Micing a rotating speaker

Lundy · Post by **Lundy** » Mon Oct 30, 2006 2:36 pm

How would you guys go about recording an old Yamaha electric organ with a rotating speaker? Type of mic, placement, etc.? Or would you not bother micing the rotating speaker at all and just stick a mic on the stationary one? Thanks much.

Randy · Post by **Randy** » Mon Oct 30, 2006 2:45 pm

I have used a stereo pair x/y, and also have used mid-side. It depends on what you are going for, how wide you want the stereo effect etc. One time I just used one mic set back by about 8 feet to get the warbled effect without any stereo spread.

I don't know how the speaker is set up, but it might have a crossover so the stationary speaker doesn't have any high end. If that's the case, you would want to be back from the speaker pair at least 3 times the distance between the cones of the speakers.

Whatever the configuration, I would probably use a couple of small diaphragm condensers on it.

good luck!

Lundy · Post by **Lundy** » Mon Oct 30, 2006 5:21 pm

Yeah, I'm not so much trying to stereo mic the speaker, I just want to catch that natural tremolo. The organ allows me to use just the rotating speaker with the stationary speaker turned off - should I still try those techniques you suggested?

jmoose · Post by **jmoose** » Mon Oct 30, 2006 5:38 pm

What kinda rotating speaker is it really?

Is it like a Leslie? Where's it's got a top rotor that spins around on an axis and maybe a lower drum with bagffles that spins around?

Or...is it like an old guitar combo where the speaker stays in one place but the speaker baffle rotates around?

'Ya got a picture of it???

For a regular old Leslie I usually stick a pair of mics on the top rotor & another mic on the lower one...maybe sum 'em all to a stereo track, maybe print 'em out to three tracks. Generally there's some compression & EQ happening too...

I've also been known to take top only or go one high, one low.

Mics & whatnot vary accordingly...I have some standard configurations & combinations that work for me depending on what's around and the general tone that we're shooting for.

If it's the latter style...the guitar combo, rotating baffle type then I treat it like a guitar amp. One, maybe two-three mics but generally I treat it like any other gee'tar amplification unit and it usually ends up as a mono track.

So like...whuz it like?!

jmoose · Post by **jmoose** » Mon Oct 30, 2006 5:56 pm

Here's a pic of the Leslie rig from the swamp sessions out at Red Rock Recording in PA 'bout a week ago.

www.swampadelica.com
www.redrockrecording.com

We were after a 70's vibe & tone so I stuck 421's on the top, turned two clicks back from "M" to filter out low end with a '70s U87 on the bottom baffle...all heading into some early 70's BBC mini-Neve rack, some kinda 1066/73-ish things that sounded quite lovely!

From there the tops went into a Pedulum Vari-Mu...the 6386...but NOT the 6386 one! LOL And the bottom hit a Summit TLA-100 and one of my Daking 52270's for a bit of EQ, basically just high passing the loose top end hash that was floating around the room.

Lundy · Post by **Lundy** » Mon Oct 30, 2006 7:27 pm

Definately not a Leslie - it's just a rotating baffle (I think) built into the organ itself. No external cab. I wish I had the organ with me so I could look for sure

I'm just trying to get some research done for a session in the future.

jmoose · Post by **jmoose** » Mon Oct 30, 2006 8:30 pm

If it's a single speaker rotating baffle then even a single mic will pick up the doppler effect. Though...I'd imagine that where it's placed might well vary it a bit...

djimbe · Post by **djimbe** » Tue Oct 31, 2006 8:11 am

it's just a rotating baffle (I think) built into the organ itself. No external cab

there'll be port for the Leslie on the side of the organ, so mic that. Also mick the front of the organ, 'cause it quit likely has the crossover speaker thing that Randy mentioned going on. Even if it doesn't have the crossover thing, mic the front, cause some of the Leslie will leak that way...

glue unit · Post by **glue unit** » Thu Nov 02, 2006 11:59 am

I have this organ. I really like it. Gets a cool farfisa kinda sound when the rotary is off. It has and oval speaker, woofer, like 18" that goes out the players side through about a 6'" hole about 2/3 of the way to the left, over the pedals.

The rotating sound comes out of the grill on the players right side of the organ and also through the little vent in the particle board on the players rear of the organ. I have had luck with one mic in the back, the things pretty lofi 57s will do, and one on the grill on the players right..
Well at least you made me look to see how it actually works and it is very strange. There is a small square car stereo looking speaker in a little tub on the end of an arm and this rotates around. Don't put your hand in there when it's running. The Voice button switches the speaker sound on and off. The ensemble button is kind of a treble boost. The tremelo button puts the rotary motor on high speed. The chorus button puts the rotary motor on slow speed.

I have plans to put a jack between the amp and rotating speaker to disconect the amp and plug in another amp so I can use it for guitar and other stuff.

I couldn't imagine a better organ for the $50 I paid for it

Lundy · Post by **Lundy** » Thu Nov 02, 2006 12:13 pm

Yeah I stumbled accross mine when my buddy's sister was moving out of her apartment and didn't want it. She told us if we got it out of there it was mine. Pretty good deal if you ask me.

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Micing a rotating speaker

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