Bongos
- Sources
- 65 independent: not from a mic maker
Frequency bands
| tone | 250 Hz – 700 Hz | macho 310 Hz (+ modes 460, 610 Hz); hembra 264 Hz (+ 517 Hz) |
|---|---|---|
| attack | 1 kHz – 3 kHz | |
| ring | 3 kHz – 8 kHz | close mic; falls slowly above 3 kHz |
Own analysis: 1/3-octave band levels of the first second after the hit (dB re loudest band), plus a 12 ms attack window and spectral peak picking. A band is listed where the level stays within about 10-15 dB of the loudest band (weaker bands are given with their level). "tone" = clear spectral peaks; "noise" = dense or broadband energy. Measured from: Virtuosity Drums BongoH_Hit1_v2_rr1, BongoL_Hit1_v2_rr1.
Sounds it makes
| Macho (smaller, higher) | about 310 Hz |
|---|---|
| Hembra (larger, lower) | about 264 Hz |
The sound
Small, tightly tuned heads: high, short, pitched tones with a sharp finger attack.
Recording it
- Where: one mic just above the heads, aimed down between the two drums6
Mics
- 9 setups from 6 sources, 5 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.
- Shure SM57 3 sources, 1 from a mic makerBottom, close
All the mics sources name, by setting and role (7)
Studio
Bottom
- Shure SM571 source
Close
- Earthworks QTC11 source
- Electro-Voice RE15 or beyerdynamic ribbon1 source
- Royer SF-11 source
- Shure SM57 / SM58 / Sennheiser MD 421 / e6041 source
The 8 setups behind this: placement and quotes
- Top dynamic mic (e.g. Shure SM57)top, 18-24 in above the drums, slightly favouring the smaller drum
Mic from 18 to 24 inches above the drums, slightly favoring the smaller drum; a dynamic like an SM57 gives midrange emphasis (paraphrase)
1 - Bottom Shure SM57bottom, from underneath when held between the legs, at least 6 in away, aimed slightly at the smaller drum
mic from underneath with a dynamic mic at least 6 inches away, again aiming slightly toward the smaller drum (paraphrase)
1 - Top omnidirectional mictop, about a foot above them (mono)
Put an omni about a foot above them (Harvey Gerst)
2 - Close Royer SF-1close, one figure-8 ribbon between the two drums
ribbon mic in figure-8 between the two drums, Royer SF-1 favoured (Fletcher, paraphrase)
2 - Close Earthworks QTC1close, small-diaphragm omnis (distance not given)
small-diaphragm omnis, such as Earthworks QTCs (littledog, paraphrase)
2 - Close Shure SM57 / SM58 / Sennheiser MD 421 / e604close, dynamic mics placed close
For congas, bongos and timbales, close-placed dynamic mics such as SM57, SM58, Sennheiser 421 or e604 (Tonio, paraphrase)
3 - Close Electro-Voice RE15 or beyerdynamic ribbonclose (distance not given); needs a flat mic, the sound is in the midrange
these instruments sound best with something like an RE15 or a beyerdynamic ribbon
4 - Close microphone (type not named)close, a few centimetres above the rim of each drum, or one mic between the pair
Mic each drum a few centimetres above the rim; for a pair, one mic between them often works fine (paraphrase)
5
On stage
Close
- Shure Beta 56A1 source from its own maker
- Shure Beta 57A1 source from its own maker
- Shure Beta 98D/S1 source from its own maker
- Shure SM571 source from its own maker
The 1 setup behind this: placement and quotes
- Close Hand drums advice Shure Beta 98D/S or Shure Beta 56A or Shure Beta 57A or Shure SM57one mic aiming down between the pair, just above the heads
One microphone aiming down between pair of drums, just above top heads
6
Advised against
- Close 2 × stereo pairpair, stereo miking of bongos
Why the hell are you miking them in stereo? (Harvey Gerst; others in the thread defend stereo bongos)
2 - Close Shure SM57 / SM58close
they sound too sterile for the bongos (Garik, on SM57 and SM58)
2
Sources
- Bobby Owsinski blog: 2 Techniques For Miking Bongos (from The Recording Engineer's Handbook)
- HomeRecording.com forum: Problems with micing Congas and Bongos (2006 thread)
- My Conga Place forum: suggestion for percussion recording (2007 thread)
- Recording Magazine: The Doom of the Dumbek (Paul Stamler)
- Violet Recording: How to Record Percussion (editorial team)
- Shure: Microphone Techniques for Live Sound Reinforcement