Recording banjo
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- suffering 'studio suck'
- Posts: 464
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Recording banjo
Any general tips? Every time I've recorded a banjo in the past I've always been able to get a sound I wasn't terribly disappointed with but never a sound that I was happy with. The sound I was happiest with was in a small but nice-sounding wood room with an M88 pointed up a little, more or less at the location where the fretboard and body meet, but while it sounded OK it didn't really sound like that banjo in that room...but everything I tried that was different (different mics, different placement, &etc.) just sounded worse and worse and even farther from how I had hoped it would sound.
What are your banjo recording tricks?
(And I apologize if this has been covered before, but I did a search and didn't come up with anything.)
What are your banjo recording tricks?
(And I apologize if this has been covered before, but I did a search and didn't come up with anything.)
"I don't need time, I need a deadline." -Duke Ellington
"I liked the holes in it as much as I liked what was in them." -Tom Waits
"I liked the holes in it as much as I liked what was in them." -Tom Waits
- Nick Sevilla
- on a wing and a prayer
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Hi,
I've tried a Neumann KM184 about 2 feet from the front,
pointing at the body of the banjo, not the join of the neck.
the second mic is a Peluso 22 47 SE about 5 feet away
in front, and about 6 feet high, pointing towards the player.
Tonight I could post a quick 10 sec sample of the two mics
As to mixing tricks, I like to use the Digi compressor III,
used to limit the transients about 4 dB, and some EQ to fit
the banjo in the mix.
Cheers
I've tried a Neumann KM184 about 2 feet from the front,
pointing at the body of the banjo, not the join of the neck.
the second mic is a Peluso 22 47 SE about 5 feet away
in front, and about 6 feet high, pointing towards the player.
Tonight I could post a quick 10 sec sample of the two mics
As to mixing tricks, I like to use the Digi compressor III,
used to limit the transients about 4 dB, and some EQ to fit
the banjo in the mix.
Cheers
Howling at the neighbors. Hoping they have more mic cables.
I actually had a banjo in all day last Sat. Obviously, I record Banjo (along with a variety of less common instruments) a fraction of the amount I'll track more common instruments like ac gtr. Last Sat. the instrumentation was just ac gtr, banjo and two voices. Since the banjo and gtr didn't have to punch through a dense mix I used tube LDC's. In the case of the banjo an M49b into a Neve 1066 pre (no comp, no eq). Pointing the mic straight into the picking hand/ drum head/ neck about 8"-12" back gave a clear sound with some air from the room. In the past, however, I've used a Josephson C42 sometimes paired with an RCA BK-5a. This is a brighter sound, it can cut more, but the metal picks most banjo players use can become sibilant. I'd like to try using one of the drum rim mic clips at some point. While I never use them for tracking drums, I feel that it may be nice for the banjo since players tend to sway and move enough that their positioning can compromise the stationary mic'd sound. Transients can get pretty wild so I'll use enough gain on the Neve (this works with other slower pres too) to compress the transients a bit. Curious what other folks do as well
- Ryan Silva
- tinnitus
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- Location: San Francisco
I enjoy ribbons on Banjo all the time. Proximity can be difficult, having a faster compressor will allow you to nail down those laser beams they call banjo notes. Enough distance in a good room can sound fantastic, to much distance in a bad room can make things worse.
Chains that have worked for me.
Beyer Dynamic m160 ribbon (neck/body joint) - Disstressor - API 312
AKG 414 buls (omni 2 feet in front) - UA 610
Any cardiod sdc 3 feet from neck joint pointed down from overhead. THIS IS GREAT WITH HARD WOOD FLOORS.
For live, a 57 will always work.
Chains that have worked for me.
Beyer Dynamic m160 ribbon (neck/body joint) - Disstressor - API 312
AKG 414 buls (omni 2 feet in front) - UA 610
Any cardiod sdc 3 feet from neck joint pointed down from overhead. THIS IS GREAT WITH HARD WOOD FLOORS.
For live, a 57 will always work.
"Writing good songs is hard. recording is easy. "
MoreSpaceEcho
MoreSpaceEcho
The best banjo sound I've got was with an Oktava mc012 (I think in hyper) a few inches away, pointing at the neck joint, and an SE z5600 tube mic in omni about 3' away. The room sounded really good, so the distant mic was pretty heavily compressed.
I've not had much luck recording banjo in dead spaces, though. I'd imagine a large ribbon mic might sound pretty nice on them.
I've not had much luck recording banjo in dead spaces, though. I'd imagine a large ribbon mic might sound pretty nice on them.
- Nick Sevilla
- on a wing and a prayer
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- Joined: Mon Mar 03, 2008 1:34 pm
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZU58KvlJMtAmjau wrote:The best banjo sound I've got was with an Oktava mc012 (I think in hyper) a few inches away, pointing at the neck joint, and an SE z5600 tube mic in omni about 3' away. The room sounded really good, so the distant mic was pretty heavily compressed.
I've not had much luck recording banjo in dead spaces, though. I'd imagine a large ribbon mic might sound pretty nice on them.
Looks like a mc 012.... sound awesome to me. a really great band/song for those who are inclined.
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- zen recordist
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I've had really good luck with these on darker-sounding banjos that needed the hype up-top. I usually like something like an RCA BK5A or a Beyer M500 or occasionally, a Coles 4038. The spot that usually works for me is just below the player's picking hand (right hand for a right-handed player), but I always listen to the instrument up-close and move my head around to see if a different spot sounds better.mjau wrote:The best banjo sound I've got was with an Oktava mc012 (I think in hyper)
Again, if I need something with more top or more output or with a more forward sound, I might use the Oktava MK-012 or a Blue Mouse or something like that.
I sort of agree with Scodiddly that in a lot of ways, a banjo is a snare drum with pitch. I like similar preamps on both, depending on the desired representation. I try my best not to EQ banjo in tracking, but I do usually put a bit of compression on the banjo with the fastest compressor I've got around. For me, that's uaually a GML 8900 or a Distressor.
I also usually like to record some kind of ambient mic, but it sort of depends on the banjo's role in the music and what else is going on around it.
Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC
You're a braver man than me.cgarges wrote:but I always listen to the instrument up-close
Hillbilly Chamber Music
http://hillbillychambermusic.bandcamp.com
http://hillbillychambermusic.bandcamp.com
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