Marimba?

elokiddies19 · 14th February 2011

Hello!

As a music student with an interest in audio recording, I was just wondering if there were any standard methods of recording a solo marimba? I've been studying percussion for awhile now and was wanting to record some of my own performances for showcases (or even record others) and was curious if there were any generally accepted setups (which mics, positions, outboard gear, etc.)

Ideas?

Thanks!

--- elokiddies19

Igotsoul4u · 21st February 2011

I would go with L C R and a mono or stereo room mic. Hard pan the L and R. The spot mics will provide most of the stereo image so the room mic can be mono but stereo never hurts. I think the schoeps cmc6mk4 is my favorite choice but any condenser mic will do as long as its in cardiod. I have also been curious to stick a condenser in omni underneath for authentic low and. For the most part I see people do a stereo pair above at slightly over head height (3 feet above the marimba.) If you want more mallet noise lower the mics. Jazz styles would probably better suited with a closer mic.

Gamelan · 27th February 2011

I'm a marimba player and really like sound of Beyer ribbon mics. They get a very nice "wet" attack sound, you can hear the yarn. U87's are also good. Using 2 or 3 mics depends on which registers you need for that particular song or piece. 3 will capture the full range. But, I rarely pan them hard to either side. Most speakers are placed a little farther apart than the spread of a marimba. The critical thing for recording is the angle of the mics to the bars. Straight overhead will sound a bit heavy. Start around 45 degrees about 2-3 feet above the keyboard and adjust to taste.

14th February 2011	#1
elokiddies19 Gear interested Joined: Feb 2011 Posts: 14 Thread Starter	Marimba? Hello! As a music student with an interest in audio recording, I was just wondering if there were any standard methods of recording a solo marimba? I've been studying percussion for awhile now and was wanting to record some of my own performances for showcases (or even record others) and was curious if there were any generally accepted setups (which mics, positions, outboard gear, etc.) Ideas? Thanks! --- elokiddies19

21st February 2011	#2
Igotsoul4u Lives for gear Joined: Mar 2005 Location: New York, NY Posts: 2,845	I would go with L C R and a mono or stereo room mic. Hard pan the L and R. The spot mics will provide most of the stereo image so the room mic can be mono but stereo never hurts. I think the schoeps cmc6mk4 is my favorite choice but any condenser mic will do as long as its in cardiod. I have also been curious to stick a condenser in omni underneath for authentic low and. For the most part I see people do a stereo pair above at slightly over head height (3 feet above the marimba.) If you want more mallet noise lower the mics. Jazz styles would probably better suited with a closer mic. __________________ http://www.myspace.com/polishedproductions MacPro 2.66 quad, Macbook Pro 13" 2.4, Protools 8 LE 003, Logic 8, McDsp, Sonnox, API 512c, GR NV500, Buzz Essence, Focusrite Solo, DBX 160A, Telefunken AK47, AKG 414eb Adam A7 Sub 8, Laney, Fender, Martin, Musicman, Marshall.

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27th February 2011	#3
Gamelan Gear addict Joined: Jan 2011 Posts: 390	I'm a marimba player and really like sound of Beyer ribbon mics. They get a very nice "wet" attack sound, you can hear the yarn. U87's are also good. Using 2 or 3 mics depends on which registers you need for that particular song or piece. 3 will capture the full range. But, I rarely pan them hard to either side. Most speakers are placed a little farther apart than the spread of a marimba. The critical thing for recording is the angle of the mics to the bars. Straight overhead will sound a bit heavy. Start around 45 degrees about 2-3 feet above the keyboard and adjust to taste.