Mic'ing a Didgeridoo

[Uncle Dub]

I've hunted through the forum, haven't seen anyone answer this before, and my back issues are kind of sparse.

What would be the best way to mic a didgeridoo? It's not the feature instrument of the mix, it's being used as more of a background drone, though in some instances we 'bring it to the fore'. This is an ambient style track with the didj being sent out to an old delay, and we bring it in and out kind of dub style.

First try was put a dynamic mic at table level, and have the didj resting on the table and play into it that way, but the didj kind of wanders of axis, it's difficult to keep it in place at that angle.

Better results came from putting a crappy dynamic that came with an old tape player inside the didj, and holding it in place with tape an padding, the drawbacks being it was a crappy mic, and the pressure in the tube changed making playing difficult.

I think the way we're going to do it is with a kind of 'didj stand' which will be based on the fact I rested it on two jacks with rubber strain relief sleeves sticking up from my console, so some kind of rubber prong affair on a stand, and then either a mic inside, or a mic on a stand in front of the didj stand.

I'd like to mic it internally or find some other way to compensate for it wandering during playing, which even with a stand I know it will. The diamater of the thing is around an inch and a half. Suggestions anyone?

[joel hamilton]

I recorded a few, one for a drum and bass project. We got the best low end to "rasp" balance by taping a chunk of foam to the wood floor, and taping a KM84 to the foam chunk. This guy was playing a few types though, and also a slide dig, so he could play actual pitches. The movements were like 2 to 4 feet to slide the tube within a tube and get the pitches. Sick. Anyway, a small d. condenser worked quite well for overall balance. Right at a boundary. I also put up a KM84 right against a baffle on a wall and let the guy blast right at the wall. Having a boundary seemed to really increase the overall detail and tone, and low end.

Hope that helps. When you get it captured right, it REALLY moves some air!

[Red Rockets Glare]

The most important thing about recording a didge is to point it into a corner at floor level, they seem to really come alive there.
I had great luck using a tape-op omni pointing at the corner right over the players shoulder at about the same angle as the didge.

[Scodiddly]

Been a while since I played mine, but I bet the corner trick would help a lot.

You could also look into clip-on mics, like a little tiny condensor to clip onto the end.

[thethingwiththestuff]

i like to use an LDC about 4-6" from the dreadlocks, pointing at the headband.

[andyg666]

i second the clip on condensor mic option. it nixes the off-axis problem and sounds good. i've only done it in a live situation but i got a nice sounding signal and i'm sure it would work for recording.

you might also try a roomier sound to mix in with a cose mic and see how that treats you.

[Lee Knight]

i like to use an LDC about 4-6" from the dreadlocks, pointing at the headband.

That IS the best!

[thunderboy]

This guy was playing a few types though, and also a slide dig, so he could play actual pitches. The movements were like 2 to 4 feet to slide the tube within a tube and get the pitches. Sick.

Sounds like Baba Israel to me. Open Thought?
What do I win?

jt

[Uncle Dub]

I had great luck using a tape-op omni pointing at the corner right over the players shoulder at about the same angle as the didge.

OK. I'll bite, whats a tape op omni? The omni mod they had with the filling in the holes in your capsule? Or something more special.

Joel and others, thanks for the tips, I've got some good new ideas to experiment with now.

[joel hamilton]

This guy was playing a few types though, and also a slide dig, so he could play actual pitches. The movements were like 2 to 4 feet to slide the tube within a tube and get the pitches. Sick.

Sounds like Baba Israel to me. Open Thought?
What do I win?

jt

Yep, thats who it was. Playing with Karsh Kale and Jojo mayer on an early version of his "NERVE" project.

[TooLoFi]

I've recorded too many didgerdoos man. The most reliable way (I have found) is to put a large diaphram mic about 4-5 inches away from the bell, and 1-2 inches from the ground. Then take some foam or pillows and put them about a foot away from the bell. Have headphones on while you place the mic, and find the exact spot that works the best. Then take a stereo mic and put it above the didge about 3-4 feet, and point that at the bell too. In this case, the mics were an M149 and a AT stereo mic.

The corner thing is great for practicing, but the bass can get a little overwhelming for recordings.

This is all asuming the bell is on the ground.

If you have a table, try finding a reference point to have your didge at. Stephen Kent has his bell on a 3 foot stand, and has a hook that keeps the bell anchored. an AT 4051 close and an earthworks above the bell worked well to get both low end, and "growl."

These were both small rooms, if you have a large space, I would experiment a lot more. Try two figure 8 mics on top of each other pointed 90 degrees away. This way you get a stereo image on either side of the mics... you could run circles around it, get closer, and get farther away. We've done this before too in a huge tunnel in the marin headlands and it sounded great!

Peace.

Greg Hagel

[Rick Hunter]

i like to use an LDC about 4-6" from the dreadlocks, pointing at the headband.

AWESOME.

[LittleDogAudio]

I mic'd a water bong that way one time.

No really,
the project was called "Grass is Skin" (like grass is the skin of the earth). I don't remember too much about the session because I had to keep showing the "artist" how to correctly play the instrument. Over and over and over...

Chris

[Red Rockets Glare]

I had great luck using a tape-op omni pointing at the corner right over the players shoulder at about the same angle as the didge.

OK. I'll bite, whats a tape op omni? The omni mod they had with the filling in the holes in your capsule? Or something more special.

Joel and others, thanks for the tips, I've got some good new ideas to experiment with now.

It's This:
http://prosoundweb.com/recording/tapeop ... 16_1.shtml