Timpani

[jhilling]

I am recording a timpani solo in a pretty live hall. For anyone that may know the hall, it is Armstrong Concert Hall at Shenandoah University. I have access to a pair of Neumann KM184's, a pair of Neumann KM 100's, a Schoeps KFM 6, and a pair of Shure KSM44's. Any ideas? My original idea was to use the KSM 44's for a Blumlein maybe 3 to 4 ft. from the timpani, but I figured I'd ask for other suggestions.

[Corran]

I used a SDC omni to spot a timpani concerto a few months ago. Sounded really good. I'd just go for a spaced omni pair, though your original idea might be fine if it gets enough low end.

[jhilling]

Yeah the low end was something i was kind of worried/thinking about. My experience with the 44's has been very good and they have a very warm sound to them, so i'm confident they'd sound good, but yeah i'm just not sure about the low end.

If i use the 100's (omni), should i just have them as a spaced pair? or would i benefit at all from putting one over the lower two and one over the higher two drums?

I guess this also opens the question as to what standard timpani miking techniques are.

[NorseHorse]

I'd go for flexibility. So...

A) A distant pair like spaced omnis (L+R). Plus,
B) An up-close omni (C).

Record three channels and then mix them till satisfied after the fact. Try to avoid any unnatural reverb in processing, it'll probably show.

EDIT: Wasn't sure how many timpani you are using. With four in mind, I'd place the spot mic UP. Like above the player's head (even behind and above), so all the timpani are pretty equidistant from the mic. You don't want one standing out more than the others.

[Corran]

I'd go with the 100's in a spaced configuration and maybe the 44's in Blumlien above the timpanist's head just for fun and see how that sounds, mix to taste.

[jhilling]

yeah the piece involves four timpani. how far out would you suggest the spaced pair go? not too far, i would presume. the main issue is that this hall is incredibly boomy and anything too far away from the sound source (especially something loud and boomy itself, i.e. timpani) gets extremely muddy.

[NorseHorse]

I wasn't able to find a picture of the hall, but you could perhaps put the omnis right off the edge of the stage or in the first few rows.

[BLP]

So, as a former (or at least, not currently performing) timpanist, I'd say you don't want to get too far back. The solo rep for timp is pretty rough in the clarity department, so if you back off too far, you're going to loose any hope of a clear, well articulated recording. I would definitely go with the KM 130's as a main pair. I'd also use the 184's as closer spots so you have a measure of control when mixing. That card pair (ORTF, maybe?) could be a lifesaver if you need to bring out some articulation in a fast passage or something. Keep in mind, if you've got that close pair, you can always HPF them in mixing to get only stick definition without muddying the bass...

[Plush]

Yes, you definitely want something in quite close to catch skin sound.

In a live hall, I would hardly think that you need to be more than 10 feet away with your main pair. Then two cardioids in A-B (spaced 2 feet) down low on the skins of the drums.

Set your mic amps low so that you have a lot of headroom.

It can be a very exciting and bombastically enjoyable experience.

[NorseHorse]

Oh, and get a PZM mic to tape to the timpanist's forehead.

Instant perfection.

[jnorman]

i agree with corran - spaced omnis about 5-6 feet out.
however, i also watched a live performance of a japanese drum group where each drummer had a DPA 4061 clipped on their costume - worked pretty well, and would offer lots of control during post.

[tamatallica]

When was your recording jhilling? I'm curious as to how it turned out