xylaphone recording

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slidey

slidey

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I could do a search, but I fancied bugging all you threadsters in my own thread

it seems fairly obvious to me that a stereo pair of condensors (sdc) would be my 1st go to in XY maybe 1 foot above the instrument & maybe a dynamic under neath.

That's my initial thought anyway, I'm posting to see if anyone has any world dominating tips on how to record a xylaphone & if they'd fancy sharing their secrets with me :p

ciao 4 now :D
 
slidey said:
I could do a search, but I fancied bugging all you threadsters in my own thread

it seems fairly obvious to me that a stereo pair of condensors (sdc) would be my 1st go to in XY maybe 1 foot above the instrument & maybe a dynamic under neath.

That's my initial thought anyway, I'm posting to see if anyone has any world dominating tips on how to record a xylaphone & if they'd fancy sharing their secrets with me :p

ciao 4 now :D
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What's the room like you'll be recording in?
 
is this a big xylophone? or a marimba? or a small glockenspiel?

make sure to use the best sounding mallets. many can sound too harsh.


i would go with the xy pair above. but i'm slightly wondering what xy below would be like.

i don't know what the dynamic would add (are you trying to get the bass?)

that might be a good idea. i could imagine the highs cutting to the mics and the lows not travelling well.
 
Hey Slidey, just get Lionel Hampton to play them...nobody will care what the recording sounds like then :D

G.
 
SouthSIDE Glen said:
Hey Slidey, just get Lionel Hampton to play them...nobody will care what the recording sounds like then :D

G.
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uhm

I'm sure I've got a Lionel Hampton plug in somewhere :p
 
RAK said:
What's the room like you'll be recording in?
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the room is nice, it's not an reverb chamber & it's not completely dead, it's a nice happy medium room. The sound changes whether I have guitars in there or not, I use the room to store many guitars in

the instrument is only about 1 1/2 octaves with no sharps or flats :( however I only want 3 notes so there's no real problem there

there's a guy that lives up here with us, he's a luthier & instrument repair chap. My mother is the head mistress of a local primary school & needed a xylaphone fixing hence the sudden need for knowledge, albeit I'd already drawn conclusions although there's no harm in asking

the XY will be 2x neumann KMS105 & I don't think I'll bother with the dynamic

should I raise the instrument off the ground I wonder??

maybe I'll do 2 takes

double tracking xylaphone

yeehaw
 
1 foot away is too close. You will pick up way too much of the attack of the mallet.

About 3' should do it with the mics at least 3' apart angled like:

\-------/

------
 
Ford Van said:
1 foot away is too close. You will pick up way too much of the attack of the mallet.

About 3' should do it with the mics at least 3' apart angled like:

\-------/

------
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OK that makes sense

Ford Van, I've travelled many miles around britain in Ford & various other vans

Fix
Or
Repair
Daily

soory couldn't resist :D :D
 
Well, my work vans are Fords, and they run a hell of a lot better than the Chevy work vans I have rode in in the past!
 
No sharps/flats? What kind of xylo is this? hehe.

Anyway, you could do XY, or you could treat it like a piano and do one mic on the high end, one mic on the low end, although if it's only 1.5 octaves, you only need 3 notes, why not just do 1 mic anyway (I'm assuming the three notes are near each other, maybe they're not). If you do want two mics, and with the instrument being that small, I would do XY about 3' up. (unless you really wanted lots of room)

Lionel Hampton played Vibes.
 
RAK said:
No sharps/flats? What kind of xylo is this? hehe.

Anyway, you could do XY, or you could treat it like a piano and do one mic on the high end, one mic on the low end, although if it's only 1.5 octaves, you only need 3 notes, why not just do 1 mic anyway (I'm assuming the three notes are near each other, maybe they're not). If you do want two mics, and with the instrument being that small, I would do XY about 3' up. (unless you really wanted lots of room)

Lionel Hampton played Vibes.
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I'm going for the room thang

& I know LH played vibes I just didn't wanna make SSG feel stoopid :D :D

sorry glen :p
 
SouthSIDE Glen said:
Hey Slidey, just get Lionel Hampton to play them...nobody will care what the recording sounds like then :D

G.
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You'll also need a shovel, a fan (or two), and some room fresheners...... :rolleyes:
 
slidey said:
I'm going for the room thang

& I know LH played vibes I just didn't wanna make SSG feel stoopid :D :D

sorry glen :p
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Hamp's known almost entirely for his vibes, of course - and he happens to be one of my very favorite jazz artists - but he has also been known to play a xylophone, marimba, and I think even a glockenspeil when called upon. I saw a film short once - I don't remember the source, but it was one of those old b&w newsreel-type of PR clips - where he wailed on a child's Fisher-Price-style xylophone (or whatever brand they may have been back then :).)

G.
 
SouthSIDE Glen said:
Hamp's known almost entirely for his vibes, of course - and he happens to be one of my very favorite jazz artists - but he has also been known to play a xylophone, marimba, and I think even a glockenspeil when called upon. I saw a film short once - I don't remember the source, but it was one of those old b&w newsreel-type of PR clips - where he wailed on a child's Fisher-Price-style xylophone (or whatever brand they may have been back then :).)

G.
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Absolutely and he wasn't a bad drummer either. :)

http://www.drummerworld.com/drummers/Lionel_Hampton.html
 
well sure, and Mick Jagger sometimes plays guitar. I just thought choosing Hampton as an example of a xylo player was a little funny, since that's not what's he's known for. Why not Bob Becker or Ian Finkel?
 
RAK said:
well sure, and Mick Jagger sometimes plays guitar. I just thought choosing Hampton as an example of a xylo player was a little funny, since that's not what's he's known for. Why not Bob Becker or Ian Finkel?
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Honest answer? Because Hamp's my man! :D

I don't want to stir the tempest in a teapot; I get your point RAK, you're right. :)

G.
 
SouthSIDE Glen said:
Honest answer? Because Hamp's my man! :D

I don't want to stir the tempest in a teapot; I get your point RAK, you're right. :)

G.
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I hear ya. He is certainly one the greats, and probably the 1st (if not only) vibe player that people would know (if they even know what vibes are, or jazz for that matter). At least you didn't say Gary Burton, then people would really be confused, haha.
 
RAK said:
I hear ya. He is certainly one the greats, and probably the 1st (if not only) vibe player that people would know (if they even know what vibes are, or jazz for that matter). At least you didn't say Gary Burton, then people would really be confused, haha.
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I got a tape of Gary Burton & Wes Montgomery (I think) from an art teacher in high school when I was 14 & man those cats can play

Milt Jackson's pretty damn awesome as well

but Hamp doing Take The A Train with Buddy Rich is off the hook

BTW my xylaphone works well. I tracked up 5 parts the same & it's a total contrast in sound damn it's good
 
SouthSIDE Glen said:
Hamp's known almost entirely for his vibes, of course - and he happens to be one of my very favorite jazz artists - but he has also been known to play a xylophone, marimba, and I think even a glockenspeil when called upon. I saw a film short once - I don't remember the source, but it was one of those old b&w newsreel-type of PR clips - where he wailed on a child's Fisher-Price-style xylophone (or whatever brand they may have been back then :).)

G.
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ach bugger you

now I feel stoopid

:D :D :D :D
 
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