Bass clarinet
- Range
- Bb1–B5
- Overtones to
- about 5.6 kHz
- Sources
- 53 independent: not from a mic maker
What it is
The clarinet an octave lower, in B-flat, with an upturned bell; used in the orchestra, wind band, jazz and new music.6,9
Range
Bb1 to B5658.3 Hz – 988 Hz
Modern bass clarinets in B-flat, sounding. Registers (VSL): low Bb1-Eb3, throat E3-Ab3, clarinet A3-F5, altissimo above. Written in treble clef a major ninth above sounding pitch.
Overtones reach about 5.6 kHz (the highest harmonic within 40 dB of the strongest, at a moderate level; louder playing reaches higher)7.
- Models to C2 or Db2: VSL: models are still made with a lowest note of C2 or Db2.6
The sound
A single reed on a mouthpiece, a mostly cylindrical bore and tone holes, as on the clarinet. VSL says it sounds much softer than the bassoon, especially at piano, and can play a ppp that fades to nothing.6
Where the sound goes
DPA: the bass clarinet "radiates its sound much like the saxophone", a blend of bell and tone holes, so a close mic should treat the two as one. VSL: the bell points backward up the tube at nearly 180 degrees, with a 13 cm rim. Pätynen and Lokki did not measure it but predict a directivity different from the clarinet's "due to larger dimensions and the bell pointing upward".9,6,10
About the range
Bb1-B5 sounding on modern instruments; models are still made down to C2 or Db2. VSL's registers: low (chalumeau) Bb1-Eb3, "dark, mellow, sonorous", darkest up to A2; throat E3-Ab3, "weak and dull" next to the rest; clarinet register A3-F5, "bright, powerful"; altissimo above (VSL gives B4-B5 in one place and Gb5-B5 in another). Written in treble clef a major ninth above sounding pitch ("French notation"); older German notation used bass clef, a major second above.6
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 | |
|---|---|
| 86 dB(A) | at 1.5 m; One bass clarinettist in a typical solitary practice session (23 min), measured by O'Brien (2013), as tabled by Skalevik (Table 1)8 |
| Player's exposure (dosimeter) | |
| 90 dB(A) | at the player's ears (left 90 dB, right 90 dB); One bass clarinettist in a typical solitary practice session (23 min), measured by O'Brien (2013), as tabled by Skalevik (Table 1)8 |
| Sound power | |
| 92 dB(Z) | sound power level Lw, unweighted; Playing at forte; value from ISO 23591 Annex A as quoted by Skalevik (Table 4)8 |
One bass clarinettist in a 23-minute solitary practice session (O'Brien 2013, as tabled by Skalevik): 90 dB(A) at each ear and 86 dB(A) at 1.5 m in front. Sound power at forte, from ISO 23591 Annex A: 92 dB (unweighted), with about 87 dB(A) of direct sound at the ears. VSL says it sounds much softer than the bassoon.8,6
Recording it
Bob Ross (Recording Magazine) mics it like an alto, tenor or baritone sax, aimed between the end of the bell and the player's left hand, but at two feet (60 cm) or more because the instrument is long and the bell doesn't fold back as far as a sax's. For a more immediate sound he uses two wide-cardioid mics 6-8 in (15-20 cm) from the horn, one near the top and one near the bell, the lower one slightly off axis from the bell, panned fairly tight. His choice is large-diaphragm condensers, singly or in pairs; for a mixed pair a small-diaphragm condenser (Shure SM81, AKG C460) on top and a kick-drum dynamic on the lower half; and the RODE NT1, whose uncoloured off-axis sound catches the blend of bell and tone holes.1
Mics
- 10 setups from 5 sources, 3 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 (6)
Studio
Distant
- RODE NT11 source
The 7 setups behind this: placement and quotes
- Distant large-diaphragm condenserdistance, one mic two feet (60 cm) or more off the horn, aimed between the end of the bell and the player's left hand
"a single mic on a bass clarinet needs to be two feet or more off the horn"; large-diaphragm condensers are his choice, singly or in pairs.
1 - Close 2 × Shure SM81pair, top mic 6-8 in (15-20 cm) from the horn, with a kick-drum dynamic on the lower half, the lower mic slightly off axis from the bell
For mixed pairs, "try a small diaphragm condenser like a Shure SM81 or AKG C460 on the top"; pair "about six or eight inches from the horn".
1 - Close 2 × AKG C460pair, top mic 6-8 in (15-20 cm) from the horn (alternative to the SM81)
"a small diaphragm condenser like a Shure SM81 or AKG C460 on the top" (paraphrase of the pair setup).
1 - Close 2 × kick-drum dynamicpair, lower mic on the lower half, slightly off axis from the bell
A dynamic kick-drum mic on the lower half of a mixed pair (paraphrase).
1 - Distant RODE NT1distance, its uncoloured off-axis sound catches the blend of bell and tone holes
A favourite for tenor and baritone sax "as well as bass clarinet", for its uncoloured off-axis sound (paraphrase).
1 - Spot Woodwinds advice Royer ribbon microphonespot, close mics on the woodwinds
Royer ribbon mics on the woodwinds and low brass
2 - Contact Woodwinds advice 2 × Schoeps MK 4pair, stereo pair as overall woodwind pickup
the woodwinds had a stereo pair of Schoeps MK4s as an overall pickup
3
Studio and stage
The 3 setups behind this: placement and quotes
- Close Woodwinds advice DPA 4006close, about 5-10 cm from the instrument, aimed halfway between the mouthpiece and the left hand
"Approx. 5-10 cm away from the instrument, aim the mic halfway between the mouthpiece and the left hand"; omni for lower sensitivity to wind and pop. DPA: the techniques apply to "other variants of the flute family".
4 - Spot Woodwinds advice DPA 4011spot, behind and slightly above the player's head, pointing at the finger holes
"spot-miked behind and slightly above the head of the player, pointing at the finger holes" (4011 cardioid or 4015 wide cardioid). DPA: the techniques apply to "other variants of the flute family".
4 - Close Woodwinds advice condenser (type only)close, about 30 cm from the sound holes
A mic placed about 1 foot from sound holes will produce a natural, well-balanced sound.
5
Problems to watch
A single mic too close gives an uneven balance across the range, because the sound comes from the whole length and the bell; the throat notes are weaker than the rest.1,6
Sources
- Recording Magazine: Miking Brass and Winds
- Mix: The Changing Landscape of Orchestral Recording (engineer Steve Smith, Music Works Studios)
- Sound On Sound: Jake Jackson: Recording The 2012 Olympic Anthems
- DPA Mic University: How to mic a flute or recorder
- Shure: How to Choose the Best Mics for Brass, Wind, and String Instruments
- Vienna Symphonic Library Academy: Bass clarinet
- SHARC Timbre Database v2 (Gregory Sandell): harmonic analyses of McGill University Master Samples
- Forum Acusticum 2023: Skalevik, Sound levels at musicians' ears from classical instruments during solitary practice
- DPA Mic University: How to mic a clarinet
- Pätynen and Lokki: Directivities of Symphony Orchestra Instruments (Acta Acustica united with Acustica 96, 2010)