Re: [Harp-L] best mic for acoustic playing

[Richard Hunter <turtlehill@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

roberttifol@xxxxxxx wrote:
> anybody know which mic is best to pick up wah wah sounds when your
> playing  acoustically off the mic. any ideas on PA settings for a mic 
> designated
> just  for the harp not vocals and not cupping the mic.

If you're playing off the mic, any decent mic will pick up your hand sounds. If you were cupping the mic, it would be a different story.  

A lot of the responses to this message have recommended the Shure SM58 or SM57. I'm not quite so fond of these mics--I never have liked that frequency bump at 10 kHz, which is great for voice but not so great for harp.  If you're going to use one of the Shures, make certain that the PA is EQed to drop the frequencies above 8 kHz by 3-5 decibels.
 
My recommended mic for acoustic playing is the Audix Fireball V. The main differences between the Fireball V and either of the Shures are 1) smoother treble from the Fireball, and 2) little to no proximity effect from the Fireball, meaning that you won't get dramatically louder bass when you move closer to the mic.  Since you're not planning to cup the mic, shouldn't be an issue in either case.

Regarding the EQ:
- take out all the frequencies at 80 hZ and below.
- put a slight boost (1-2 dB) around 250 hZ.
- reduce frequencies about 8 kHz to taste.  

Regards, Richard Hunter 


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