In a few days I´m going to go into a primitive, more or less improvised studio and cut a few tracks that are decidedly outside of the blues realm. I´m looking for some practical advice here, how to go about finding that "neutral", warm chromatic sound that are frequent on many jazz recordings, but not preferred by blues players. We´re talking cupping, with minimal distortion, but "warmth". This is a low key affair -- and that´s part of the problem: the guy recording is terribly ignorant in these matters -- but I´ll have the use of various Shure microphones, plus my own mics, EQ:s and PA:s, amps and such. Recording equipment is a "Zoom 24".
"Plug right in and play", would be an obvious answer, but the problem is that I´ve tried that before. Sounded like total crap. Thin, harsh, what have you: anything the harp shall not sound like. We tweaked like hell but to no avail. So I cannot rely on the "engineer", nor the recording device. Of course you can always say as Mack does to Doc in "Cannery Row": "Why not just give up?", but I´ve already promised I will do my best. Can anybody give me some straight, hands-on advice that I can bring along?
I thank you in advance for pointers on various things to buy (can´t do that), exhortations to work on my tone/cupping technique (always wise but no time) and the other usual suspects, but, as I said, I´m looking for more down to earth and readily usable tips. I´m moderately skilled at playing but hopeless on the technicalities.
Last Edited by Martin on Jun 07, 2016 1:10 PM
For much of his career Toots Thielemans just cupped an SM-58, even in the studio (I was present at one of his recording sessions in the 1990s). Later he switched to a Greg Heumann chopped-down 58, which is also what Hermine Deurloo uses.
To this basic clean signal, you can add a bit of reverb, compression, and exciter. If you can do multi-band compression, find the midrange portion and also whatever band in the mid-to-high range is strongest when you play and try to compress that. Some players like to use EQ to notch out the area around 2000 Hz.
The goal is not to get a super-compressed, bassy, squished, and distorted sound. Rather the goal is a bit of sparkle and clarity.
Working on your acoustic tone, of course, will also help - easy attacks, gentle breathing, trying for a full tone even at low volume - all the usual advice. One thing to watch out for in this area is vibrato. A throbbing, sobbing throat vibrato with big pitch wobble may not be the kind of vibrato you want. Play around with either a gentle throat vibrato with little or no pitch element, or even a slow, warm tongue vibrato with no obvious vowel changes (this is one that Toots uses when he wants to sound warm).
On this project I went with a darker sound. The cbh 2016 has its own individual sound and you have to be careful because it can have some high overtones. I used an audio technica at3035 and played a few inches off the mic. The mic was below me rather the in front of me. The mix has slight echo and reveb.
I don't play chromatic but most of the recording I do is "acoustic", so trying to capture the sound of the un-amplified/distorted harmonica.
The best results I've had have been using SM57 type mics. I don't cup the mic. I run two, one straight in front of me like a vocal mic would be positioned – (to capture what is coming directly out of the back of the harmonica and tonal changes made with my hands), the other very slightly above pointing down from my right, just off the high end of the harp (This is to capture the tones that escape from the cover plates and vents etc). You may need to experiment with the placement depending on your hand position etc.
Record both mics simultaneously, this will give you two slight tonal variations which you can mix together to find a balance you like. Add a touch of reverb to either or both, EQ a touch of either or both etc.
You may end up loving the sound of just one of them and ditching the other completely but at least if gives you options.
Hope this is some help.
Last Edited by Baker on Jun 08, 2016 5:20 AM
What mics do you have? Do you have an Audix Fireball in there? Otherwise, the Sennheiser 441 is really good for chromatic in terms of sounding "warm"/ neutral if you happen to have one... they're expensive if not so I'm suggesting to go out and buy one. ---------- blintgy like soundcloud, ug
This track on chromatic harmonica was recorded with a Sennheiser 441... maybe not a traditional jazz chromatic sound, but I like the effect it gives in terms of an accurate sound without being any way shrill (he hopes) - there is also compression, reverb and EQ. Solo and melody at 2:47 to give you an idea:
The last track on here is also with a 441:
Last Edited by blingty on Jun 08, 2016 8:31 AM
When I load this page, all four of Winslow's tracks start playing at the same time. Not euphonious . . . Hey Winslow, did you get your plates, and how much did you have to tune them to get them where you wanted them?
Sorry about the weird all-play-at-once thing. I used the cut&paste code from this site, but maybe it was only meant to be embedded once per post.
Got the plates (thought I'd send an acknowledging email; sorry if I didn't).
I'm slowly doing the fine tuning. They were good OTB, but I like to get my fourths and fifths in that tuning really true, which is only a 2 cent differences from 12TET. =========== Winslow
Interesting on cupping the MD441 - I didn't think you would have to - I wonder does Martin mean cupping the harmonica to use hand effects without the mic in hand? I haven't played with the 441 in hand - I always play off the mic. Wouldn't the fact that you would have headphones that don't leak in studio eliminate feedback? I.e. the feedback is normally coming from the speaker to mic and on and on. I must try it out.
Last Edited by blingty on Jun 09, 2016 6:15 AM
Many thanks to all for the pointers here. I´ll be arriving at this session better equipped than before.
One thing I perhaps should have made clearer is that I always cup -- I´m partial to that sound --, and also I´m going to play diatonic. My CX 12 rarely sees the outside worl these days.
@Winslow: the tip on being careful with vibrato is really interesting and I´m taking it to heart immideately. Of the sound samples I believe no 3 and 4 is closest to what I´m aiming for, the slightly darker sound, as in Diggs sample.
@Baker: I recognize your strategy from a few pro´s out there. Maybe Mike Stevens? Or Lee Oskar? Still, I´m very keen on being able to work a little bit on the proximity effect of the mic, as I like that breathy quality of the sound you can get when cupping tight.
@Blingty and Iceman: You see above what I mean. Sorry for not being clearer.
If I knew how to produce this sound I would rest calmly in my easy chair. This is Lee Oskar before he vanished into the pedal jungle; works great for both playing melodies, jazzy stuff and blues, when cupping it a bit tighter. I´m surprised that not more people are in pursuit of this:
This is what I'd think of as "clean" amplified playing. While you can hear the proximity effect and even some mild - very mild - distortion along with a touch of reverb, the casual listener might not recognize these alterations to acoustic tone. This wouldn't be out of place even on a country record, where you might hear similar processing of guitar tone.
I think that perhaps the reason more people don't go for this sound is that they may be looking for something less seemingly neutral. =========== Winslow
