Recording - May 2016 - 12

around 2-3 feet away-pull a mic in
closer, and you're likely to get a peaky,
more spotty tone. A nice condenser at
an appropriate distance (assuming that's
feasible) will yield the best results.
Aiming the mic dead center, at the
body, can result in a darker overall tone,
and possibly catch a bit too much plectrum sound from the (often metal) picks
used. Aiming at the strings can emphasize the plucky quality (which the instrument already has in spades). Some suggest the sweet spot is where the neck
meets the body, but, of course, you'll ultimately have to find your spot by ear.

By Joe Albano

An alphabet of handy miking techniques
When it comes to miking, most people
stick to the tried-and-true approaches
they've used for years with the most
commonly-recorded instruments, like
drums, piano, acoustic guitar, and the
like. But every now and then a session
comes along with something a little less
common, that requires a little more
thought before setting up the mics. In the
spirit of exploring the world of potentially less-familiar music-makers out there,
here's a brief rundown of a few instruments and miking suggestions, from A to
Z.
A : Accordion
What better instrument to begin with
than the accordion, which has enjoyed
a love-hate relationship with music lovers
all over the globe, probably since it was
invented. While it may not exactly be
ubiquitous in most mainstream pop and
rock, various types of accordions have
blessed many musical styles, from
Americana to Zydeco, with their wheezing, reedy tone.
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Despite its relatively small size, the
accordion can be tough to capture. The
instrument tends to radiate sound
unevenly, so pointing a single mic at a
particular spot may not provide the most
well-balanced tone. On top of that, part
of it is in motion-the bellows are constantly being open and closed, naturally,
to produce sound. Given this variable
sound propagation, I'd be inclined, if
possible, to mic it up in stereo, with the
mics spaced around the instrument, a
couple of feet out. As with other, larger
instruments with a complex radiating
pattern (like piano), you should be able
to achieve a better-balanced tonality this
way, with less likelihood of tonal shifts
from the player's movements. The harmonium, a popular Indian reed instrument,
is played like a standard keyboard and
is stationary, making it much easier to
mike (see picture 1).
What kind of mics should you use?
Well, with most acoustic instruments, the
traditional approach, at least for recording, is either small- or large-diaphragm
condensers, for their excellent transient
response and air-and that would work
fine here, as well. In general, it's not a
bad idea to try out good-quality dynamics as an alternative, especially on louder, brighter, more percussive instruments,
or ribbon mics for warmth.
B : Banjo
Banjo (picture 2) is another mainstay
of Americana and other musical styles.
In the hands of a good player, a banjo
performance can be quite virtuosic and
expressive.
When it comes to miking up the
banjo, if I had to consolidate this paragraph into one concise suggestion, it
would be "don't get too close". The
banjo is one of those instruments where
the sound doesn't really gel into a wellbalanced whole until you're at least

RECORDING MAY 2016

C/D : Cajon and Congas, Dumbek and
Djembe...
Okay, this one should probably be
under "H" for "Hand Percussion", but I
had an "H" and I needed "C" & "D", so...
These instruments (and others like
tablas and frame drums) share the same
characteristic-they combine two distinctly different sounds into the one
instrument. Each offers a playing surface, which can be a taut membrane
(dumbek, djembe, etc.) or just the box
itself (cajon), and combines that with a
resonating cavity. The playing surface is
the source of various percussive finger
noises, clicks, slaps, and the like, which
make up the rhythmic performances
appropriate to the musical style of each
drum. The resonating chamber provides
the "boom", usually a deep blooming
bass tone, that can be difficult to capture
as it sounds in the room.
I suggest approaching these instruments as if each was actually two separate instruments, and mike them accordingly-two mics, one to capture each distinct aspect of the sound. Think of each
of these drums as a combination snare
and bass drum in a traditional kit-you
could pick up both of those with one mic,
but better results will be had miking each
individually. That works here as well.
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