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kuulei88
Akahai
USA
75 Posts |
 Posted - 03/02/2008 : 11:28:16 AM
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Can anyone recommend a mic for an ipu? I have a Sennheiser 845 vocal mic for voice, but what would work for my ipu?
thanks,
amy k.
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amy k |
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wcerto
Ahonui
USA
5052 Posts |
Posted - 03/02/2008 : 11:38:22 AM
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| Aloha from Cleveland, Amy. Lawrence is the sound man extraordinaire. Send him an e-mail and I'll bet he can help guide you. Aunty Mapu must have got you all fired up about the ipu -- are you practicing what she taught us? BTW, Thanks for telling us about the Rose Choral Group. I enjoyed that CD very much. |
Me ke aloha
Malama pono,
Wanda |
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Lawrence
Ha`aha`a
USA
1597 Posts |
Posted - 03/02/2008 : 11:57:38 AM
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quote:
Aloha from Cleveland, Amy. Lawrence is the sound man extraordinaire.
Thanks for compliment Wanda. We have several good "mealy-mouth knob twisters" a.k.a: Sound Guyz on this site: Mark and Ilio Nui and Fran and others.
Back to the question: Any mic that is considered good for drums should be good for ipu too. For dynamics, the Shure SM57 or Beta57 should be fine, or EV ND468 (better) just dont' point 'em directly at the sound hole (unless you like a lot of booming bass). Most any large (1 inch or so) condensor should work too, but remember, good condensor mics need phantom power. Believe it or not, you can also wire up a small woofer speaker to act as a drum mic, but some soldering is required, and you may get too much bass. Ipu's are not as loud as the drum in a standard trap-set so the maximum sound level capability is not as important (normally a concern for drum mics).
The Sennheiser you mention should be fine.
P.S. - you can usually pick up a used SM57 for $50 or so if you want to continue to use the Sennheiser for vocals.
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Mahope Kākou...
...El Lorenzo de Ondas Sonoras |
Edited by - Lawrence on 03/03/2008 07:49:27 AM |
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Retro
Ahonui
USA
2368 Posts |
Posted - 03/03/2008 : 08:07:44 AM
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...or, if you like to spend the money, look for the afore-mentioned condenser mic, as the quicker response time will give you just a little more edge on the initial transient "slap" of the beat. That's of more concern for a recording situation, though, not a live-sound application.
Lawrence's advice is right on the mark, especially the P.S. Getting a used 57 is a good investment; they are wonderful workhorse microphones, sturdy and good for many applications - you could use it as a decent `ukulele mic, for example. |
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Lawrence
Ha`aha`a
USA
1597 Posts |
Posted - 03/03/2008 : 09:11:56 AM
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..or, if you like to spend the money, look for the afore-mentioned condenser mic,
Generally, if you want the microphone mostly for live performance it is "traditional" to choose a dynamic because they are generally more rugged and do not need phantom power. However, for the best recordings, just as Retro indicates, condenser mics usually sound better on transient attacks and the decent ones also produce less noise in the recording, but your mixer or preamp needs to supply phantom power. Of course, there are "Electret" condensor mics that do not need phantom power, but these have never caught-on in professional applications because they still need a small battery to run the little impedance converter circuit (a required part of a condenser mic) inside the microphone and their quality is often not so good.
So, just as it is a good idea to have an SM57 or two (and an SM58 or two) in your microphone collection, it is also a good idea to have a semi-decent large condenser mic and a semi-decent small condenser mic.
A semi-decent entry-level large condenser would be something like a Rode NT1, which you can pick up new for about $200 or used for about $125.
You may also want to search the archives here for keyword "microphone" because there has been a fair amount of discussion on this topic. (MAKE SURE you click the archive button on the search to get to the earlier discussions!) Also try "microphone fran" for search and you should find Fran's "Microphone Shootout" where he compares quite a few mics used for acoustic guitar. Many of these would be good for an ipu or ipuheke as well.
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Mahope Kākou...
...El Lorenzo de Ondas Sonoras |
Edited by - Lawrence on 03/03/2008 09:30:31 AM |
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kuulei88
Akahai
USA
75 Posts |
Posted - 03/04/2008 : 6:05:58 PM
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| Mahalo plenty!! I didn't want to assume that the Shure SM57 was a one size fits all; I've also been intrigued by a couple of Sennheiser drum mics. We'll see . . . |
amy k |
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`Ilio Nui
`Olu`olu
USA
826 Posts |
Posted - 03/05/2008 : 05:36:16 AM
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Your Sennheiser 845 will work just fine.
Yes to all the above. It all boils down to;
What is the recording environment?
Where does the Ipu fit in the mix?
What are you willing to spend for that sound?
For percussive drive and sound, an SM 57 will do the job. Yes, I would prefer a Sennheiser MD 421 as the dynamic mic, but are you will to spend $400+. There isn't a good studio in the world that doesn't have a drawer full of both these mics. For me, the problem with condensers for percussion, except as overheads on an isolated drum set, is bleed. A little percussive bleed on an `Uke track is not as hard to edit as `Uke bleed on a percussion track.
The most fun with an Ipu is mic position. Try lots of places. You'll be surprised at the different sounds you can get. Try a large diaghram condenser directly out of the hole and you can get some heavy chest pounding.
Anyway, just have fun with it. No need to spend lots of money. When you go pro, pay a good recording engineer to do all that thinking for you.
dog |
Edited by - `Ilio Nui on 03/05/2008 05:38:03 AM |
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Retro
Ahonui
USA
2368 Posts |
Posted - 03/05/2008 : 07:17:29 AM
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| This discussion leads to a question that can make quite a difference in what you do: are you asking in regards to a live sound situation or a recording one? |
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ArtSap
Lokahi
USA
267 Posts |
Posted - 03/05/2008 : 08:41:20 AM
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| Gregg, excellent point! Also, let us not forget that the mic is but one part of the equation as the rest of the sound equipment, especially in a live situation, plays an integral part of the sound reproduction. And all this is topped off by the EQ mix. Nothing irritates me more than a soundman who can't get the mix right, more so when I'm performing, but still a pet peeve even when I'm in the audience... |
Art
SF Bay Area, CA / Mililani, HI
"The real music comes from within you - not from the instrument" |
Edited by - ArtSap on 03/05/2008 08:43:12 AM |
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Retro
Ahonui
USA
2368 Posts |
Posted - 03/05/2008 : 11:31:49 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by ArtSap
Nothing irritates me more than a soundman who can't get the mix right,...a pet peeve even when I'm in the audience...
Especially if their response to you is "that's the way the band wants it." I've long wanted to print that on the backs of t-shirts, and sell 'em to mixing engineers. |
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slipry1
Ha`aha`a
USA
1511 Posts |
Posted - 03/05/2008 : 1:19:07 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Retro
quote:
Originally posted by ArtSap
Nothing irritates me more than a soundman who can't get the mix right,...a pet peeve even when I'm in the audience...
Especially if their response to you is "that's the way the band wants it." I've long wanted to print that on the backs of t-shirts, and sell 'em to mixing engineers.
Eh, Retro - I am on several CD's playing pedal steel, keyboards and/or banjo where the soundman/producer siad "I know better than you how to mix sound". I NEVER tell anyone what the CD's are - the sound sucks! (especially for the steel tracks). - Keaka |
keaka |
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`Ilio Nui
`Olu`olu
USA
826 Posts |
Posted - 03/05/2008 : 5:19:59 PM
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Come on boys. Get over yourselves. This is about Amy wanting to record an Ipu!!!!!!!!
dog |
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Retro
Ahonui
USA
2368 Posts |
Posted - 03/06/2008 : 07:27:25 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by `Ilio Nui
Come on boys. Get over yourselves. This is about Amy wanting to record an Ipu!!!!!!!!
Then she needs to come back and answer questions, don't you think? Now...SIT! Good boy.  |
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noeau
Ha`aha`a
USA
1105 Posts |
Posted - 03/06/2008 : 08:43:20 AM
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| How come you no find out if it is for stage or recording. If you in one studio, well they should have dozenz of mikes to choose from. Just go down the list. If its for stage performance the sennheiser should work. Ever see how they mike the gourds at merry Monarch? Its not rocket science. |
No'eau, eia au he mea pa'ani wale nō. |
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Lawrence
Ha`aha`a
USA
1597 Posts |
Posted - 03/06/2008 : 09:20:23 AM
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quote:
I didn't want to assume that the Shure SM57 was a one size fits all; I've also been intrigued by a couple of Sennheiser drum mics. We'll see . .
There is generally nothing wrong with a one-size-fits-all microphone. Most engineers would pay almost any price if they could get a microphone that had totally flat response (but with a selectable LF rolloff switch) and no noise and could handle extremely high sound pressure levels, all of which are impossible, so the manufacturers try to get as close as Physics will allow to these ideals (and charge big bucks for it).
If you are looking at newer Sennheiser drum mics, I would stay away from the e901 and e902 kick drum mikes as they have a giant dip in response in the mid-range and are noisy (low output). This is good when placed very near a high sound pressure kick drum but not good for a fairly quiet mid frequency range ipu, unless you want to do something like stick it in/over the hole to get a really boomy/weird sounding ipu (which you might want - who knows).
Really the best mic in this case is a general purpose one and the MD421 that Ilio Nui mentioned is a world-class general purpose dynamic and better than the SM57 if you want to pay the bucks.
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Mahope Kākou...
...El Lorenzo de Ondas Sonoras |
Edited by - Lawrence on 03/06/2008 09:36:36 AM |
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`Ilio Nui
`Olu`olu
USA
826 Posts |
Posted - 03/06/2008 : 09:48:29 AM
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Its not rocket science.
Well said Al.
Amy, as was mentioned, we don't know your recording situation, but first try what you have, then try some others. Again, have fun with it.
BTW: I can Sit/Stay with the best of them. I can even roll over, but it'll cost you a nickel to rub my belly. You can have all the input you want to have in my studio, especially if you're paying by the hour. Woof!!!!
dog |
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