside of the body is full of shit.-Richie
 
Nice, awesome bunch of responses!

Well, the room I'm using right now sucks unfortunately for acoustics, so I'm just trying to avoid picking up any ambient sounds.

I went into the store with my drum and tested out the c-ducer as well. Interesting results: It had really nice frequency pickup, but it did not capture the nuances of sounds that your hands make on the head. It also had a weird seashell sound (like the sound you hear when you listen to the world through a peice of PVC pipe), because we ended up putting the mic inside the drum to get a good sound. So, it sounded a bit weird, but once we miced it with a 57 on the top, the combined sound was awesome!!

Since the c-ducer is pretty expensive, I am going to try to get a good sound without it... I just picked up a 57, and I'm going to try that on top in combination with the C1000 on the bottom (which sounded 'not bad') when I tried it. If it's not working well enough, I'll either go get a kick mic, or grab the c-ducer. One thing about the c-ducer that's nice, is that it sticks to the instrument, which is great for live stuff because there is no mic positioning to worry about, and it can't get knocked over!

Oh, and btw, I was playing outside yesterday, and it sounds great like that... It's almost like you don't want to hear any reverb on it: it already has lots of it's own 'ring' because of the large chamber. Of course recording outdoors can be a bit of a problem....
 
Jonkan,
Yay, another djembeplayer!
With whom did you study in West Africa and which country? Most of my study has been with Malinke masters and a couple of Susu masters from Guinea. I have also studied with a couple of Senegalese masters. All here in the states. Mamady Keita and Fomadou Konate travel here yearly to give workshops which I take. Laurent Camara now lives in Conn and has taught in NY (I've studied with him also). For a couple of years I worked with Madou Dembele, he is awesome. When I first started I studied with "Papa" Ladji Camara, and Sanga of the Valley and then I got to know Michael "Babatunde" Olatunji. (We were doing a performance benefit for him at the very time that he passed on at Eiselin Institute, it was kind of prophetic).
BTW, I also play Middle Eastern drums and of course I play drumkit.

-Jeff
 
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