Recording banjo

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wren
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Recording banjo

Post by wren » Mon Oct 31, 2011 2:40 pm

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.)
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Nick Sevilla
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Post by Nick Sevilla » Mon Oct 31, 2011 3:35 pm

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
Howling at the neighbors. Hoping they have more mic cables.

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vvv
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Post by vvv » Mon Oct 31, 2011 4:19 pm

Hey, Nick!

Ya sure ya know about recording a banjo?

:twisted: <--- click
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Post by fuzz » Mon Oct 31, 2011 4:59 pm

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 :?:

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Ryan Silva
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Post by Ryan Silva » Mon Oct 31, 2011 5:08 pm

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.

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Post by mjau » Mon Oct 31, 2011 6:19 pm

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.

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Post by {} » Mon Oct 31, 2011 8:31 pm

Take your best mic, stick it in front of the banjo and then move it around until it can't sound any better. Done.

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Nick Sevilla
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Post by Nick Sevilla » Mon Oct 31, 2011 9:34 pm

vvv wrote:Hey, Nick!

Ya sure ya know about recording a banjo?

:twisted: <--- click
Nah, I ain't got a clue...
Howling at the neighbors. Hoping they have more mic cables.

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Post by Tim A » Mon Oct 31, 2011 10:37 pm

mjau 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.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZU58KvlJMtA

Looks like a mc 012.... sound awesome to me. a really great band/song for those who are inclined.

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Post by mwerden » Tue Nov 01, 2011 1:55 pm

I really dig our RCA 77DX on banjo. I bet our m160 would sound great as well, I just don't get to record banjo very often.
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Scodiddly
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Post by Scodiddly » Tue Nov 01, 2011 4:21 pm

Banjos are basically snare drums with pitch - the transients can cause things to sound crappy if they make something in the chain distort.

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Post by standup » Tue Nov 01, 2011 5:59 pm

The few times I recorded banjo I used ribbons or dynamics -- fearful of the brightness a condensor might bring in. Obviously, it has worked for other people. Accordion and banjo are the instruments that make me think of dynamic mics, but that might just be me.

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Post by cgarges » Tue Nov 01, 2011 7:03 pm

mjau wrote:The best banjo sound I've got was with an Oktava mc012 (I think in hyper)
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.

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
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Post by dgrieser » Tue Nov 01, 2011 7:54 pm

cgarges wrote:but I always listen to the instrument up-close
You're a braver man than me. :shock:

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Post by cgarges » Tue Nov 01, 2011 7:55 pm

dgrieser wrote:You're a braver man than me. :shock:
I doubt that. Your band has "Hillbilly" in the name.

Chris Garges
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