Mic Archive

Tubular bells

Range
C4–F5
Overtones to
about 3.6 kHz
Peaks up close
up to 118.2 dB SPL
Sources
55 independent: not from a mic maker

What it is

The thread mixes small desktop chimes with orchestral tubular bells, and one reply asks which are meant; only the moderator's comment is about orchestral tubes.1

Also called tubular bells, chimes.

Range

C4 to F56262 Hz – 698 Hz

Standard 1.5 octaves (18 tubes); 2-octave F3-F5 and 2 1/3-octave Eb3-G5 sets exist. The pitch named is the strike note (VSL).

Whole rangeC4–F5metallic strike, long humming decay

Tuning: Strike note tuned to equal temperament; the heard pitch is inferred from modes 4, 5 and 6 near 2:3:4.6,7

Overtones reach about 3.6 kHz (the highest harmonic within 40 dB of the strongest, at a moderate level; louder playing reaches higher).

  • 2 octave, 25 tubes: VSL.6
  • 2 1/3 octave philharmonic, 29 tubes: VSL.6
  • 1.6 octave (professional, to G5): Wikipedia ('some professional models reach G5'); Adams BK5216 lists 1.6 octaves as C5-G6 in its octave naming.7,8
  • Adams chimes as named by Adams: Adams Philharmonic BK5203 and Standard BK2201 list '1.5 octaves (C5-F6)'. This is the same instrument as C4-F5 named an octave higher, the naming difference Wikipedia mentions; kept as given.8,9
  • Adams bass extension BK5200 (as named by Adams): 0.5 octave add-on; Wikipedia captions the Adams bass chimes as F3-B3, again an octave apart.8,7

The sound

The tube's bending modes 4, 5 and 6 fall near 2:3:4, so the ear hears a pitch an octave below mode 4 (the strike note) even though nothing sounds there.

Good to know

  • Strike note: the pitch you hear has no energy of its own; the ear infers it from partials near 2, 3 and 4 times it11,12

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.

Peaks
118.2 dBat the player's head position; Tubular bells (Premier), played by a percussion student in an individual practice session in a practice room of the F. Chopin Academy of Music, Warsaw; 1/4-in B&K 4135 mic on a tripod at the position of the musician's head; 120 s music selection10
Player's exposure (dosimeter)
99.4 dBat the player's head position (tripod mic near the instrument); Tubular bells (Premier), played by a percussion student in an individual practice session in a practice room of the F. Chopin Academy of Music, Warsaw; 1/4-in B&K 4135 mic on a tripod at the position of the musician's head; 120 s music selection10

Nothing found. The existing entry says "1-2 m away at the height of the top caps"; no source found for or against it.

Recording it

  • Where: 1–2 m away, at about the height of the top caps where the tubes are struck; a single close mic catches only part of a tube

Mics

No mic is named by more than one source yet: each names its own.

All the mics sources name, by setting and role (7)

Studio

Overhead

Stereo pair

Close

Stereo pair

Distant

Stereo pair

Main pair or array

Decca tree

The 13 setups behind this: placement and quotes
  • Overhead 2 × large-diaphragm condenser pair (type only)
    stereo pair at distance, as for drum overheads
    Distance is your friend; use a pair of LDC mics in stereo, like a set of overheads on a drum kit (paraphrase)1
  • Close 2 × stereo pair (type not named)
    tubular bells: a pair set back over the player's shoulders; drop the input gain 10-20 dB, as transients trick meters
    I'd set a pair back over the players shoulders from left and right; knock the input gain down at least 10 (paraphrase)1
  • Close Neumann KM 184
    close, close mics (positions not described further)
    Close Mics- Neumann KM 184's2
  • Distant AKG C414
    distant, 'far' mics
    Far Mics- AKG C414's2
  • Main pair or array Neumann U 87
    room, 'balcony' mics
    Balcony Mics- Neumann U87s2
  • Main pair or array main microphones (type not named)
    main, mics where the conductor would normally stand (tubular bells/chimes among the instruments)
    The mics were positioned where the conductor would normally stand, which means the hall's acoustic is discernible3
  • Overhead 2 × Rode TF5
    pair, close: a pair of TF5s as overheads for the attacks (no distance given)
    Up close, a pair of Rode TF5 overheads provide unmatched articulation and detail to the attacks.4
  • Distant 2 × Microtech Gefell M221
    pair, mid distance: measurement omnis (no distance given)
    At mid distance, legendary Microtech Gefell M221 measurement omnis capture the perfect blend of body and detail4
  • Main pair or array Microtech Gefell M940
    main, supercardioid LDCs as main mics
    For main mics, choose between the focused, ultra-low noise Microtech Gefell M940 supercardioid LDC's4
  • Main pair or array Samar Audio Design VL373A
    main, alternative stereo ribbon main mic
    the relaxed sound of the Samar Audio Design VL373A stereo active ribbon mic4
  • Close close microphone
    close, mono close mic
    Close Mic - Mono5
  • Close 2 × mid-layer pair
    pair, stereo mid-layer mic
    Mid Layer Mic - Stereo (L/R)5
  • Main pair or array 3 × Decca tree
    main, Decca tree as main/room mic
    Main/Room Mic - Decca Tree Stereo (L/R) ... Decca Tree Mono (Center)5

Advised against

  • Close close mic (any type)
    close mic on chimes gave "terrible results"; shrill white noise (poster's own attempt)
    I've tried close mic'ing (terrible results) and various distance mic'ing... chimes end up sounding like a shrill white noise (paraphrase)1

Sources

  1. HomeRecording.com forum: What is a good way to record chimes? (2023)forum · homerecording.com
  2. Pianobook: Hunter's Percussion - Orchestral (concert chimes; hunter rogerson), recording rigengineer · pianobook.co.uk
  3. Sound On Sound: London Orchestral Percussion review (Dave Stewart, Oct 2002)magazine · soundonsound.com
  4. Versilian Studios: Tubular Bells II sample library, mic positionsengineer · versilian-studios.com
  5. Vienna Symphonic Library: Synchron Bells I (tubular bells, Synchron Stage A)engineer · vsl.co.at
  6. Vienna Symphonic Library Academy: Tubular bellseducational · vsl.co.at
  7. Wikipedia: Tubular bellsreference · en.wikipedia.org
  8. Adams: Philharmonic series chimes (specifications)manufacturer · adams-music.com
  9. Adams: Standard series chimes (specifications)manufacturer · adams-music.com
  10. Archives of Acoustics: Jaroszewski, Rogowski, Rakowski, Sound pressure levels in emission of percussion instruments during training sessions (25(3), 283-289)A. Jaroszewski, P. Rogowski, A. Rakowski · academic · 2000 · acoustics.ippt.gov.pl
  11. Fletcher and Rossing: The Physics of Musical Instruments, 2nd editionacademic · 1998 · doi.org
  12. VS Chamber Orchestra 2: Community Edition sample library (Versilian Studios), CC0; own FFT analysisgithub.com