Contrabassoon
double bassoon
- Range
- B0–C4
- Overtones to
- about 2.62 kHz
- Sources
- 53 independent: not from a mic maker
What it is
The bassoon an octave lower, the lowest orchestral woodwind.6
Also called double bassoon.
Range
B0 to C4630.9 Hz – 262 Hz
VSL's range section; its construction section gives Bb0 as the lowest note. Registers: lower B0-E1, middle F1-E2, upper F2-C4. Written an octave above sounding pitch.
Overtones reach about 2.62 kHz (the highest harmonic within 40 dB of the strongest, at a moderate level; louder playing reaches higher)7.
- With A bell: VSL: a flared, curved metal bell pointing down extends the range to A0.6
Where the sound goes
The C bell is a straight wooden tube pointing up; the A bell a flared, curved metal bell pointing down. Pätynen and Lokki did not record it.6,8
About the range
B0-C4 in VSL's range section (Bb0 in its construction section); an A bell extends it to A0. VSL's registers: lower B0-E1, "substantial, sustaining, and dark", organ-like, mellow at piano; middle F1-E2, "dark, sonorous and mighty"; upper F2-C4, less loud and less sustaining, harder and brighter. Written in bass clef an octave above sounding pitch.6
Recording it
Bob Ross (Recording Magazine) recorded one with a Neumann TLM 170, 12 in (30 cm) from the front of the horn, on a boom stand at waist height.1
Mics
- 6 setups from 5 sources, 3 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 (4)
Studio
Close
- Neumann TLM 170 (earlier version of the Neumann TLM 170 R)1 source
The 3 setups behind this: placement and quotes
- Close Neumann TLM 170 (earlier version of the Neumann TLM 170 R)close, 12 in (30 cm) from the front of the horn, on a boom stand at waist height
"I used a Neumann TLM 170 12 inches from the front of the horn on a boom stand at waist height."
1 - Spot Woodwinds advice Royer ribbon microphonespot, close mics on the woodwinds
Royer ribbon mics on the woodwinds and low brass
2 - 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
3
Studio and stage
The 3 setups behind this: placement and quotes
- 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".
4 - 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".
4 - 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.
5
Problems to watch
VSL: the full sound develops slowly.6
Sources
- Recording Magazine: Miking Brass and Winds
- Mix: The Changing Landscape of Orchestral Recording (engineer Steve Smith, Music Works Studios)
- Sound On Sound: Jake Jackson: Recording The 2012 Olympic Anthems
- DPA Mic University: How to mic a flute or recorder
- Shure: How to Choose the Best Mics for Brass, Wind, and String Instruments
- Vienna Symphonic Library Academy: Contrabassoon
- SHARC Timbre Database v2 (Gregory Sandell): harmonic analyses of McGill University Master Samples
- Pätynen and Lokki: Directivities of Symphony Orchestra Instruments (Acta Acustica united with Acustica 96, 2010)