Banjo
- Range
- D3–C6
- Peaks up close
- up to 96.5 dB SPL
- Sources
- 74 independent: not from a mic maker
What it is
A plucked or picked fretted lute with a drum-like body: a skin or synthetic head stretched over a hoop (the pot), usually with a metal tone ring. Bluegrass (three-finger, metal fingerpicks) and old-time (clawhammer) styles use it. The fifth string is a short drone string.8
Range
D3 to C68147 Hz – 1.05 kHz
open G tuning; the top is an estimate for a 22-fret neck
- Tenor banjo, CGDA: tuned C3 G3 D4 A4 with 17 ('short scale') or 19 frets (Wikipedia); the top (A4 plus 19 frets = E6, or D6 with 17) is my calculation8
- Irish tenor banjo, GDAE: tuned G2 D3 A3 E4 like an octave mandolin (Wikipedia); top E4 plus 19 frets = B5 (A5 with 17), my calculation. A forum poster says Irish banjo is strung an octave below the fiddle.8,9
The sound
Strings drive the head through the bridge; the head and the pot radiate the sound. A resonator plate on the back projects the sound forward, which makes the instrument louder and brighter (bluegrass); open-back banjos are mellower and lighter (old-time).8
Where the sound goes
Audio-Technica (as read from a search snippet, page not opened) says most of the brightness comes from the edge, where the resonator reflects sound through the metal flange, and most of the body comes directly from the head; pointing at the centre gives a dull sound and picks up pick noise when close.1
About the range
Open G tuning (bluegrass): G4 D3 G3 B3 D4 (5th string to 1st string order). The lowest open note is D3; the highest fretted note on a 22-fret neck is about C6 (estimate; fret count not sourced). The 5th string is higher than the 4th, so the strings do not run in pitch order.8
How loud
Sound pressure level measurements as published. Different kinds of figure (a playing level, a peak, a dose at the player's ear) can't be compared with each other, and neither can figures at different distances.
| Playing level | |
|---|---|
| 105 dB | close mic, on stage7 |
| 90–95 dB(A) | at the listener's/player's ear ('Banjo-to-Ear' numbers); Bart Veerman (banjo bridge maker) recording himself playing a tune, regular playing with no loud strumming10,11 |
| 81–91 dB | at 0.3 m; 1980 ODE Style C banjo, normal playing, meter mic about 1 ft from the head; average about 90 dB10 |
| Peaks | |
| 96.5 dB | at 0.3 m; same banjo, peaks playing Cripple Creek and I'll Fly Away10 |
Shure's bluegrass engineer Cliff Miller measured a close-miked dobro and a banjo on stage at 105 dB (weighting and distance not given). Mixdown says a banjo's loudness lets you record at lower preamp gain. SOS says the sound is mostly fast transients, so headroom matters because the peaks do not show on the meters.7,4,6
Recording it
- Distance: SOS (Robjohns) wants at least three feet because close miking is always unnatural, and the banjo "needs space to develop". Mixdown: a large-diaphragm condenser about 2 ft away, off-axis, angled to face across the skin toward the neck; a dynamic (MD 421) about 1 ft from the head.
- Mic type: a small-diaphragm condenser aimed at the edge, not the centre, for clarity. Audio-Technica: an AT4041 about 11 in away angled slightly under the neck, or an AT4050 (large, cardioid) in the same place for a more natural sound. John Wheeler (Nashville): a U 87 "does excellent duty on dobro and banjo".
- Stereo: SOS mentions a crossed pair about three feet back for bluegrass. DPA: two omnis 30-40 cm apart, or two 4011s in XY, or two 2015 wide cardioids in A/B, at the "sweet spot" where neck meets body.
- SOS news editor Chris Mayes-Wright close-miked a banjo with a small-diaphragm condenser in a nine-piece live session, but the best sound came from a large-diaphragm dual-capsule condenser in omni about seven feet away.
- Owsinski gives five positions: 8-10 in from the front of the bridge (whole body); 2-3 ft above, 1 ft in front of the player's head (facing down); 6-8 in near the picking hand for attack; two mics 6-18 in from the front (neck joint and resonator centre); and an omni lavalier clipped on the strap. He suggests ribbons to "mellow out" a banjo that sounds middy and harsh.6,4,1,5,3,2
Mics
- 17 setups from 7 sources, 4 of them independent of any mic maker.
- On top: the mics more than one source names for this instrument, in any role, the most named first. That is a count of sources, not our verdict.
- In the full list, each mic shows how many sources name it for that role, and how many of those come from a mic maker.
No mic is named by more than one source yet: each names its own.
All the mics sources name, by setting and role (11)
Studio
Close
- Audio-Technica AT40411 source from its own maker
- Audio-Technica AT40501 source from its own maker
- DPA 20151 source from its own maker
- DPA 4006 (earlier version of the DPA 4006A)1 source from its own maker
- DPA 4011 (earlier version of the DPA 4011A)1 source from its own maker
- DPA 4041-SP1 source from its own maker
- Neumann U 871 source
- Sennheiser MD 4211 source
Stereo pairX-YSpaced pair
The 12 setups behind this: placement and quotes
- Close Audio-Technica AT4041close, ~11 in, angled under the neck
A small diaphragm condenser like the AT4041 is ideal for capturing the detail of banjo, about 11 inches away, angled slightly under the neck (search snippet).
1 - Close Audio-Technica AT4050close, ~11 in, same spot
For a more natural sound, an AT4050 set to cardioid in the same spot gives an open top end and extended low end (search snippet).
1 - Close ribbon mic, 8-10 in from front of bridge or 6-18 in from frontclose / front
Ribbon mics are recommended to mellow out the sound a bit, since banjos naturally sound middy and harsh.
2 - Close DPA 4041-SPsweet spot (neck joint), 1-2 omnis, studio
If there are good acoustics, a precise, detailed omni is ideal: the 4041-SP or 4006 aimed where the neck meets the body.
3 - Close 2 × DPA 4006 (earlier version of the DPA 4006A)sweet spot (neck joint); pair 30-40 cm apart
Also try placing two omnis at 30-40 cm (12-16 in) distance to create a stereo image.
3 - Close 2 × DPA 4011 (earlier version of the DPA 4011A)pair, XY at sweet spot
If more isolation is needed, two 4011 cardioids can be placed in XY configuration at the sweet spot.
3 - Close 2 × DPA 2015spaced pair
For an A/B configuration, two 2015 wide cardioid mics make a good solution.
3 - Distant large-diaphragm condenser, off-axis, about 2 ft away, angled across the skin toward the neckdistance, off-axis
Large diaphragm condenser off-axis about 2 feet away, angled to face slightly across the skin and towards the neck.
4 - Close Sennheiser MD 421close, ~1 ft in front of the skin
A dynamic (MD 421 suggested) about 1 foot in front of the skin, as close as you can without getting in the way.
4 - Close Neumann U 87close, studio (distance not given)
The U87 is my main duty vocal and fiddle mic. It also does excellent duty on dobro and banjo.
5 - Distant small-diaphragm condenser, aimed at the edge, 3 ft or more awaydistance, aimed at edge
A small-diaphragm capacitor mic is probably best, aimed toward the edge rather than the centre.
6 - Close 2 × crossed pair about three feet backpair, crossed
A lot of bluegrass-style banjo is recorded in stereo with a crossed pair about three feet back.
6
On stage
Clip-on
- DPA 40991 source from its own maker
Close
- DPA 4060 CORE+1 source from its own maker
- Shure KSM3131 source from its own maker
The 5 setups behind this: placement and quotes
- Clip-on omni lavalier clipped to the instrument strapclip-on, strap
Omni lavalier clipped to the strap, to reduce noises from the picking hand brushing against the head.
2 - Close DPA 4060 CORE+close, miniature
The 4060 CORE+ offers a wide variety of placement possibilities; many live situations could benefit from close miking.
3 - Clip-on DPA 4099clip-on
The miniature supercardioid 4099 CORE+ is the perfect choice for all live applications.
3 - Close Shure KSM313close, stage
We use a KSM313 ribbon mic on the banjo. It smooths out the sound and keeps the percussive sound without the tinniness.
7 - Room large-diaphragm dual-capsule condenser in omni, about 7 ft awayroom/distant
By far the best sound was from the violin mic, a large-diaphragm dual-capsule condenser in omni mode, some seven feet away.
6
Advised against
- Close Shure SM57 or Audio-Technica AT4033close
Reader tried an AT 4033 and an SM57 in numerous positions: sounds like a sitar, boomy, or woolly.
6
On stage
Shure's engineers use a KSM313 ribbon on a bluegrass banjo; it smooths the sound and keeps the percussive attack, but being figure-8 it cannot be used with floor monitors. DPA says the 4099 supercardioid is "the perfect choice for all live applications". Owsinski's omni lavalier on the strap reduces picking-hand noise. Mixdown says piezo pickups sound like a guitar and magnetic pickups have low output and react to skin contact.7,3,2,4
Problems to watch
Pick noise from metal fingerpicks, solved by aiming away from the hand, below the bridge or 8-10 in below the hand; sitar-like, boomy or woolly sound from a close SM57 or AT4033 (one SOS reader); large fast transients that overload a preamp.2,1,6
Sources
- Audio-Technica blog: Basic Recording Techniques, Mic Positioning for Recording with a Banjo
- Bobby Owsinski: 5 Techniques For Miking A Banjo
- DPA Mic University: How to mic a banjo
- Mixdown Magazine: A guide to recording the banjo
- Neumann: John Wheeler and the TLM 103 (engineer testimonial, Renaissance Recording Nashville)
- Sound On Sound: Q. How can I improve my banjo recording? (Hugh Robjohns and Chris Mayes-Wright, 2008)
- Shure: How to Mic a Bluegrass Band (Les Banks, Cliff Miller interview)
- Wikipedia, Banjo
- The Session: Actual decibel levels of Irish instruments (forum thread)
- Banjo Hangout forum: banjo volume / decibel thread, page 2 (2017-2018)
- Banjo Hangout forum: banjo volume / decibel thread, page 1 (2017)