saxophone recording tips?

  • Thread starter Thread starter davidtornado
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davidtornado

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Hi...

I searched the forum but didn't really find what I was looking for.

I have a near finished track (basic alt/indie rock i.e. guitar, drums, bass, vocals, some keys) but I keep hearing a sax on this specific part. I hired a sax player to come in and record the part; however, recording a wind instrument will be a first for me.

It's a mellow part... lots of head-room.

I have a 57, AKG 220, and a pair of Oktava MK012 (authentic) to choose from. Unfortunately, my NT1A is on the fritz, but I probably wouldn't have used that anyway.

I guess what I am looking for is suggestions on where to place mic... and which mic might be best. My studio is a nice room, so I am thinking maybe backing off for more ambience?
 
Just remember...even bad sax is better than no sax.....


There's just no straight up "do this" I can offer, though maybe someone here has done a lot of sax recordings and they can give specifics, but I think you're still just going to have to spend 20-30 minutes experimenting, so not a big deal.
Put up all three mics as close as you can to each other and let the guy play for a couple of minutes, trying out a few different positions relative to the mics....then once you find the best mic for your ears, try it in a couple of different spots in the room.
 
The mic. needs to point both at the bell *and* the body - low frequencies are radiated by the body of the Sax. and only high frequencies come out of the bell.

A Sennheiser MD421 is a good Sax. mic.
 
Mic choice depends on type of sax (which you didn't mention)
Sopranos, altos, tenors, baritones... are all in different ranges and are mic'ed differently.

Saxes are the closest instruments to the human voice and good vocal mics are the best things to start out with.

Dont stick the mic down the bell, the sound comes out of the BODY of the horn
A couple of feet up and out pointed at the middle is a good start, but you sometime have to play with positioning
as key noise can be a problem. Distance and placement is your friend.

(yes, I'm a sax player)
 
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