How to mic a Kora
How to mic a Kora
Hey Hey!
Tomorrow I have to mic a Kora.
It's a live scenario. In fact, for various reasons it needs to be a 58 plugged into one of those Fender portable P.A. systems in a college dining hall. He's also singing on another 58. It's effectively just background music during lunch so it's not that critical, but then again, why not ask?
I've actually worked with a Kora player once before, in a much nicer, concert setting, but in that case he actually had a pickup and used a guitar amp. He liked the sound REALLY shrill, too. I hated it.
Of course, common sense says to treat it basically like a guitar, cello, or any other stringed instrument, but perhaps there's something tricky that isn't readily apparent. In any case I'd just like to tell my engineer a good place to start so she can look knowledgable.
Any pointers?
Thanks,
Archmart
Tomorrow I have to mic a Kora.
It's a live scenario. In fact, for various reasons it needs to be a 58 plugged into one of those Fender portable P.A. systems in a college dining hall. He's also singing on another 58. It's effectively just background music during lunch so it's not that critical, but then again, why not ask?
I've actually worked with a Kora player once before, in a much nicer, concert setting, but in that case he actually had a pickup and used a guitar amp. He liked the sound REALLY shrill, too. I hated it.
Of course, common sense says to treat it basically like a guitar, cello, or any other stringed instrument, but perhaps there's something tricky that isn't readily apparent. In any case I'd just like to tell my engineer a good place to start so she can look knowledgable.
Any pointers?
Thanks,
Archmart
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Hmm. Mic a cora with a '58? Make sure you have some compression available. They're not loud instruments. Quieter than nylon-string acoustic guitar by a long shot. Yeah, try it like you'd try a guitar. I'd concentrate on finding a nice resonant spot on the body. ...And then nail the players shoes to the floor.
Hey Hey!
Ah! So there IS another use for a hammer when dealing with a Kora player!
I'm actually hoping he brings a pickup and amp so it ends up not being my problem. There's just no way this is going to go well. I can't be there myself, the gear is consumer, and it's lunch at a college dining hall!
Luckily, it's not a high profile thing.
Archmart
Ah! So there IS another use for a hammer when dealing with a Kora player!
I'm actually hoping he brings a pickup and amp so it ends up not being my problem. There's just no way this is going to go well. I can't be there myself, the gear is consumer, and it's lunch at a college dining hall!
Luckily, it's not a high profile thing.
Archmart
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- dead but not forgotten
- Posts: 2193
- Joined: Tue May 13, 2003 6:29 am
- Location: Minneapolis, MN
- Contact:
Condenser two foot out, say 5-10 degrees off-axis. . Widemouth, but a small might do in a pinch. Unless you want more of an old-school sound, and then put a dynamic nearly on the body. For a more naturalistic effect, you could use boundary mics or spaced omnis, which would be a more appropriate method to my mind if the player is also singing simultaneously. That shoots isolation, but can sometimes capture a better performance.
Speaking of ethnic-instrumentation micing, I saw the Master Musicians of Jajouka at [name of prestigious private college suppressed]. Some clown had close-mic'ed all the zirna-things and area mic'ed the percussion. For FESTIVAL MUSIC, you jerks! So wrongful.
Speaking of ethnic-instrumentation micing, I saw the Master Musicians of Jajouka at [name of prestigious private college suppressed]. Some clown had close-mic'ed all the zirna-things and area mic'ed the percussion. For FESTIVAL MUSIC, you jerks! So wrongful.
I have always placed an SM81 at about a 45 degree angle where the strings meet the body about 6" away from the instrument. It works well but can be hard to find a place that is comfortable for the player and good luck if you need a lot of monitor.
I did this for Mamadou Diabate and he really liked it. I didn't use his pickup in the house at all. I did use it to feed his monitor though.
I did this for Mamadou Diabate and he really liked it. I didn't use his pickup in the house at all. I did use it to feed his monitor though.
Micing a Kora
Kora's are VERY quiet instruments. With a mic and no pickup, feedback will always be a problem live. Don't mic the hole - it's a very woofy sound and will only exacerbate the problem. I would see if it's possible to borrow a contact pickup and acoustic guitar preamp.
Ideally a condensor pointing fairly closely at the player's fingers will work. Koras use nylon strings (think classical guitar).
I hear many koras live and recorded that sound metallic like they have steel strings. For recording - avoid pickups.
Blair
Ideally a condensor pointing fairly closely at the player's fingers will work. Koras use nylon strings (think classical guitar).
I hear many koras live and recorded that sound metallic like they have steel strings. For recording - avoid pickups.
Blair
Sounds like Suso.....Archmart wrote:Hey Hey!
So in the end he had a pickup, plus several stompboxes.
He was using them tastefully, though. It sounded fairly good.
Archmart
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