[Harp-L] Re: Micing a Harp Amp into the PA

[BluzeHarp@xxxxxxx]

In a message dated 6/5/2013 1:55:17 P.M. Mountain Daylight Time,  
harp-l-request@xxxxxxxxxx writes:
Sennheiser e609 and e906. Great thing about these is that they're  flat, so 
you can drape them over your speaker and get far better pickup than you  
would draping a 57 or 58.    Hawkeye Kane
 
I do agree that those mic's work very well, but it should be  understood 
that the above statement is true only when you  have the Shure SM57 or SM58 
draped in front of the speaker and therefore  pointed at the ground.  You see 
that done a lot, but it is  not a proper way to mic a speaker.  If the 57 is 
 closely placed with a stand so it points straight at the  speaker cone 
then it will work just as well as the e609/e906.  The  57 is purpose built for 
that application and will work better than a 58,  which is designed toward 
capturing vocals.
 
Aiming any mic directly at the center of the speaker  cone will result in a 
more trebly sound, which most people do not like  for harmonica.  The 
further out toward the edge of the cone you point the  mic the less trebly it 
becomes, once you get about a third or half way  out you will also begin to 
notice a rise in the bass  frequencies.  Experiment with that and adjust to 
taste.  Make  sure you do not place the mic so that it interacts with a stage  
monitor.  There are additional placement considerations which  vary with the 
specific stage setup, especially so for multi-speaker  cabinets.
 
Christopher Richards
Soul' Proprietor - Twin Tone Microphones 
harmonicaplanet .com