Bassoon
- Range
- Bb1–Eb5
- Overtones to
- about 1.9 kHz
- Peaks up close
- up to 129 dB SPL
- Sources
- 118 independent: not from a mic maker
Range
Bb1 to about Eb51258.3 Hz – 622 Hz
E5 and F5 possible with effort (VSL).
| Low | Bb1–F2 | substantial, compact |
|---|---|---|
| Middle | F#2–Bb3 | sonorous, rich, clear; most used |
| High (tenor) | B3–Eb5 | fewer overtones; pressed, singing |
Overtones reach about 1.9 kHz (the highest harmonic within 40 dB of the strongest, at a moderate level; louder playing reaches higher)13.
The sound
A wide conical bore with a double reed: the low fundamental is weak (here 18 dB below the 4th harmonic) and the energy sits in a fixed region around 400-500 Hz, whatever note is played.
Where the sound goes
As for other woodwinds, sound comes from the whole length depending on which holes are open. DPA's clip-on advice (near the bell but aimed at the tone holes, not into the bell) says the same. Production Expert's aim at the mouthpiece end is the odd one out.4,1
Playing techniques
- Flutter-tonguing: guttural R, a rough tremolo
- Multiphonics: in the low register, even major chords12
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 | |
|---|---|
| 71–93 dB(Z) | at 1 m; Modern bassoon, derived from the TU Berlin sound power values estimate14 |
| Peaks | |
| 96–108 dB(A) | at the player; same study, LASmax (slow) per rehearsal or concert15 |
| 114–129 dB(C) | at the player; same study, LCpeak per rehearsal or concert15 |
| Dynamic range | |
| 22 dB(Z) | sound power, whole range; Modern bassoon, Weinzierl et al. 2018, Table I estimate14 |
| Player's exposure (dosimeter) | |
| 83–90 dB(A) | at the player (meters on tripods with microphones close to the players); Polish opera and symphony orchestras, group rehearsals, concerts and performances; 26 samples15 |
| 78.6–91.1 dB(A) | dosimeter on the student; Classical music students (Portugal), classes with instrument practice, dosimeter over two weeks16 |
| Sound power | |
| 82–104 dB(Z) | sound power level Lw (dB re 1 pW), not a sound pressure at a distance; Modern bassoon, single notes over the whole range played as soft and as loud as possible, anechoic chamber TU Berlin, 32-mic spherical array14 |
| 86–101 dB(Z) | sound power level Lw (dB re 1 pW), repertoire-weighted average; Modern bassoon, pp and ff sound power averaged over the range, weighted by how often each pitch occurs in Beethoven's symphonies14 |
The Sound Advice table lines I could read (oboe, piccolo, sax) have no bassoon row. The TU Berlin anechoic measurement gives 82-104 dB sound power for single notes pp to ff, and orchestra and student dosimeter studies put bassoonists at about 79-91 dB(A), with C-weighted peaks up to 129 dB.17
Recording it
Mics
- 23 setups from 11 sources, 8 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.
- Schoeps MK 4 2 sourcesContact, spot
- DPA 4006A 2 sources, all from mic makersClose
- DPA 4011A 2 sources, all from mic makersClose, spot
All the mics sources name, by setting and role (12)
Studio
Close
- DPA 4006A1 source from its own maker
- DPA 4011A1 source from its own maker
- DPA 4015A1 source from its own maker
- Oktava MK-0121 source
- Oktava ML521 source
Spaced pair
The 13 setups behind this: placement and quotes
- Close DPA 4006Aclose, 15-20 cm at the finger holes
Aim the microphone at the fingering holes, about a third up from the bell, 15-20 cm away (paraphrase).
1 - Close DPA 4011A or DPA 4015Aclose or spot
4011A and 4015A listed as alternatives to the omni; very directional cardioids sound too focused (paraphrase). ... 4011A and 4015A listed as alternatives to the omni (paraphrase).
1 - Close 2 × condenser, omnidirectional or spaced pairensemble: between two players, head height, aimed down
Place the microphone between the two instruments, at about head height, and point straight down at the floor (paraphrase).
1 - Close large-diaphragm condenserclose, studio (placement not given)
in studio situation i would mike it with a large membran condensor mic (guy)
2 - Close Oktava MK-012close, for recording (placement not given)
Try Oktava MK012 for recording and Shure SM-57 for live stage. (Richard Monroe)
2 - Close Oktava ML52close, recording (placement not given)
I bet your bassoon would love [the ML52] (Richard Monroe)
2 - Spot large-diaphragm condenser, cardioidspot, 24 in from the mouthpiece, aimed at it
Large-diaphragm cardioid condenser mic around 24 inches away from the mouthpiece (bocal end).
3 - Spot condenser (bass clarinet technique, type only)spot, as for bass clarinet: between bell and left hand
I mic them as I would a clarinet, or in the case of the bassoon, like the bass clarinet.
4 - Contact 2 × Schoeps MK 4pair, stereo pair as overall woodwind pickup (bassoons not named separately)
the woodwinds had a stereo pair of Schoeps MK4s as an overall pickup
5 - Spot 2 × Schoeps MK 4spot, one mic per woodwind section (contrabassoon often on its own), mixed in low under the main pair
do each section of the woodwinds on a separate mic ... quite often bass clarinet and contrabassoon and English horn separate
6 - Spot cardioid condenserspot, on the bassoons
Spot microphones in cardioid or wide cardioid ... bassoons (paraphrase of the spot-mic list)
7 - Spot Woodwinds advice Royer ribbon microphonespot, close mics on the woodwinds
Royer ribbon mics on the woodwinds and low brass
8 - 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
5
On stage
Clip-on
- DPA 4099 CORE+1 source from its own maker
- SD Systems LCM 831 source
- Shure PGA98H1 source from its own maker
Close
- Shure SM571 source
Spot
- Sennheiser MD 4211 source
The 6 setups behind this: placement and quotes
- Clip-on DPA 4099 CORE+clip-on, close to the bell but aimed at the tone holes
Position it close to the bell but pointing at the tone holes, not into the bell (paraphrase).
1 - Close small-diaphragm condenserclose, live (placement not given)
a small diaphragm condensor mic with tight pattern might work as well ... [a large condenser] might be problematic in live situation (guy)
2 - Close Shure SM57close, live stage (placement not given)
Shure SM-57 works fine for cheap. (Richard Monroe)
2 - Clip-on SD Systems LCM 83clip-on, cardioid mic at the top placed to suppress the harsh bell sound plus omni mic on the middle of the body for the low register
The top mic (cardioid pattern) is attached in a way that it suppresses the harsh sound ... The middle mic (omni directional pattern) amplifies the lower part of the instrument. (OP's choice, quoting the maker's notes)
2 - Spot Sennheiser MD 421spot, one mic between the first two bassoon players
Colby places a Sennheiser 421 between the first two players of each woodwind type-flutes, clarinets, oboes, bassoons
9 - Clip-on Shure PGA98Hclip-on, live
PGA98H and SM137 listed for woodwinds including bassoon (guide lists by family; paraphrase).
10
Studio and stage
The 4 setups behind this: placement and quotes
- Close AKG C414close, recording or live (placement not given)
AKG 414 for both uses ... is expensive and requires phantom power (Richard Monroe, paraphrase)
2 - 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".
11 - 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".
11 - 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.
10
Advised against
- Close Oktava MK-012 hypercardioidclose, on a big or loud stage
In a big place or loud, they'll feed back. (Richard Monroe)
2
Sources
- DPA Mic University: How to mic a bassoon
- HomeRecording.com forum: MIC for Double Reed (fagot) (2002)
- Production Expert: Free woodwind and sax recording techniques (2020)
- Recording Magazine: Miking Brass and Winds
- Sound On Sound: Jake Jackson: Recording The 2012 Olympic Anthems
- Sound On Sound: Richard King, How To Record Acoustic Ensembles
- SoundGirls: Recording an Orchestra
- Mix: The Changing Landscape of Orchestral Recording (engineer Steve Smith, Music Works Studios)
- Mix: Sound Reinforcement for the Boston Pops: Miking the Orchestra (BSO live mix engineer Steve Colby)
- Shure: How to Choose the Best Mics for Brass, Wind, and String Instruments
- DPA Mic University: How to mic a flute or recorder
- Vienna Symphonic Library Academy: Bassoon
- SHARC Timbre Database v2 (Gregory Sandell): harmonic analyses of McGill University Master Samples
- JASA: Sound power and timbre as cues for the dynamic strength of orchestral instruments (Weinzierl, Lepa, Schultz, Detzner, von Coler, Behler)
- JOSE: Evaluation of Sound Exposure and Risk of Hearing Impairment in Orchestral Musicians (Pawlaczyk-Luszczynska, Dudarewicz, Zamojska, Sliwinska-Kowalska)
- 3rd International Congress on Environmental Health (Porto 2014), abstract: noise exposure of jazz and classical music students
- Representative noise levels table with orchestra noise guidance (UK Sound Advice material)
- Sound On Sound: Q. How do I mike up woodwind instruments? (Hugh Robjohns, Nov 2003)
- Sound On Sound: Recording Brass & Reeds