by Royce Radcliffe

Created on: April 08, 2007   Last Updated: April 10, 2007

Recording brass instruments poses challenges that a musician does not usually face when capturing the usual sounds of guitars, drums and the like. The question then becomes whether or not they can adapt to this new situation. For most the answer is no, but that is only before they learn the following tips.

Brass instruments are piercing in nature. They are explosively loud along a very condensed line of travel. This is important to realize when trying to record them. To understand this problem is to conquer it.

A ribbon mic is the key. This will allow you to add a sort of "governor" for the decibel levels while recording the piece. These mics pick up more sound from the room than a directional mic, which will surely be overloaded by the sounds of the brass instrument. With a directional mic you have to aim it straight at the instrument being played, and for recording brass that is suicide.

There is a variation on the ribbon mic, a subcategory termed dynamic. If possible get a dynamic ribbon mic. Dynamic mics capture the sound in a very natural way.

You can also use a condenser or fader in post production to lower the more explosive moments of sound and keep the music more even layered.

A brass instrument is affected by the room it plays in. So make sure to consider how much room sound will be captured when choosing where to place the mic. Three to five feet is usually a good spacing, but some people actually prefer it much closer. Experiment and see what works for you, but start from at least three feet away.

Using these brands of mic and placing them in the proper position are the keys to recording brass sound properly. Done correctly you will have captured the Moby Dick of musical instruments!

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