Celesta
- Range
- C4–C8
- Sources
- 77 independent: not from a mic maker
What it is
A keyboard idiophone resembling a small upright piano; hammers strike metal plates or bars (chime bars). Other name: celeste.8,6
Range
C4 to C88262 Hz – 4.19 kHz
four-octave model; sounds an octave above written pitch; sizes run from three to five and a half octaves
Written C3 to C7; the range above is sounding pitch.
About the range
A transposing instrument that sounds one octave above written pitch. Sizes run from three to five and a half octaves; the four-octave sounding range is generally given as C4 to C8, and the top fundamental is 4186 Hz. Four- and five-octave models have a damper pedal; the three-octave table-top models do not.8
Recording it
No engineering guide found. The only evidence is a sampling session (Sonokinetic, reviewed by SOS): a medium-sized, high-ceilinged studio with a close mono mic (Neumann, model not named), an overhead stereo mic (Violet Audio Flamingo) and a balcony stereo mic (Schoeps Colette). The reviewer heard less hammer noise than expected on the close mic and more on the balcony mic; the close and overhead mics sounded slightly soft and distant, and boosting 130 Hz and 1.5 kHz brought out more hammer sound.6
Mics
- 16 setups from 7 sources, 7 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 (8)
Studio
Outside
- Violet Black Finger1 source
Stereo pair
Spot
- AKG C414 EB1 source
Stereo pair
Main pair or array
- AKG C451 E + CK 221 source
- Schoeps Colette1 source
- Schoeps Colette1 source
Decca treeStereo pair
Overhead
- Violet Audio Flamingo1 source
- Violet Audio Flamingo Stereo1 source
The 16 setups behind this: placement and quotes
- Top 2 × Schoeps XY pairtop, XY pair over the instrument
Top - Schoeps XY + Neumann spaced pair (sample-library maker's own session)
1 - Top 2 × Neumann TLM 107top, spaced pair over the instrument
Schoeps XY pair and Neumann TLM 107 spaced pair (photo caption)
1 - Outside 2 × Violet Black Fingeroutside, pair at the back of the instrument
Back - Violet Black Finger pair
1 - Spot 2 × AKG C414 EBspot, pair of close spot mics (placement not given)
Spot mics with AKG C414EB
2 - Main pair or array 3 × AKG C451 E + CK 22main, Decca-style array for room sound
Decca mics with AKG C451E-CK22
2 - Close Neumann large-diaphragm condenserclose, about 10 cm from the tines (mono)
A Neumann large membrane microphone for close (about 10 cm from the tines)
3 - Overhead Violet Audio Flamingo Stereooverhead, stereo mic at the mid position, captured from above
a Violet Audio Flamingo stereo microphone for the mid position ... Overhead is a wider, stereo sound captured from above
3 - Main pair or array Schoeps Coletteroom, stereo set on the balcony
a Schoeps Colette stereo set on the balcony ... Balcony is the most ambient sounding position
3 - Spot spot microphonesspot, close-up dry sound
'Spot' brings you the instrument's unadulterated dry, close-up sound
4 - Main pair or array 3 × Decca treemain, Decca tree for room ambience
the traditional 'Decca' miking adds abundant room ambience
4 - Top microphone array (four mics)top, set of four mics above the instrument
a set of four top mics ... [capture its] sparkling tone (paraphrase)
5 - Main pair or array microphone arrayoutside, rear array at the back of the instrument
the slightly brighter-sounding rear array ... wonderfully close-up and intimate (paraphrase)
5 - Close Neumann microphone (model not named)close mono (sample library session)
A sampled celesta was recorded from three perspectives: close mono (Neumann, unspecified), overhead stereo (Violet Audio Flamingo), balcony stereo (Schoeps Colette).
6 - Overhead Violet Audio Flamingooverhead stereo, mid position
Overhead stereo perspective: Violet Audio Flamingo (sample library session, SOS review).
6 - Main pair or array 2 × Schoeps Colettebalcony stereo, far (stereo set)
Balcony stereo perspective: Schoeps Colette; the hammer impact was more apparent on the balcony mic than on the close mic.
6 - Spot cardioid condenserspot, on the celesta
Spot microphones in cardioid or wide cardioid ... piano, celesta, soloist(s)
7
Problems to watch
Hammer impact noise is audible, and may be more prominent from a distant mic than a close one.6
Sources
- Soniccouture: G68 Celeste (sample library recording notes)
- Sonicstate: A Celesta For Kontakt (Chocolate Audio Celestial, 2019)
- Sonokinetic: Celesta Reference Manual (PDF)
- Sound On Sound: Chocolate Audio Celestial review (Dave Stewart, 2019)
- Sound On Sound: Soniccouture Celeste review (Dave Stewart, 2021)
- Sound On Sound: Sonokinetic Celesta review (Nick Magnus, 2014)
- SoundGirls: Recording an Orchestra
- Wikipedia, Celesta