Clarinet

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Michael Willis
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Clarinet

Post by Michael Willis »

Decades ago I used to play clarinet in school. Recently, my wife and daughters took up violin and viola, and we were talking about instruments when the subject of my clarinet came up. I went to pull it out of the closet, and the kids looked at me with wide eyes as if to say "WHERE DID THAT THING COME FROM?" I played a few notes and my son said "I WANT TO PLAY THAT."

So now I've been practicing with him for a few weeks, and I've been pleasantly surprised at how well my muscle memory has come back. I haven't ever been the kind of musician to record live audio, always staying in the comfort zone of arranging midi, but I'm changing my mind now. I ordered a boom mic stand and a cheap dynamic mic (thinking it might be good enough, and if it sounds horrible I can save up for a nicer one). They should arrive within a week.

I'm wondering if anybody can give me advice on capturing live audio from the woodwind. My room doesn't have any sound treatment; I'm hoping that the cardioid pickup pattern on the dynamic mic won't pick up much ambient noise. From what I've read, it seems like it would be best to place the mic above the middle of the instrument, rather than at the bell, and that I'll have to experiment with the distance between the two.

Eventually I would like to start recording violin and viola as well, once the ladies have some more experience, but for now I'll start with the clarinet.
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magicalex
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Re: Clarinet

Post by magicalex »

This https://youtu.be/ky018Cs_798 seems to cover the basics. A large diaphragm condenser might be better than a dynamic mic. I'm very happy with my inexpensive Behringer C1. If your room is untreated, it's a good idea to hang some fabric in any way you can around where you're playing to cut down on harsh reflections.
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