Subject: [Harp-L] acoustic harp sound quality / when recording and mixing

[Randy Singer <randy@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

rom: Randy Singer <randy@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: January 19, 2010 11:23:59 AM EST
To: harp-l-archives@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [Harp-L] acoustic harp sound quality / when recording and mixing


I do a lot of recording sessions. In the past, the engineers would go crazy trying to find the right thousand dollar microphone to make the harmonica sound great.

Then i got an audix. Now, every session, I pull out the audix, cup it in my hands and play and the sound is amazing every time.

The audix is also the engineers best friend and many engineers have bought one for the studio.

I love it, have three.

just my two cents.



On Jan 19, 2010, at 6:36 AM, harp-l-archives@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx wrote:

> [Harp-L] acoustic harp sound quality / when recording and mixing
> Posted by: "Alexander Savelyev" Alexander.Savelyev@xxxxxxxx
> Tue Jan 19, 2010 2:52 am (PST)
> 
> 
> 
> hi everybody, 
> 
> when recording the harmonica, the resulted - acoustic - sound can be
> bright, dark, open, narrow, fat, meaty, etc. it depends on the source
> instrument, player's tone, recording set-up, music style,
> recording/mixing technique, etc. 
> 
> - for acoustic harmonica i personally like the meaty sound with
> some balanced portion of low and high freq's, which rather pleases the
> ear than distracts and makes the listening experience painful like in
> case of the overly bright, narrow and distant sound, which one would
> definitely get when recording the harmonica with the condenser
> microphone at some distance of ½-1 foot, and with application of some
> kind of reverb afterwards. 
> 
> - if recorded through the dynamic mic, the harmonica can also
> sound narrow, though with close miking it will sound fat and meaty due
> to the approximation effect, but it won't be that breathy as when
> recording with the condenser mic. 
> 
> - another problem is the dynamic range - low and high level of
> sound of the harmonica - very often when mixed with other instruments
> like bass, drums, guitars, etc., the harmonica is buried in the mix. if
> the level of the harp track is increased in order to stand out a bit,
> than the peaks would make it painful to listen to the harmonica. 
> 
> so my question to everyone would be: what recording/mixing technique
> and/or set-up do you guys use to come up with the firm, rich, meaty and
> breathing acoustical sound for harmonica and at the same time keeping
> the mix balanced and transparent? for (the sound close to Toot's,
> Norton's and alike)? 
> 
> I use a number of tricks to achieve that sound, but I'm wondering what
> you guys are doing if you ever need to? 
> 
> Thanks, 

Randy Singer      
randy@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx