Keith Sigmon
New member
I have a Korg MK1200 and have been recording with it for a couple of years. I was wondering if any others in the forum record the Harp and if they have any tips they would like to share.
Recording the Harmonica
- Thread starter Keith Sigmon
- Start date
Harvey Gerst
New member
If it's a blues harmonica, play it into a high impedance mic that's plugged into a guitar amp, and then mic the amplifier. If it's for jazz, a mic about 1 foot above and slightly out front should work fine. A variation on 1 is to plug the blues mic directly into the board or go thru a distortion pedal - no amp needed.
SouthSIDE Glen
independentrecording.net
I play crossharp myself. If you are talking a bluesy crossharp, it's not that hard to record if you have the right mic and amp gear, actually. The amount of dirt you gear throws in isn't all that important 
.
Start with an Astatic JT30 handheld, if you can get you paws on on one. If you're not lucky enough to have a vintage capsule like that (and many of us aren't), any kind of handheld bullet will do, even a Shure DX50 Green Bullet, though those are a bit on the big and heavy end of the bullet design, and are a bit on the "modern"-sounding side. They'll still work fine, though. If you can't get your hands around a bullet, you can even use something like a Shure 58 or any other ball mic. The key is you want it handheld so you can get the harp right up to it and so that the player can do his proximity/cupping tricks. A stand-mounted mic at even a couple of inches just won't cut it the same way.
Run that mic into a small, gritty amp; anything from a Pignose on up, frankly, preferbly with a tube or two that can be easily overdriven. Close mic that with Sen421 or a 57 (whichever sounds better for your particular chain) and run it pretty clean into your recorder. You shouldn't need much comp as the cupped mic and overdriven amp combo should be delivering a fairly compressed package as it is. Leave EQ alone unless you need to cut something irritating from the amp itself.
If you're talking more jazz-pop chromatic harp stuff a la Little Stevie, then I'd agree with Harvey's placement front and above the harp; keep it above the breath and the spit LOS of the player
and get a warmer, cleaner sound. You can comp that as necessary (but not too much) and run straight to preamp.
G.
.Start with an Astatic JT30 handheld, if you can get you paws on on one. If you're not lucky enough to have a vintage capsule like that (and many of us aren't), any kind of handheld bullet will do, even a Shure DX50 Green Bullet, though those are a bit on the big and heavy end of the bullet design, and are a bit on the "modern"-sounding side. They'll still work fine, though. If you can't get your hands around a bullet, you can even use something like a Shure 58 or any other ball mic. The key is you want it handheld so you can get the harp right up to it and so that the player can do his proximity/cupping tricks. A stand-mounted mic at even a couple of inches just won't cut it the same way.
Run that mic into a small, gritty amp; anything from a Pignose on up, frankly, preferbly with a tube or two that can be easily overdriven. Close mic that with Sen421 or a 57 (whichever sounds better for your particular chain) and run it pretty clean into your recorder. You shouldn't need much comp as the cupped mic and overdriven amp combo should be delivering a fairly compressed package as it is. Leave EQ alone unless you need to cut something irritating from the amp itself.
If you're talking more jazz-pop chromatic harp stuff a la Little Stevie, then I'd agree with Harvey's placement front and above the harp; keep it above the breath and the spit LOS of the player
and get a warmer, cleaner sound. You can comp that as necessary (but not too much) and run straight to preamp.G.