Mic'ing a flute

[lonfire]

Hi,

I need to mic a flute which means buying a new mic as we don't anything suitable at the moment..

 

anybody got any suggestions?? I've seen ones that fit onto the flute itself or get a mic on a stand..??

 

I would prefer one that fits onto the flute as the person that plays it isn't too confident yet so she tends to pull away from mic's on stands..

 

its in a church band btw..

 

rgds

chris

[ksm]

If you want a clip on I have heard very good reports of these - AKG D409's,

 

http://www.akg.com/products/powerslave,myn...anguage,EN.html

 

but I have to say that I have had very good results with a simple C1000S....

 

though the ambient noise might be a little tricky.....

 

 

The problem with a clip on for a flute is that it has to go on the head joint (the bit that goes near their mouth) and that may be a) a little off putting for the instrumentalist concerned as it will affect the weight and balance, and b) runs the risk of getting the capsule covered in spit......

 

Might be worth renting a couple of options first rather than shelling out on a bit of a gamble.

 

Keith

[paulears]

if the person doesn't feel that comfy with ther idea of miking it up - try a lav mic - radio mic types on the performer, centre of hairline at front works well - this is a useful method on things like violins too - gives a more natural airy sound - close miking tends to be a bit harsh, and much more breathy. - They are also light enough that they get forgotten about.

[lonfire]

hi,

cheers for that..

 

anybody used or heard anything about this sort of mic for flutes?

 

http://www.microvox.co.uk/flutepage.htm

 

rgds

chris

[Jivemaster]

One flautist I know uses a headworn electret radio mic. Full freedom of movement and she can pick up her piccolo and use the same mic.

[Just Some Bloke]

The problem with a clip on for a flute is that it has to go on the head joint (the bit that goes near their mouth) and that may be a) a little off putting for the instrumentalist concerned as it will affect the weight and balance, and b) runs the risk of getting the capsule covered in spit......

 

Keith

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Actually, Keith, if the flautist is spitting then the resulting sound will be sh*t! However, the warm air from his/her breath will hit the cold flute/cold air (if it's a church - they're never warm!) and create condensation, which I suspect is what you're thinking about. Incidentally, the same thing happens with brass instruments which is why they have "spit valves" to clear the condensation from their tubes.

 

Seriously, though, don't forget that a flautist blows air over the mouthpiece not into the mouthpiece, so you must make sure that they don't blow that air over the mouthpiece and straight into the mic. Always have the mic above the flute pointing down.

 

Apologies if you already knew this, but thought I'd mention it just for the record.

 

JSB

[Pete McCrea]

My church is often too warm. And it's an old building........ :-)

[ben.suffolk]

lonfire we are just about to have a flautist join our band at Church, and so I have the same situation now to deal with. Again having never had to mic one.

 

Wondering how you got on, and which mic you used in the end.

 

Ben

[paulears]

don't forget that anything that actually clips on is susceptible to mechanical noise. Being a metal instrument - a beginner with poor finger technique can make a hell of a lot of nasty clacking noises, and if they're not too confident, their actual volume won't be loud enough to get over the top.

[bruce]

Never tried their flute microphone, but I've used Microvox products for various musical instruments before - in particular for accordions - and they've always worked well. I own one of their M420/400 systems.

 

I see from their catalogue they do a flute mic. If it's anything like their other mics, it'll be a small electret mic, which clips on via velcro sticky pads. These decrease handling noise quite significantly...

 

I think they sound surprisingly good.

 

I have a friend who plays in a ceilidh band which uses rather loud monitoring, and he can get far more gain before feedback with his microvox than he can with an external

stand-mounted mic.

 

My only gripe with the product is that it's battery-powered rather than phantom, and that it's an unbalanced output.

 

Their flute mic is 39 quid, the PSU is about the same again.

 

They're very helpful people - give them a call/email and have a chat. If you buy the product and find them unsuitable, they'll refund with no questions asked....

 

Edit: Just had a closer look - the flute mic is a small swan-neck mic, witha velcro-tie thing to mount it, so no need to use sticky pads. There are some reviews HERE.

 

 

Bruce.

[ben.suffolk]

I forgot to say the only spare mics I have at the moment are a SM58's or sennheiser EW300 series head mic's (the older series, not the newer G2 range). As far as I am aware the SM58's would not be suitable? So I guess I'm probably needed to buy something anyway.

 

Looking at that flute mic from Microvox I wonder if that would work with the ew300 beltpack, I believe this is able to supply power for mic's (Don't seem to be able to find a copy of the manual right now, but I do recall reading it in the connection diagram once). The hard bit is getting the 3.5mm trs jack plug with the locking ring. I have never come across them in CPC or RS etc, so I may just have to use a jack without the locking ring and hope it does not get pulled out ;)

 

Ben

[paulears]

it'll be a small electret mic, which clips on via velcro sticky pads. These decrease handling noise quite significantly...

 

 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

There's no way anyone who owns a decent instrument is going to let you stick a velcro pad on their laquer - could you guarantee it wouldn't pull it off when you remove it, or some idiot trips over the cable.

 

 

 

SM58's work 'ok' on most sources - not the best, obviously, but worth trying before you buy something specific.

 

The glut of very good chinese condensers makes even a large format mic within most peoples pocket.

[Mr.Si]

I've seen many an occasion where a good ol' 58 has been used for mic'ing up a flute.

Sounded lovely to me.

 

I often use condensers, C1000s's or Rote NT3's Which also sound lovely and then the flautist doesn't have to go too near to the mic either.

 

Si

[bruce]

As I edited above, the Microvox flute mic doesn't actually stick on - it's held in place by a velcro tie that wraps round the instrument.

 

The nice thing about using velcro pads to mount the mic, apart from isolation, is that it's easy to use the mic on several different instruments.

 

 

 

When I bought mine, I enquired whether they'd do a PSU unit which drew power from the phantom supply. They didn't seem keen - their mic only needs a volt or so (their mini-psu uses a single AA cell, and their normal one a 9V pp3-type one). In fact, I see they're now suggesting plugging the unit into a DI if you want a balanced output, or if the phantom on your mixer can't be turned off for one channel...

 

But give them a call/email - Alan at Microvox is very helpful...

 

Bruce.

[ben.suffolk]

I dropped them an email last night, so when the working week starts I shall await my reply :blink:

 

We had a band practice today, and I tried the SM58 and the ME3 Head Mic, and I have to say the ME3 worked really well, and she was happy with wearing it (which I always find to be a bonus...)

 

I will still probably try a flute mic if they say it will work with the EW beltpack, as it will be less visible.

 

Ben