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The flute can be an extremely beautiful instrument if recorded right. Yet it can sound very ugly if done wrong.

The first question to come to mind is what kind of microphone should I use? The best microphones for recording the flute are cardioid condensers, but check the specs and make sure that the frequency response isn't too sensitive. The sound of a flute can easily be distorted.

The next choice to make would be the preamplifier. Again, make sure that you don't choose a sensitive preamplifier. For the flute, I tend to pick "smoother" preamplifiers. Make sure when you set your preamplifier levels that you leave a buffer because the musician will always play louder for the real performance than for the sound check. If you have enough time, I would test out a few microphone/preamplifier combinations to see what sounds best together.

Now it is time for microphone placement. This is often a confusing subject for people who don't understand the flute as an instrument. The key thing to remember is that the main sound does not come out of the end of the flute. The best sound of the flute comes out of the mouth piece, the hole that that musician blows across. Ergo the microphone should be placed across from the mouth hole about six inches away. You should point the microphone at a slight upward 45 degree angle towards the mouth hole.

Lastly it is a good idea to add a pop filter. Many flautists are often very breathy. This is because of the flute is blown across, not into, causing some of the air to go past the hole and not into it. You want to catch some of the breath, but not all of it.

Now it is time to go and get a great recording!

Learn more about this author, Meghan Claire Moyers.
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