Recording SAX

  • Thread starter Thread starter Nakatira
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Nakatira

Nakatira

That Norwegian Bastard
I`m recording and alto-sax quite soon.

The mikes I have on hand are Neumann U87, shure sm 57,58, akg D12 , mxl 603 and v67g and last SP b1.

wich would you choose, I`m leaning towards the Neuman, just because I dig it on everything:D
 
gecko zzed said:
Well . . . my leaning would be towards the Neumann.

Having said that, the choice you make depends on the match between mike and instrument.

This is a short sample of a jazz quintet, featuring sax, I recorded recently:

http://www.box.net/shared/ggi08h0122

The mike on the sax?

A Behringer C2
Click to expand...

how did you get such a good sax sound with the c-2? like what preamp did you use, and what software? did you eq it? reverb? no-fx? anything? I record my school band and I have 2 c-2s and would like to know as much as possible!
 
And now for something completely different...

gecko,
Very nice. I really like that groove, and the sax sound is great.

Here's something completely different - way out in left field, but I still like it after 7 years. We recorded this sax in an old warehouse with concrete walls... used a Shure SM-58 in the bell and an LDC (likely an AT, but I can't remember exactly what we used) - the LDC was about 6-7' away from the player and caught all these crazy reflections from the concrete warehouse. I think we messed with a tap delay on top of that - the sax guy was going for a really airy, over-the-top thing: http://soundclick.com/share?songid=7516374
 
Out of what you have, I'd probably go for the Neumann, although the 67g would be worth a try as it is, IMHO, somewhat of a dark mic for a LD condenser. I usually use either an AEA R84 or an RE20 (or both with the R84 back away from the horn - mix to taste).
 
tojo said:
how did you get such a good sax sound with the c-2? like what preamp did you use, and what software? did you eq it? reverb? no-fx? anything? I record my school band and I have 2 c-2s and would like to know as much as possible!
Click to expand...

I bought the C2s just for the hell of it, because they are so cheap. I discovered by accident that they make really good instrument mikes . . . way better than, say, your standard SM57.

I recorded this quintet live, and I'd used my only pair of NT5s for the kit overheads, so I threw a C2 on the sax to see what happened. We were all surprised! The mike wasn't placed anywhere in particular, maybe a bit above the bell but pointing towards it . . . precise placement was a bit fanciful because the sax player moves around a lot!

As for pre-amps . . .everything went through my Behri desk because of its routing capabilities. No EQ, no nothing, on the way in. From desk to Firepod, from Firepod to Logic.

For mixing, I have a 3db cut on around 3500 hz (but fairly wide).

For reverb, I have this thing at the moment for using a very large room size, but only a small amount of reverb. This seems to gerenate a nice sense of fullness without being overwhelming. It's a Timeworks plug-in which I got when I got Logic in the mid-nineties.

Generally my gear is nothing to boast about. Half of it is budget cheap, the other half is falling apart. But I've got a sweet room that's acoustically kind to me.
 
KineticSound said:
gecko,
Very nice. I really like that groove, and the sax sound is great.

Here's something completely different - way out in left field, but I still like it after 7 years. We recorded this sax in an old warehouse with concrete walls... used a Shure SM-58 in the bell and an LDC (likely an AT, but I can't remember exactly what we used) - the LDC was about 6-7' away from the player and caught all these crazy reflections from the concrete warehouse. I think we messed with a tap delay on top of that - the sax guy was going for a really airy, over-the-top thing: http://soundclick.com/share?songid=7516374
Click to expand...

It's certainly strikingly unusual . . .and as you say . . . very airy and over the top . . . a great example of using a difficult room and FX to create a unique sound.
 
gecko zzed, do you use logic for software to record? That's what i'm on .,.. logic express 8
 
tojo said:
gecko zzed, do you use logic for software to record? That's what i'm on .,.. logic express 8
Click to expand...

I use Logic . . . but it's an older version (5.1). It's the last version of Logic before it was taken over and became Mac only. So I am running it on XP.
 
I have abuttload of cheapo mics and I like my V67 the best by far for recording my sax. Has a nice full rich sound.

However, I don't have a neuman so I've never gotten to try something like that at home.
 
If you have a Neumann U87 why even ask? Sorry, someone hadda say it. My wife plays alto & clarinet at the studio used a Neumann TLM 103 for a cd she played on. You can hear some here: http://www.myspace.com/fredyargirmusic

We are using a Naiant X-S clip on as well as an MXL V63M for jazz stuff we are working on at home. I may try the Behri C-2 after hearing gecko zzed's sample.
 
the guy's got a voice after my own heart . . . i love that gravelly stuff!

I thought the arrangement was a bit cluttered, but the song is cool.

the clarinet and sax have nice cameo roles, and they sound pretty good to me. I note, though, that this arrangement doesn't demand a highly detailed woodwind sound. I didn't get the chance to listen the whole way through so I hope I didn't miss a set of stunning woodwind solos!
 
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