For a different effect, you can get a somewhat ethereal flute sound by placing the microphone a couple of feet behind the flutist ( Clip 7). This may be good for a rock or R&B recording or as a special effect. Placing the microphone near the headjoint of the flute results in a harsher, very airy sound ( Clip 6). You may also mitigate an airy sound by increasing the angle of the microphone, relative to the flute, away from the instrument.
#Best flute music full#
This will result in a somewhat less full sound but one that may be smoother-sounding. If you feel you are getting too much air sound, try moving the microphone position to the foot of the flute, as shown in the photo at right ( Clip 5). Placing the mic halfway down the body of the flute, in this way, will give you a full flute sound with some amount of natural airy quality ( Clip 4). Then, twist the mic about 10 degrees to the right so that it’s not aimed directly at the body of the flute but more at the foot of the instrument. Raise the mic so that it is about 6″ above the flute and angle it down so that it’s pointing at the body of the flute. When you do a sound check, try to have the flutist play some notes roughly covering the entire range they will be using for the recording.įor a good all-around sound, start by placing the mic 2 feet in front of the flutist, positioning it halfway down the body of the instrument. This can affect microphone placement, especially if you decide to place a microphone near the headjoint of the flute. However, what is less obvious is that the direction of the flutist’s air stream also changes depending on the octave they are playing in. It’s this concentrated stream of air, moving in and out of the blowhole, that produces sound from the flute.īy watching a flutist you can see that they change pitches by pressing keys on the flute. The flutist blows air over the top of the blowhole located in the headjoint. Now do that for a few hours and you’ll get an idea of the amount of air it takes to play the flute. Grab a soda bottle and make a loud tone by blowing air over the top, just as you did as a kid. It takes a tremendous amount of air to play the flute. The ribbon also takes EQ especially well.Īs you listen to these clips, notice that the differences in microphone types are more apparent in the extreme ranges of the flute. A ribbon mic is an excellent choice when recording a classical flute soloist. You’ll find the higher notes have a bit less bite and the lower range is fuller sounding. I’ve also used a dynamic to good effect when recording flutes that are meant to be in the background of a song, behind a vocalist for example.įor a somewhat darker, fuller and natural flute sound, use a ribbon microphone ( Clip 3). This sound may be more suited to a rock or R&B band. A condenser will generally capture more of the flute’s many overtones, resulting in a bright sound ( Clip 1).Ī dynamic mic gives a less bright and detailed flute sound ( Clip 2). For a jazz flute recording, consider using a condenser microphone. While brass instruments almost always sound best when recorded with a ribbon microphone, the type of microphone you choose to record a flute may depend on the type of music you are recording.
0 kommentar(er)
