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Thread: Recording Trumpet and Flugelhorn

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    Great Site, I'll post more! ErinSmith has disabled reputation ErinSmith's Avatar
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    Default Recording Trumpet and Flugelhorn

    I am recording through my Digi 002 and my best mic is a MXL V69 tube (mogami edition). I also have a presonus "Blue Tube" stereo pre.

    First, should I use the Blue Tube pre or the 002 pre? If I use the Blue Tube, how do I achieve a rich tone (warm)?

    Second, any placement and setting tips for getting a rich sound. So far all is too thin . . . .

    I am using PTLE, but am just getting started. My first goal here is to get my horns to sound the way I like them. Thanks for any info you can share.

    Erin

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    Pro Audio Group sammyg has disabled reputation
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    Hey,

    I recorded trumpet a couple of days ago, I started off with my mics
    fairly close then realized there was way too much articulation goin' on, i found that once i moved it away it sounded a little nicer.

    Hope this helps!

    Sammyg

    Its topics like this that give me the horn!!hehehe

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    Pro Audio Group cruisemates has disabled reputation cruisemates's Avatar
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    Hi Erin...

    I am not familiar with those tube mics, but I have a Neumann tube mic and a digi 002.

    I am confused about your pre-amp question. Usually tube mics have power supplies, but not pre-amps, You need the power supply no matter what, and you would plug that into the oo2. If you do have a separate pre-amp you can use that as well, and go in to either the low or high impedance jack. I generally try to stay low impedance (xlr) when possible.

    I was using a pre with my tube mic & digi a few days ago, but it started acting up so I bypassed it and went straight in to the 002 and was pleasantly surprised.

    Anyway, the true answer is "whatever sounds better" to you. The 002 has decent mic pres built in, but you can choose to use outboard ones as well. Try it each way and see what sounds cleanest.

    I look for a pure trumpet tone. Often trumpets/flugels are pretty brassy instruments with high sound pressure level, so it is sometimes better to go with the mic that is not so bright. You also might even need to use the pad (listen for a harsh distortion sound - clipping, while tracking) that is built in to the mic.

    I would probably start with the better mic you have, and see if you can get it to sound good (ie: work with the pads & pres). If not go to the other mic.

    I have even gone off of condensors to use dynamics and ribbons with horns sometimes, because they are too bright (once again, that harsh distortion).

    Good luck.
    Paul Motter:
    CEO of CruiseMates.COM: Online Cruise Travel Guide

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    Great Site, I'll post more! ErinSmith has disabled reputation ErinSmith's Avatar
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    Thanks for the input. I have always been on the player side of the mic. I am experimenting now to see what happens to the sound as I adjust different levels. Very random, but I'll learn.

    I have a great horn, and in an acoustic setting, my tone is quite dark. A lot of guys naturally have a thinner sound, or they have equipment designed to project the sound.

    My Blue Tube Pre has gain and drive knobs as well as phantom power and "pad" buttons.

    how do the gain and drive levels work? (excuse the newbie in my question). Which is generally set first etc. . . . I guess I get the gain idea . . .to avoid clipping right?, and to achieve the best sound to noise ratio possible without clipping . .

    how about the drive?



    Erin

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    Pro Audio Group djui5 has disabled reputation
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    Quote Originally Posted by ErinSmith
    My Blue Tube Pre has gain and drive knobs as well as phantom power and "pad" buttons.
    if your mic has a power supply don't send 48v out of the pre (by hitting the button). This will cause sierous problems


    Can I suggest using a Sennheiser MD421 to track that trumpet? The thin sound is most likely coming from that mic.

    Plugging a 421 into the 002's pre's should work nicely.....
    Randy Wright
    Recording Engineer
    Phoenix, Arizona

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    Pro Audio Group Markd102 has disabled reputation Markd102's Avatar
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    I've never had much luck recording trumpets (or trombones for that matter) with condenser mics.
    The best kind of mic to use is a ribbon. But if that's not an option, then a quality dynamic like the Sennheiser MD421 will do the job.

    But I will also stress that the room acoustics play a huge part when recording horns. If your room sounds like shit, then it doesn't matter what mic you set up. The other important factor is the quality of the player.

    Oh, and the 002 preamps are heaps better than those nasty noisy little presonus units.
    Trackin Down Under

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    Great Site, I'll post more! ErinSmith has disabled reputation ErinSmith's Avatar
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    I have a couple of Dynamic mics I'll try. On stage I use a "Blue Ball" phantom powered dynamic mic. I'll give it a try next.

    Erin

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    Pro Audio Group cruisemates has disabled reputation cruisemates's Avatar
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    "On stage I use a "Blue Ball" phantom powered dynamic mic. "

    I think they are condensors, dynamic mics don't use phantom power. I would like to try to Blue Ball mics, I hear a lot about them. I wonder if they got the name from reading Olde English *** novels?
    Paul Motter:
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    Pro Audio Group Kurt Foster has disabled reputation
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    The Blue Ball is a phantom powered dynamic mic ... they run it through a small amp to keep the impedance at 50 ohms ...

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    Yeah, the Blue Ball is a phantom powered dynamic mic.

    I really like it on stage, it is supposed to be a decent kick mic too.

    Erin

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