recording Harmonica?

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Permalink Reply by Cascade Hush on May 14, 2007 at 4:05am

If you've ever seen people play harmonica on stage, with their hands cupped around the back of the Harmonica such that they can also hold a dynamic mic, that's probably the best way.

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Permalink Reply by Pauline on May 14, 2007 at 8:49am

Thanks for the reply! I have seen harmonica's played like that, and live they mostly go through an amp as well.
I guess the next question is , how do they put it through the amp? A DI box or mic pre-amp?
I could record from the mic directly into the box (with or without pre-amp) or try and put it through an amp. I'm going to try everything I can think of and see what works best. It also depends on the type of sound I'll need- dirty or clean. The guitar sound is pretty raw, so it may be better to have a clean sound for the harmonica. I guess this is going to be an interesting experiment. If I get a killer sound I'll share the details, thanks again, Pauline

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Permalink Reply by Andy Laing on May 14, 2007 at 12:47pm

I am also looking to record some harmonica for some tracks, they way i was going to approach it was with the dynamic mic "cupped" and recorded through a preamp clean, but also have a condenser overhead(s) to try and capture some of the ambience of the instrument.

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Permalink Reply by Munksalot on May 14, 2007 at 2:14pm

Do you need a crap harmonica player too ; )

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Permalink Reply by Will Soutter on May 15, 2007 at 2:25pm

I agree with andy on this, by all means use the cupped 57, as this will probably make the player more comfortable too, but have a condenser nearby in case you do need a "cleaner" sound. probably a mix of the two will be the answer.

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Permalink Reply by Pauline on May 15, 2007 at 8:20pm

Thanks guys,
I will definately record a combination of "direct" sound with the sm57 and a condenser mic two feet back and probably a bit higher (1 foot) than the harmonica.
Get back to you later,
Pauline

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Permalink Reply by Cameron Johnson on May 17, 2007 at 3:28am

On all of the tracks that I've done with harmonica, the fallback mic I've used would be the Green Bullet Mic by Shure...I can't remember the model number off the top of my ead, but it's THE classic mic for recording harmonica - both on and off stage. They're pretty cheap, too. However, if you can't afford another mic, then I would have to agree with the general consensus with the SM57 - truely the most versatile mic out there for the price. Usually, regardless of the track, a little bit of dirt on the harmonica sound is best - too clean and it sounds country/western (unless, of course, thats what you're going for). If all else fails, try a large diaphram condenser mic about two feet away (I'd recommend the Rode NT1A) with a windscreen - it'll make you believe in God....

-Cam

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Permalink Reply by Fred Cox on March 28, 2009 at 2:01am

A good condenser well placed will make anything sound good. Get a bit of distance on the condenser, and maybe a close 57 or something similar with a bit of harshness. Get most of the volume from the condenser though, with a bit of the close 57 for some grit.

Hope this helps,
Fred

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