Recording violin

I can barely squeak noise out of my fiddle, but when I recorded it, I just backed off from an LDC about a foot and hit the record button!
 
From what I have gleaned from forums over the years the violin, above all other instruments needs a large room otherwise it sounds like you are strangling a cat.

I would try to get on good terms with a church or chapel. And, DON'T forget to tip the caretaker!

As ever, www.soundonsound.com will have a back article, probably more than one.

Dave.
 
The violin on this track was recorded with an AT 853 just above the violin.



More recently, I've been using the black Rode NT1 with great results
 
I'm with the others. Direct sound without a nice room is rarely good without treatment. I've done a few ELO tribute live shows, and the small condensers clipped on sound brash and hard, but with the low mids up a bit and the HF backed off and some darker medium reverb the sound can be quite 'real'.

My own trick/tip is to listen to the violin in your recording space and categorise it into warm/cold, hard/soft, mellow/brash and then use a small condenser on the warm/soft/mello instruments and a dynamic on the hard/brash/cold ones.

You also need tact and diplomacy as few violinists have really heard how their instrument sounds to an audience, only that weird close perspective they get when playing. as a result when they hear your carefully captured recording they can be quite scathing. NOT as bad as trumpet and trombone players, but similar.
 
rob aylestone said:
I'm with the others. Direct sound without a nice room is rarely good without treatment. I've done a few ELO tribute live shows, and the small condensers clipped on sound brash and hard, but with the low mids up a bit and the HF backed off and some darker medium reverb the sound can be quite 'real'.

My own trick/tip is to listen to the violin in your recording space and categorise it into warm/cold, hard/soft, mellow/brash and then use a small condenser on the warm/soft/mello instruments and a dynamic on the hard/brash/cold ones.

You also need tact and diplomacy as few violinists have really heard how their instrument sounds to an audience, only that weird close perspective they get when playing. as a result when they hear your carefully captured recording they can be quite scathing. NOT as bad as trumpet and trombone players, but similar.
Click to expand...
Luckily, this is really just an accent part for a 'John Denver' type of pop tune for a client. It's not a solo violin type of thing. Cello would work better for the song, but this will be fun.

I just have never had the opportunity to record a violin.

Thanks to all of you for the advice! 8-)
🤘
 
It’s hard to do it very badly to be fair, but the worst case is a violin, usually a real student one, or oddly some very old ones that seem to have a real hump in the frequency response, and discovering your only mic has one in exactly the place!
 
I have recorded quite a bit of violin thanks to my Brother being a wonderful Violinist and the fact we had a Jazz/Celtic Band for over 12 years.
All the suggestions sound promising under the noted conditions.
I will just add, that for me recording with a more warm-ish mic works best if closer miked from above (ribbons work wonderfully)
But don't forget to try recording from slightly below the bottom (maybe 6-12 inches) of the violin about one foot beyond the headstock.
This works well for layering background tracks and has the added bonus of the Violinist not having to feel like they have avoid the overhead mike.
It gives a less honky-shrill sound and a little more body.
This may not be your "go-to" position but I have found it useful often, particularly if I use a second room mic that is above the violin and several feet away.
 
Yeah, some space is best between the violin and mic, or the kind of indirect, beneath method just posted can be tried. Overhead can be challenging depending on the bowing technique of the player, but I've found it works well. Getting a standing violinist to stay in one place can be a real exercise, so if you have someone that has not been recorded before, you may have some issues with that. Get them to sit down if that's an option and they simply won't or can't stand still.

All of these will depend on the space, and can introduce a lot of bleed if it's an ensemble, but you know that. For solo violin, I do like a good, non-peaky SDC.
 
Here's one my studio partner and I recorded about a decade ago. This was recorded live with the banjo. I can't recall what mic I used, though we had all sorts available. It sort of sounds like the Royer R-121, but it could have been any of the ones we had. I'm pretty sure we recorded a bunch of the songs on this duo's SoundCloud page.

 
I am thinking of strapping a ribbon to the top of her head with gaffers tape, and using the overhead KSM's for the room, and maybe an LDC in front.... LOL

Thanks for all of the input guys! I suppose it is just going to be one of those trial/error things. Never met the player, or heard the instrument, so it will depend most upon what it sounds like in my space. I will experiment and find the best choice.

The advice from you all is much appreciated! 🤘

Jimmy



8-)
 
rob aylestone said:
I'm with the others. Direct sound without a nice room is rarely good without treatment. I've done a few ELO tribute live shows, and the small condensers clipped on sound brash and hard, but with the low mids up a bit and the HF backed off and some darker medium reverb the sound can be quite 'real'.

My own trick/tip is to listen to the violin in your recording space and categorise it into warm/cold, hard/soft, mellow/brash and then use a small condenser on the warm/soft/mello instruments and a dynamic on the hard/brash/cold ones.
Click to expand...
Here you go Jimmy.

This live studio version of strings and a voice appeared to be done with approx 5 mics Rob. You can see at least 4 and one is the vocalist.

The violins are being recorded with a stand mic a few feet away. Floor one on cello, base and another on guitar.

Well if this non technical arrangement worked for these fellas 50 years ago, there is no reason why not now.

Of course being able to play, a great song and an exceptional voice works as well. Young Colin. Anybody remember the Zombies? Still going today.
 
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