414, U87, or TLM 170 for Chello

[licendrivr]

Any takers?

[fifthcircle]

First of all--- It is cello. Short for violoncello...

Now that that is out of the way... Any would work fine. I'm not a huge 414 fan unless it is one of the old EBs with the CK-12 capsules. TLM-170 and U-87s both work quite well.


--Ben

[Overdrive]

I would vouch for the TLM 170.

[Ruairi]

I have used both 414ULS and U87s on Cello and they both work well. The 87 would usually be my preference of those two. I have no experience with the TLM170. Nowadays I use either a U99 or a Beyer ribbon depending on the tone I want,

cheers,
Ruairi

[Bob Olhsson]

Ribbons can sound stunning on cellos. A 57 has also been known to win shootouts.

[jbuntz]

57 almost seems funny on a cello but it makes sense. It has a similar timbre to a overdriven gutiar.

[littledog]

Originally posted by jbuntz
57 almost seems funny on a cello but it makes sense. It has a similar timbre to a overdriven gutiar.

You might not want to let any cello players hear you say that, at least not until after they've paid you in full.

[Jan Folkson]

I recently had a solo cello overdub session and set up a 47, 87 and 414TLII all about 2 feet away in a beautiful sounding room and the 414 was the winner in this particular case.

HTH.

[Bob Olhsson]

The strings on "Just My Imagination" by the Temptations were recorded using an early version of a 57 (548) on each of the three cellos.

[jbuntz]

Originally posted by littledog
You might not want to let any cello players hear you say that, at least not until after they've paid you in full.

Listen to "Airbag" by radiohead and listen how seamlessly cello and guitar (single notes through an AC30 mind you) blend.

[littledog]

Originally posted by jbuntz
Listen to "Airbag" by radiohead and listen how seamlessly cello and guitar (single notes through an AC30 mind you) blend.

Listen to Yo Yo Ma and note how much his timbre sounds like Yngwe Maalmsteen.

[patrox247]

414's are not as evil as they are made out to be. In fact they find thier way onto most of my productions in one capacity or another. But 87's outperform them on many sources and cello would definately be included as an 87 fav.

[Thickskinnedsob]

[i]Listen to Yo Yo Ma and note how much his timbre sounds like Yngwe Maalmsteen[/B]

Laughed my ass off over that one. I would consider a ribbon mic. They work great on fiddle as well.

[Nowak]

I've used a 170 on Celli a heap of times, on solo, quartet and orch stuff with great success.

Next gig I plan to borrow a Royer to see how that goes.



Nowak

[SoundEng1]

How About a AEA R84?

[joaquin]

Originally Posted by Jan Folkson

I recently had a solo cello overdub session and set up a 47, 87 and 414TLII all about 2 feet away in a beautiful sounding room and the 414 was the winner in this particular case.

HTH.

...in wich polar pattern?, at what height?, in front of the player?, far from nearby walls?...Thanks.

[adamcal]

Originally Posted by SoundEng1

How About a AEA R84?

as much as i love my R84, its never done it for me on cello or violin, and have tried it several times.

U87 on cello and km84/85 on violin is working better for me.

[joaquin]

Originally Posted by Jan Folkson

I recently had a solo cello overdub session and set up a 47, 87 and 414TLII all about 2 feet away in a beautiful sounding room and the 414 was the winner in this particular case.

HTH.

I think that the room and it's interaction with the instrument is going (was!?) to be the decisive factor when choosing the right Mic.......at least for a "natural" sound...............Joaquin.

[ISedlacek]

No suggestions for SD mics ? (Schoeps, DPA). May sound more accurate ?

[Jeff16years]

out of those 3 mics i would say the TLM-170 would be my pick, followed by the U87.

I have used a KSM32 on cello with surprisingly great results. here is a video clip if a session that I recently did, you get some good camera shots of the KSM 32 in there also.


click on interactive sessions.

http://alisaweilerstein.com/

[Fletcher]

I'm not a big fan of lg. diaphragm condensers [or even small diaphragm condensers] on bowed instruments... unless it's like a 2 mic thing for an entire string quartet or orchestra [in which case the Josephson 617 w/MT Gefell MK-22 capsule is a real favorite].

I've found ribbon and dynamic mics to run best... especially duller ribbons like the Coles 4038... but as always... YMMV.

[Jim Williams]

I recorded "Blue Chopsticks" for Buell Nedlinger back in 1997. He is one of the best players in the country and was first call for the Boston Symphony for 30 years. He owns a German cello valued at well over $50,000. He can be heard playing either contrabass or cello in just about every Hollywood score done in the late 80's to 2000. Yes, including "Batman".

Yes, I was nervous in how to approach that recording which consisted of cello, violin, viola, trumpet and baritone sax. I pulled out the "high end" stuff like schoeps, b+k, etc. Went with 5 AKG 414B-ULS's modified transformerless. The next day Buell came in and sat me down for "comments" after he reviewed dat tapes from the previous session.

I thought he was going to rip me a new asshole! This guy intimidates, period. He told me that the sound I got on his cello was the best he had ever heard in his entire career. He told me this was the first time that he felt the sound matched what he heard when he played.

He then called me up after another "movie" session at Todd/AO with a question. He mistakenly instructed the sound engineer to replace the fet U-49 on his bass with a stock 414B-ULS. He asked why it didn't come off like on his recording.

I told him, "different mic, different preamp". He learned that looks can be decieving.

Jim Williams
Audio Upgrades

[nbrecording]

I heard Julian Lloyd Webber actually owns a 414.

[Johns]

Originally Posted by adamcal

as much as i love my R84, its never done it for me on cello or violin, and have tried it several times.

U87 on cello and km84/85 on violin is working better for me.

I would have to agree with this statement. My R84 has never made it for strings. The last Cello I recorded had a choice of the R84, CAD VX2, Soundelux E49, and Sennheiser 441. It ended being both the CAD and 441. The TLM70 works well also, but a good dynamic can be just the ticket.

[krs]

Originally Posted by nbrecording

I heard Julian Lloyd Webber actually owns a 414.

And you would want to sound like him because....

The newish Yo Yo Ma/Ennio Morricone album has an absolutely STUNNING (if slightly overproduced) cello sound. In the jacket there's a photo of Yo Yo with (I believe) an 87. Check out that album. (The Montagnana doesn't hurt )

[Bob Ross]

I've been doing an ongoing series of solo 'cello recordings with Nicholas Anderson. Details are documented in a soon-to-be-published article in Recording Magazine, but the short version is that in our most recent session I wound up using a stereo pair of AKG C451B's in XY, a BLUE Bluebird, and a U-87 in omni, all as tightly coincident as possible, 4' away from the upper bout.

If I had to limit myself to a single mic -- and I didn't have the six hours spread over 18 months that it took us to arrive at that ridiculous combination -- I'd grab a U-87 without hesitation and never look back.

[GearGeek]

I've recorded a cello with my 414 before and it sounded great. However, since I now own a 87 I'd probably go to that first.