SHARE YOUR ULTIMATE GO-TO TAMBOURINE SIGNAL CHAIN!!!!!!

[drmmrboy]

Originally Posted by AlexLakis

I usually just end up using whatever vocal mic I had out and running it straight in...maybe slap some reverb on it...whatever...

Have you found your "golden" tambourine mic/preamp/processor combination? Come on, don't be shy, I promise I won't laugh...

Yeah, whatever is up at the time. Although, I could use a decent tambourine. I have 2 cheapo's that sound way different, and barely passable, but not very good sounding. It's like everything else, right..? If I use a piece of plastic with tin foil on it, what should I expect from any chain..??

What are you using for a tamb?

That's it, I'm going to the warehouse store today, and getting a decent tamb!!
(Man, I feel so Will and Grace!)

[r0ck1r0ck2]

its funny...i was just reading up on this guy...

Jack Ashford - Upon hearing the early Motown records that invaded England in the '60s, EMI Records' president Sir Joseph Blackwood remarked they would never make it because the tambourine was mixed too hot.. But Sir Berry Gordy of Motown Records knew something that Sir Joseph didn't: Jack Ashford was not just any old tambourine player - he was a tambourine virtuoso. Just talk to any percussionist about "the cat that played tambourine at Motown" and watch them become enraptured.

[AlexLakis]

I'm tellin ya! It's more important than at least I've been giving it credit for!

I dunno, I've been using onna those "ergonomic" looking ones that you can stick on the hi-hat. I use that one for more a more "crowded" sound (it has more cymbals), and I have another generic one that I use for a less crowded sound.

Do they even make +$100 tambourines? I think I remember seeing one with an adjustable beater head...

I want the one that Pete Townshend is punching in this live performance video of Baba O'Riley I have. That thing can take a beating!! I'll bet he has to re-tune it in between songs, tho.

[r0ck1r0ck2]

the best tambourine i've had experiance with is this ancient wood one...
about a foot across and totally falling apart but damn...

indeed where do you find an amazing old tambourine...
they don't even pop up at my favourite hawk shop....
where....?

[AlexLakis]

Private middle schools come to mind...I'll have to show up after dark with a sack and a striped outfit...I'll bet I could bag 50 or so recorders while I'm at it too.

[theblue1]

It's kinda like drums... you want a good tambo sound, start with a good kit and a good drummer... er... a good tambourine and a good tambourine player.

You'd think there wasn't a lot of skill involved -- and too often there isn't.

But -- like cowbell -- a bad tambourine part is very bad indeed.


PS... I just scanned the intervening posts... Jack Ashford... yeah.

[C/G]

I was just shopping for one and they all sound plasticy and the wooden one I tried sounded like a child's toy. Only ones around where I live are the same plastic ergonomic type ones mentioed above. I need a good one asap.

[AlexLakis]

There's a small drum-based music shop called Acousticopia near my house. They specialize in hand-made percussion stuffs. Perhaps I'll drop by sometime this week and see what they have in the way of tambourines, and where they acquired them if they sound good.

Hand-made might be the way to go here?

[toolskid]

If I want it to sound like a tambourine:

royer r 122 - buzz ARC - DONE

if I want it crusty:

57 - neve - distressor

If I want a really shiny poppy sound, I'll prolly hang up a great sdc into a fast pre, I really liked the STC-8 for tamb in this application!

[burntrax]

What this song really needs is a little more Tambourine.

I gotta fever and the only cure is more tambourine......

couldn't resist

[whitepapagold]

Originally Posted by AlexLakis

Private middle schools come to mind...I'll have to show up after dark with a sack and a striped outfit....

Theres just something fundamentally creepy about that statement...... Are you sure its tambourines you want?

Id say the BLUE blueberry through a pristine pre(gml, grace, etc). I love it on the high end and Im always looking for other uses for this mic since its a little bright for most applications. It came with the studio as the main vocal mic which I always thought was strange -thought they were doing R&B and hip hop(blueberry to avalon was very popular for a while).
I had tam on a single we released(we decided to try it after main tracking) and we LOVED IT. Really bright without being too harsh. Though Id watch out if you use 888/24s- they always made the blue sound crazy harsh. Damn I hate those converters...... 3500 dollar piece of crap.

[Berolzheimer]

The room, mic proximity & mic type can make a huge difference in the vibe of a tamb track, along with the player & instrument, of course. Sometimes ribbons or dynamics close up, sometimes condensors backed off in a lively room, sometimes compressed, sometimes not, as always it all depends on the song.

[CHAOS]

This is a fun thread...

Okay... here goes...

U67 12' -15' away
Langevin AM-16
Urei 1176 all buttons pressed in...

[Samplecraze]

There's this one crazy ass dude in Portobello market, here in London, and he sells rare groove records and plays the tambourine along with the music.

He's not too bad with the tamb, but it's the tamb I have been after and he wont sell it to me.

He says he got it from Morocco and there are no markings on it so hard to tell where to get it from.

This, of course, has jack to do with this thread but I thought that sharing leads to bonding.....

Actually, running a tamb through a Raindirk prototype pre I was testuing sounded so alive and big, masses of headroom on that pre and I am happy to say that it will be produced for release. The mics wer5e a Brauner and a Gefel.

[7 Hz]

Played a really nice (nicest i've heard) LP tambourine a few years ago in a music shop, it had brass jangles. I had to buy the cheper chrome ones as I didn't have enough cash at the time. Wish I had waited and got the brass one

http://www.lpmusic.com/Product_Showc...ambourine.html

LP174 Black
LP Cyclops Hand Held Tambourine
w/ Dimpled Brass Jingles
List US - $39.00

Guess I was skint at the time...

[No4PCs]

Originally Posted by AlexLakis

He, okay, sorry for yelling, but I thought it might add to the effect...

Tambourine is a regular appearance on many projects, but I don't think many of us really take it as seriously as we do other instruments.

I usually just end up using whatever vocal mic I had out and running it straight in...maybe slap some reverb on it...whatever...

Have you found your "golden" tambourine mic/preamp/processor combination? Come on, don't be shy...

Hi friend, here in Brazil the guys like use condenser microphone type to mic the tambourine. !

[toolskid]

what about pandero?

[Benjy King]

I'm a nut for tambourines. Makes it sound like a 'record' to me. HA! Lately this is working really well for me. Royer 121 > Ward-Beck 460LA micpre/EQ > Chandler LTD-2. On the way in I EQ'd---Hp 120hz, -6dB 250hz, -4dB 3.4k, + 8 dB 12.8k and just kissed the 2254 style compresser. As they say in The Holy Grail...."it's very nice".

[PRobb]

Originally Posted by r0ck1r0ck2

its funny...i was just reading up on this guy...

Jack Ashford - Upon hearing the early Motown records that invaded England in the '60s, EMI Records' president Sir Joseph Blackwood remarked they would never make it because the tambourine was mixed too hot.. But Sir Berry Gordy of Motown Records knew something that Sir Joseph didn't: Jack Ashford was not just any old tambourine player - he was a tambourine virtuoso. Just talk to any percussionist about "the cat that played tambourine at Motown" and watch them become enraptured.

In the "Standing in the Shadows of Motown" video (anyone who hasn't seen that- go get it NOW!), they explain how the Motown groove was put together. At one point they say, "then we add the tambourine", and Jack Ashford proceeds to play the most amazing freaking thing I have ever heard on a tamb. Yeah- there is a lot more to playing the tamb than just hitting 2 and 4.

I really like the 4038 or 121 for tamb. And with LDCs, I have gotten better results in omni than cardiod. And definitely, not too close.

What experience has anyone had with tambourines with heads? It seems like thats what they used in the 60s, but I have never been able to find one that sounds good.

[Pohaku]

I like the wooden orchestral tambourines the best. And yes, they are over $100 (at least new they are and sometimes used as well). Ludwig and Black Swamp are great. Do a little googling and you will find that there a number of variations - single or double jingle, phosphor-bronze, german silver, chromium or beryllium-copper. Different metals and sizes give you different timbres. Check out

http://www.blackswamp.com/wp/tambo.html


Bidding on e-bay for these kinds of tambourines is reasonably competitive, although I've picked up all of mine there (1 Black Swamp beryllium-copper, 1 Ludwig tunable phosphor bronze and 1 Ludwig headless german silver).

[PRobb]

Originally Posted by No4PCs

Hi friend, here in Brazil the guys like use condenser microphone type to mic the tambourine. !

In Brazil a tambourine is a small hand drum with no bells and played with a stick, isn't it?

[toolskid]

Originally Posted by PRobb

In Brazil a tambourine is a small hand drum with no bells and played with a stick, isn't it?

I belive thats thats usually referred to as tambourim

[jomo1234]

Blackswamp TD4 + MBHO 608 (omni) + API 512C > + 1176 = yummy!!!

[h2000]

Originally Posted by 7 Hz

Played a really nice (nicest i've heard) LP tambourine a few years ago in a music shop, it had brass jangles. I had to buy the cheper chrome ones as I didn't have enough cash at the time. Wish I had waited and got the brass one

http://www.lpmusic.com/Product_Showc...ambourine.html

LP174 Black
LP Cyclops Hand Held Tambourine
w/ Dimpled Brass Jingles
List US - $39.00

Guess I was skint at the time...

I have this one... it records very well! Not cheap sounding and not too bright. I like it through a ribbon.

I think a collection of tambourines is a good thing - different sounds for different songs. I'd love to know which one Jack Ashford is playing in "Shadows..." (although he could probably make a child's tambourine sound great)

[No4PCs]

Originally Posted by toolskid

what about pandero?

Yes, pandeiro looks like a "giant" tambourine.Around 15" diameter. But the pandeiro have chime bells like all around the piece, the tambourine dont.the best ones made with hard wood. In studio , the condenser is the best mic for percussion too.

[No4PCs]

Originally Posted by PRobb

In Brazil a tambourine is a small hand drum with no bells and played with a stick, isn't it?

Yes, small than pandeiro.
No bells around and played with a stick.
In Rio have some stories about the samba school players use cat skin in tambourine and pandeiro too. More "natural sound".
Cat skin , hahahahahaha, crazy world we live.Poor cats .
Its true !

[u b k]

tambourines, like jingling keys and triangles, will show you what your converters are *really* made of.

and sleigh bells, can't forget them!


gregoire
del ubik

[Jamz]

Royer 121 --> Cranesong Flamingo
or
AEA R84 --> API 512
sometimes
AEA R88 --> Flamingo or (2) API 512s

Ribbons!

[whitepapagold]

Originally Posted by u b i k

tambourines, like jingling keys and triangles, will show you what your converters are *really* made of.

and sleigh bells, can't forget them!


gregoire
del ubik

TRUE...So true.....damn 888/24...