Mic Archive

Brass

Bass trombone · French horn · Trombone · Trumpet · Tuba

Sources
20 independent: not from a mic maker

What it is

Trumpet, horn, trombone, tuba and their relatives. Brass is loud close to the bell, so a mic's maximum SPL matters as much as its response.

Where the sound comes from

  • bell: faces along the bell axis (backwards on the horn); very directional3,2
  • The highs beam straight out along the bell axis; off axis sounds darker.3,2

Mics

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

All the mics sources name, by setting and role (2)

On stage

Clip-on

The 3 setups behind this: placement and quotes
  • Clip-on DPA 4099 CORE+
    clip-on for brass
    4099 for instrument-mounted live use gives more isolation and gain before feedback than the omni (paraphrase).1
  • Clip-on DPA 4099 CORE+
    clip-on for brass
    The 4099 gives much more isolation and higher gain before feedback than the omni (paraphrase).1
  • Clip-on Shure PGA98H-XLR
    clip-on, brass
    A condenser optimised for brass, with horn clamp and in-line preamp (paraphrase).2

Sources

  1. DPA Mic University: How to mic a trumpet and trombonemanufacturer · dpamicrophones.com
  2. Shure: How to Choose the Best Mics for Brass, Wind, and String Instrumentsmanufacturer · shure.com
  3. Sound On Sound: Q. How do I record brass in the home studio?Paul White and Hugh Robjohns · magazine · 2008-03 · soundonsound.com