Mics for plucked strings

[westla]

I'm going to be recording a score of mine in my studio and it has a lot of harp and plucked dulcimer. I have a fairly extensive mic collection, but am willing to rent mics for these sessions. Are LDC, SDC or ribbon better? What specific models?

Thanks

[aitikin]

Are LDC, SDC or ribbon better?

Short answer, yes. I've heard a lot of this and really, I can't say that any one thing is the "right" choice. I've used SM81's and AKG 451's, on the SDC side, 414s and KSM32s on the LDC. I don't have much experience with ribbons, but I'd be surprised if it didn't work out well.

[BradLyons]

Well, every mic is different....while there are a few that will work great on everything, many have their "pros" and "cons". What are some of your best mics?

[westla]

Hi Brad,

I'm leaning towards renting mics, so with that in mind, what would you suggest?

[sdemott]

Have you considered the Schoeps Collete series (CMC6) with a few capsules. I would give the subcardioids a try first and get a normal card. and omni caps for comparison.

It's hard to go wrong with the Schoeps - the sound is always so gorgeously detailed.

[daniel.sneed]

Schoeps mics have among best medium I've ever heard.
Very found of the switchable MK5 (cardio-omni) capsule.
http://www.schoeps.de/E-2004/switchable.html

[3rdpath]

i've used many different mics on plucked strings...if you're renting i'd try ribbons first. royer, rca or reissues...i've had good luck with them all. i do favor the royers though-they're really smooth thru the high-mids which can be shrill with strings.

fwiw, i've had to make do with sm-81's a couple of times and the results were nice when put in the mix. i've also tried different versions of the neumann km series ( both new and vintage) and didn't care for the sound.


i honestly think mic placement is every bit as important as the mic itself when it comes to strings...especially if your recording space isn't geared for strings. reflections and comb-filtering can be a nitemare...

[BradLyons]

If you're going to rent, I personally wouldn't consider anything but Earthworks or Royer.

[sdemott]

If you're going to rent, I personally wouldn't consider anything but Earthworks or Royer.

FWIW - I prefer Schoeps over Earthworks any day of the week. The Schoeps have a much more "organic" feel, the Earthworks always seemed "hyper focused" to me...almost unrealistic. My main gig is classical recording - so I've used most of the big boys (Schoeps, DPA, Earthworks, Sennheiser).

And yes - the Royers are nice - but you have to be sure you have a super clean super, high gain preamp (65dB of clean gain). The SF-12 is incredible for orchestra & choir. Have not used it to multitrack. I would imagine a few SF-1s would be great for multitracking. Keep in mind the ribbons will be bi-directional (figure-of-8), so if you're in a tight space they are not a good choice if you need isolation.

In a situation like you describe - I would go Schoeps or DPA sub-cardiods. All the low end depth of omni with the directionality for help in controlling bleed.

HTH

[mhschmieder]

I just ordered my first ribbon mic from Sweetwater today; a Beyerdynamic M160. I decided to try this instead of splurging on a Royer R121.

I'm hoping my True Precision octal mic preamp will have sufficient gain on its own, but we'll see.

My primary application will be bowed and plucked strings, acoustic piano, and especially woodwinds and brass.

I suppose somewhere along the way, I'll give it a try on its most famous application: electric guitar amps.

[BradLyons]

Congrats, the M160 will work fine---although personally I would lean towards the BLUE Woodpecker first. Either way, I think a ribbon makes most sense!

[therealbigd]

yes i do like both Blue and Earthworks... but now you have one, I might buy a second, they make lovely stereo pairs if you want to take the "edge" of things, where you might find the sound a bit bright using a condensor mic.

for instance, cymbals can be a bit harsh with a pair of condensors, a pair of Ribbon mics can really dull them down and let you brighten them up, but only as far as you want....

[monkey man]

451s and 414s have probably been used on more hittoons than any others. Much cheaper, but certainly nothing to sneeze at IMHO.