Need a great mic for live Tabla

GuitarRuss · 11th February 2008

I am working with a tabla player now who wants to buy a mic for live use. He is playing over all sorts of different styles and sometimes needs to play with a kit drummer which means he needs a mic that is good for avoiding feedback. As many of you already know this kind of micing can be a bit of a nightmare between the feedback and lack of crisp tone on the tablas.

So the priorities for this mic are: Good solid tone, low feedback and if it's good for studio that is a bonus but not a priority. The budget is less than $350 but if there is a mic for cheaper that's great too.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Martin Kantola · 11th February 2008

Had a similar problem. Tricky one indeed. Ended up building a custom mike system. Pretty happy with the results, not perfect but in comparison a SM57 is much more prone to feedback. And it has a very crisp attack. Not sure I can share all the details here, send me a PM if you want to know more.

Martin

videoteque · 11th February 2008

The AKG has been named here several times for Tabla, but it was for recording (no live) and it isn't less than 350$ (maybe used??).

I love tabla, Trilok Gurtu is a genious!!!

Bob Bickerton · 11th February 2008

I recently used two Sennheiser e614s on tabla to give a (slightly) stereo effect but one would do fine. They're a nice little mic for the price.

Bob

Baithak · 11th February 2008

I do a lot of Tabla recordings and for live
work, it is hard to go wrong with the EV
RE16 or the RE27. The 16 is a bit more
focussed being hyper card, the 27 is a bit
more edgy and has more gain so it is
especially useful for giving a nice hi-eq boost
(defeatable). The variable-D thing really
does do its trick. Highly recommended.

As an aside, if you are recording a tabla
and have no budget issues, the best tone
I have obtained is with a DPA 4011 followed
closely by the AKG 414. Of course in a live
situation these could give you bleed and
feedback.

Good luck.
Baithak

cleantone · 11th February 2008

In my limited live tabla recording experiences I had great luck with an akg c1000. Seriously. I mention this because it is in your budget, at least I think it is.

In fact here is a video I "produced" (i.e. playing with new camera) that had Mike Dillon on Tabla:

Jungle Jazz · 11th February 2008

I don't have much experience working with tablas, but for bongos, I've had good experience with the Audio Technica AT3031. It's got a well defined pattern, a pretty natural sound, and it has a pad and roll off should you need it. You should be able to get a pair of them in your price range. You might also consider the ATM450 for a budget SDC.

d_fu · 11th February 2008

IMHO a single 414 between the drums is all you need...
If the budget won't allow that, get a Beyer M201. Excellent mic for Tabla as well...

Daniel

Jim vanBergen · 12th February 2008

I really like the KM184 or KM84i on tabla. In the under $400 range, how about the AKG 451, or 391?

For the, the key to no feedback for Tablists is using very low monitoring, careful placement of microphone and monitors, and a lot of experimenting with the player to understand what their particular feel is.

Hope this helps!

Djembe · 14th February 2008

If the music is traditional, any of the previously mentioned mics would be fine for tabla (although not so sure about the C1000). Another mic that works very well because of it's directionality is a 441.

If the music requires lots of foldback, clip-on mics are the only way to go. Because tabla is such a relatively quiet instrument, and the player needs to hear himself well, feedback is always a problem when playing with loud instruments.

A pair of AKG C418 clip-ons are a little over budget new, but do pop up fairly often 2nd hand for well under the budget. They work very well on tabla.

Blair

11th February 2008	#1
GuitarRuss Lives for gear Joined: May 2006 Location: Taiwan (Canadian Citizen) Posts: 706 Thread Starter	Need a great mic for live Tabla I am working with a tabla player now who wants to buy a mic for live use. He is playing over all sorts of different styles and sometimes needs to play with a kit drummer which means he needs a mic that is good for avoiding feedback. As many of you already know this kind of micing can be a bit of a nightmare between the feedback and lack of crisp tone on the tablas. So the priorities for this mic are: Good solid tone, low feedback and if it's good for studio that is a bonus but not a priority. The budget is less than $350 but if there is a mic for cheaper that's great too. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

11th February 2008	#5
Baithak Gear maniac Joined: Jan 2006 Location: Pune, India Posts: 270	A Fan of the EV mics. I do a lot of Tabla recordings and for live work, it is hard to go wrong with the EV RE16 or the RE27. The 16 is a bit more focussed being hyper card, the 27 is a bit more edgy and has more gain so it is especially useful for giving a nice hi-eq boost (defeatable). The variable-D thing really does do its trick. Highly recommended. As an aside, if you are recording a tabla and have no budget issues, the best tone I have obtained is with a DPA 4011 followed closely by the AKG 414. Of course in a live situation these could give you bleed and feedback. Good luck. Baithak

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11th February 2008	#2
Martin Kantola Lives for gear Joined: Aug 2006 Location: Hyperspace Posts: 1,066	Had a similar problem. Tricky one indeed. Ended up building a custom mike system. Pretty happy with the results, not perfect but in comparison a SM57 is much more prone to feedback. And it has a very crisp attack. Not sure I can share all the details here, send me a PM if you want to know more. Martin

11th February 2008	#3
videoteque Lives for gear Joined: Oct 2006 Location: Near Rome, Italy Posts: 829	The AKG has been named here several times for Tabla, but it was for recording (no live) and it isn't less than 350$ (maybe used??). I love tabla, Trilok Gurtu is a genious!!!

11th February 2008	#4
Bob Bickerton Gear interested Joined: Nov 2006 Location: Nelson, New Zealand Posts: 26	I recently used two Sennheiser e614s on tabla to give a (slightly) stereo effect but one would do fine. They're a nice little mic for the price. Bob

11th February 2008	#6
cleantone Gear maniac Joined: Feb 2003 Location: New England Posts: 267	In my limited live tabla recording experiences I had great luck with an akg c1000. Seriously. I mention this because it is in your budget, at least I think it is. In fact here is a video I "produced" (i.e. playing with new camera) that had Mike Dillon on Tabla:

11th February 2008	#7
Jungle Jazz Lives for gear Joined: Jan 2007 Location: Washington, D.C. area Posts: 802	I don't have much experience working with tablas, but for bongos, I've had good experience with the Audio Technica AT3031. It's got a well defined pattern, a pretty natural sound, and it has a pad and roll off should you need it. You should be able to get a pair of them in your price range. You might also consider the ATM450 for a budget SDC.

11th February 2008	#8
d_fu Lives for gear Joined: Jul 2006 Location: Germany Posts: 2,420	IMHO a single 414 between the drums is all you need... If the budget won't allow that, get a Beyer M201. Excellent mic for Tabla as well... Daniel

12th February 2008	#9
Jim vanBergen Lives for gear Joined: Apr 2005 Location: New York Friggin' City Posts: 2,562	I really like the KM184 or KM84i on tabla. In the under $400 range, how about the AKG 451, or 391? For the, the key to no feedback for Tablists is using very low monitoring, careful placement of microphone and monitors, and a lot of experimenting with the player to understand what their particular feel is. Hope this helps!

14th February 2008	#10
Djembe Gear maniac Joined: Jun 2006 Location: Sydney Australia Posts: 209	If the music is traditional, any of the previously mentioned mics would be fine for tabla (although not so sure about the C1000). Another mic that works very well because of it's directionality is a 441. If the music requires lots of foldback, clip-on mics are the only way to go. Because tabla is such a relatively quiet instrument, and the player needs to hear himself well, feedback is always a problem when playing with loud instruments. A pair of AKG C418 clip-ons are a little over budget new, but do pop up fairly often 2nd hand for well under the budget. They work very well on tabla. Blair