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Post by bluegrassdan on Mar 6, 2017 22:55:53 GMT -6
Lots of folks have questions about recording bluegrass banjo, so here's a short example of my approach. I bet Randy and others have some additional techniques they use depending on what they're after.
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Post by dandeurloo on Mar 6, 2017 23:55:17 GMT -6
Distance is always a good thing when recording banjo's, IMO. I've tried so many different things for tracking banjos and so far nothing has stuck out as the only way to record a banjo from now on. Natural sounding mics and distance always help however.
I'd be curious how Randy or you Dan record claw hammer style banjo.
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Post by jeremygillespie on Mar 7, 2017 0:42:57 GMT -6
I tracked a song for Adam Hurt's last album - duet with a fiddle. Used a Blum stereo AEA between them and they balanced themselves.
Usually pretty easy with great players.
I generally give a banjo some room to breath. Not a huge
Fan of crowding them with the mic.
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Post by EmRR on Mar 7, 2017 5:32:40 GMT -6
The average banjo gets some sort of ribbon with distance here, 18" starting point at least. Occasionally encounter very quiet banjo....all bets are off then, spurious noises can overshadow note content then and you chase a balance of notes versus noise.
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Post by Ward on Mar 7, 2017 6:31:27 GMT -6
I've recorded banjo more times than I'd like to admit to. Best results I've gotten are with a much hated AKG C414XLS. The very flat, boring, neutral nature of that microphone works very well. As for pre? Grace M101. Because it's also neutral and is very fast... you need the transients with banjo. Tame them later!
I can see a KM84 also working gloriously with a banjo too. A U47 might be overdoing it a bit. Banjos aren't really renowned for their robust low mid and bass.
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Post by bluegrassdan on Mar 7, 2017 10:11:51 GMT -6
Like fiddles, banjos vary so much from instrument to instrument and player to player. I definitely lean toward faster preamps like Grace in most situations.
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Post by dandeurloo on Mar 7, 2017 10:30:39 GMT -6
I really like my Access 312 pres on banjos. They are clean, punchy and clear but with a little bit of good color. They sound great on instruments.
BTW, nice playing as always Dan!
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Post by Deleted on Mar 8, 2017 9:03:00 GMT -6
The average banjo gets some sort of ribbon with distance here, 18" starting point at least. Occasionally encounter very quiet banjo....all bets are off then, spurious noises can overshadow note content then and you chase a balance of notes versus noise. If you're as close as 18", the ribbons are likely to give you considerable proximity effect. Do you actually find it useful or do you EQ it out? |
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Post by dandeurloo on Mar 8, 2017 9:43:02 GMT -6
When I use ribbons it depends on the part. Often times the proximity does help in the higher ranges. In the lower ranges it can sound bonky. My 2 cents
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Post by Deleted on Mar 8, 2017 10:10:19 GMT -6
I've never recorded banjo and perhaps never will. But there are many stringed instruments that have a distinctive mid-range 'honk' like a banjo does. Those might include dobro, sarod, and even archtop guitars (my Epi L-5 knockoff is pretty nasal). So things that apply to banjo might apply to that broader group of instruments.
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Post by EmRR on Mar 8, 2017 10:34:14 GMT -6
The average banjo gets some sort of ribbon with distance here, 18" starting point at least. Occasionally encounter very quiet banjo....all bets are off then, spurious noises can overshadow note content then and you chase a balance of notes versus noise. If you're as close as 18", the ribbons are likely to give you considerable proximity effect. Do you actually find it useful or do you EQ it out? Probably depends mostly on how percussively it is played. |
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ericn
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Post by ericn on Mar 8, 2017 17:15:00 GMT -6
I've recorded banjo more times than I'd like to admit to. Best results I've gotten are with a much hated AKG C414XLS. The very flat, boring, neutral nature of that microphone works very well. As for pre? Grace M101. Because it's also neutral and is very fast... you need the transients with banjo. Tame them later! I can see a KM84 also working gloriously with a banjo too. A U47 might be overdoing it a bit. Banjos aren't really renowned for their robust low mid and bass. Always liked my secret weapon SDC's Sony C535 because of the way they slightly compress on peaks on the Banjo when you have to get close with some lowend roll off, on banjo proximity effect is not your freind! |
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Post by sean on Mar 9, 2017 16:47:13 GMT -6
I've recorded a lot of amazing & different banjo players...Noam, Bela, Rob McCoury, Cushman, Alison Brown, Tim OBrien...they all sound totally different so I just move my head around to fine "the sweet spot" which for me is often the open head area below the bridge/hand and put a mic there, and then place a second microphone closer to the neck joint for brightness. Honestly that method works for me with all acoustic instruments.
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Post by massivemastering on Mar 10, 2017 0:01:55 GMT -6
Just a live sound anecdote (as I'm totally in with the "a little breathing room" crowd for the studio) --
Was doing live sound for a bluegrass band -- (fairly popular, some Grammy action, don't want to mention any names in case anyone is here).
"We've got our own mics for (banjo, mandolin, bass...).
Had an AKG C-1000-S for the banjo. Cross my heart - a C-1000-S. On a banjo. Only a few inches away.
Asked him if I could use a different mic on it and he reluctantly agreed. Threw a 57 in front of it. He said it was the first time he ever "really heard it" in his monitor.
Worked with the same bunch a couple years later and the banjo player originally didn't remember he but asked if I could just "put a 57 in front of it." [/anecdote]
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