So I've been asked to help spec out a microphone setup for a local musician who plays, depending on the gig, fiddle or one of 2 sizes of Celtic harp. Due to various factors, an SDC on a stand isn't an option; the microphone or pickup will need to be mounted on the instrument(s). Budget is not unlimited, but the musician is willing to pay what's needed for a quality setup. Given the fiddle, my first reaction was to steer them towards a miniature omni condenser, perhaps with the DPA string mount and some putty to mount it to the harps as needed. Is this the right track, or are multiple instrument-specific pickups a better option? And any suggestions for which mic or pickups are worth looking at? Besides the DPA 4060?
Microphone for Celtic instruments?
- Thread starter Rob Timmerman
- Start date
Re: Microphone for Celtic instruments?
The DPA mic with the violin mount is very nice. Some have commented that the mount is a little fragile-I don't know about this, but they do sound very nice.
The Audio Technica ATM350 is a great mic for violin and most of the larger relatives. It also costs about a third of the DPA.
I'd also suggest a bridge pick up as an option too-the LR Baggs is one of the nicer ones. Drive it into a cheap ART Tube MP for a pretty darned good sound.
Celtic harp is another story. You are probably stuck using 1-2 SDC on low booms, as there are no real places to clip a small condensor like an ATM350 onto the harp, except at the back in one of the sound holes, which doesn't yield the best sound, but it may give you the only sound in a tough situation. Pickups would generally be like the K&K Big Twin(same basic ones the Swiss harpist Andreas Vollenweider uses). I would try both. If this is a long term situation, I'd even see about having a harp luthier install magnetic mounts along the side of the harp body for some of the DPA miniature magnetic mount condensors.
Best regards,
John
The DPA mic with the violin mount is very nice. Some have commented that the mount is a little fragile-I don't know about this, but they do sound very nice.
The Audio Technica ATM350 is a great mic for violin and most of the larger relatives. It also costs about a third of the DPA.
I'd also suggest a bridge pick up as an option too-the LR Baggs is one of the nicer ones. Drive it into a cheap ART Tube MP for a pretty darned good sound.
Celtic harp is another story. You are probably stuck using 1-2 SDC on low booms, as there are no real places to clip a small condensor like an ATM350 onto the harp, except at the back in one of the sound holes, which doesn't yield the best sound, but it may give you the only sound in a tough situation. Pickups would generally be like the K&K Big Twin(same basic ones the Swiss harpist Andreas Vollenweider uses). I would try both. If this is a long term situation, I'd even see about having a harp luthier install magnetic mounts along the side of the harp body for some of the DPA miniature magnetic mount condensors.
Best regards,
John
Re: Microphone for Celtic instruments?
Several Celtic harpists I know and work with use a Sennheiser clip-on gooseneck of some sort. It could be a drum mic....... It goes inside the body of the harp via one of the "sound holes" on the rear (player) side of the sound box. You just have to make sure that it does not contact the body of the harp at all lest you get a good bit of rattle along with the sound of the harp. This is a good, workable compromise. If you want to go with the AT350, it's likely that one mic can be used for both instruments.
Several Celtic harpists I know and work with use a Sennheiser clip-on gooseneck of some sort. It could be a drum mic....... It goes inside the body of the harp via one of the "sound holes" on the rear (player) side of the sound box. You just have to make sure that it does not contact the body of the harp at all lest you get a good bit of rattle along with the sound of the harp. This is a good, workable compromise. If you want to go with the AT350, it's likely that one mic can be used for both instruments.