Prism Sound Orpheus - Audio Media

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microphones 2008stra+ + + + orchestra+ + + + orchestra + + + + orchestra + + +the sound we’re after. For the high stringsI might use Schoeps CMC5s or NeumannKM84s, for the lows U87s or U89s. Forsolo violin or cello I’ll often use a DPA4011, which is another DPA mic with a verysmooth sound, or a Neumann 149. I don’tusually use contact mics except for veryspecial effects – I think we have just the onein the cupboard at Angel now.They can be very impressive though –there’s a DPA contact mic which is superbfor double bass. It’s only about a centimetrewide but it sounds fantastic.”Brass“Brass can be more of a challenge thansome of the other sections. First – screens.You’ll sometimes find that on the first cueof the day the brass wipes out the stringsand drowns out everything else. And oncein a while dynamics don’t get writtenin, so the section can be playing moreenthusiastically than it should. If there’s abrass onslaught like that, some extra workis needed. Then again, for something likea John Williams score you want to keepthat powerful brass sound because it’s akey feature of the mix. So again it dependson the music. In a big orchestral room,you may not want screens because there’senough space for everyone. But in smallerrooms screens are a good way to giveyourself more control.”“Mic placement for brass is similarto strings – a section mic like a stereoSchoeps or a Neumann SM69, and thenindividual mics in pairs or trios. Often I’llrecord the horns from behind – they’reusually loud enough and far enough awayfrom the percussion not to pick up toomuch spill. I would use any large capacitymicrophone like a Neumann U47 orU89, generally look for a mic that has anattenuator with high headroom.On trumpets I’ll use a Coles ribbon4038, which is a very smooth soundingmicrophone that can take some of the edgeoff the sound. Alternatively Neumann U87sor U89s can work well, again usually with apad especially for louder playing.”Woodwind“Musicians try to keep their instrumentsin top form, but that isn’t always possible.Sometimes with woodwind you’ll get clicksand clacks from the keys. To minimisethat I’ll mic them from some distanceaway – to get the full value of the soundyet attempting to lose the key noises. Thatdoesn’t always work. Bassoons sound bestmiked from the middle, not the top, whichcan make it impossible to eliminate thekey noise. For woodwinds I’ll use brightersounding mics because you’re only reallydealing with mids and top – there’s notmuch needed at the bass end. So I’ll useAKG 414s on clarinets and bassoons, andNeumann 184s and 89s on the flutes. Theexception to that is bass clarinet, whichcomposers write for when they wantsomething comical or sinister. My firstchoice for that is a Calrec 1050 cardioid,which is a warmer sounding mic, thatbrings out the body of the sound, but is stillquite small. It’s also very handy to have acrossed pair of cardioid mics on the sectionto create some width and depth.Percussion“With percussion I like to have distance andthe option of extremely close mics, inchesrather than feet, on things like bass drums,snare drums, sparkly sounds like Marktrees and piano pins. The close mikingadds body to the sound. So for a bass drumhit, you may want heavy resonance. Also,military snares would be close miked toadd more body and balance out some ofthe snare rattle with extra depth. Similarlytriangles, vibes, and marimbas would allbe close miked. Cymbals are the exception.I’ll place the mic maybe a couple of feetaway on those to cut down on their naturalharshness.“Dynamic range is the issue forpercussion, and there are some vintageCalrecs which have an amazing dynamicrange – they’ll take almost anything – butstill sound exceptional. I’ll also use amix of AKG D12s, Neumann KM84s, andsometimes I’ll use a couple of dynamicslike SM58s.Piano“For piano. I’ll use Neumann KM143s for afirst choice, or perhaps DPA 4006s becausethey give a very open sound. If it’s a shortlid set-up I’ll use a pencil mic like theNeumann KM184. The 143s and the 184sare both small cardioid condensers so theycan work for close miking. Sometimes youwant a darker sound, and the old Calrecs ora Neumann KM84 are good for that.”Many thanks to Angel Studios for its help withthis article. Interview by Richard Wentk.the international microphone buyer’s guide 5
++APPLICATIONS + + + + APPLICATIONS+ + + + APPLICATIONS+ + + +Microphone ApplicationsI love microphones. I’m not particularlygeeky about them; I couldn’t tell youwhat valves the 1957 Polish version of theBlumenthal S86B used, or which particularHi-sonix H5050 was used to record BlindToots O’Flaherty’s jaws harp solo on Lou‘Onions’ MacDougall’s classic 1949 recordingof ‘My Baby Done Sue Me’. I don’t havea museum of pristine classics, lovinglymaintained with original parts tracked downfrom landfill sites in the Urals and rentedout at vast expense to true microphonecognoscenti for whom simply nothing elsewill do. When, glowing with pride, youshow me your vintage collector’s item, Idon’t sniff, “Ah, that’s a 1953 version isn’t it?For the real essence of that model you haveto go back a bit further. They changed thewire they connected the capsule with in 1952and it frankly ruined the sound.”Fading ThrillsThat said, there’s still a thrill on openingthe fader on a microphone I’ve never heardbefore, and real rewards to be had fromtrying something differewnt and findingit works; there’s also satisfaction frombeing able to anticipate what you’re goingto get from a particular setup, using whatyou know about polar patterns and a givenmicrophone’s inherent sound to achieve theresult you’re after.Of course for a very large part of what wedo, a cardioid microphone is ideal, and we’vegot a vast arsenal of those to choose from,with dynamic/condenser, tube/solid state,large/small diaphragm, vintage/modernand a hundred other options to consider, tosay nothing of the range of manufacturersfrom industry grandees to arriviste boutiquebrands. Everybody has an opinion, everybodyDave Foister discusses the applicationsand benefits of the often neglected omni andribbon mics.has their favourites (and their pet hates),although I doubt if there’s anybody anywherewho has knowingly heard them all.Interesting though they are, there’s anadditional fascination in the less familiarmics, with less familiar ways of doing thingsand a whole different set of capabilities.I sometimes get the feeling that in thetime-pressured world of the commercialstudio there’s just not time to messwith different ideas, and it’s mucheasier to use tried-and-testedfriends, or at least stuff thatyou know other peoplehave got good resultswith. So up go thefavourites, and that thingyou wanted to try withthe mic at the back of thecupboard will have to waitfor another time.Perfect OmnisI think omnis get a raw dealas a result. Everybody knowsthey make great spaced pairs,and orchestral recording usesthem as flown outriggers andcurtains, but they don’t getmuch of a look-in in ‘normal’studio sessions. For a start, it’snot always appreciated how muchof a difference there is between amulti-pattern condenser set to omniand a dedicated omni like the familiarones from DPA and Earthworks. Set a twindiaphragmcondenser to omni and you gettwo back-to-back cardioids summed.Any deviation from perfect cardioid sumsto twice the deviation from a perfect omni,and nobody should be under any illusionthat such a microphone is capable of perfectcardioid pickup at any frequency; look atthe variation of pattern with frequency andit all starts to look horrible. A microphonelike this can only give a rough semblanceof omnidirectional behaviour, and will alsoprobably retain some proximity effect asa result.‘Proper’ omnis on the other hand exhibitno proximity effect whatsoever,so can be used as close to asource as you like withoutany bass tip-up. Thisraises an interestingthought for those whothink cardioids arethe way to isolateinstruments andreduce spill. Lookat a cardioid pattern,and notice how littlethe response is down at90 degrees either side;the only truly rejectedarea is directly behindthe microphone, andfew models can achievecomplete rejection there atany frequency. Most in factbecome pretty much omniat high frequencies, meaningthat the spill pickup is huge andextremely coloured. The way toimprove separation is to move themic closer, but you quickly run intoproblems with proximity effect and end upwith a booming sound that (a) pushes upthe overall level with signal you don’t want,and (b) has to be EQ’d to get back to thesound you were hearing in the first place.An omni on the other hand can be moved in6 MICROPHONE APPLICATIONS
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Prism Sound Orpheus - Audio Media

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