Duduk
Armenian oboe
- Range
- G2–C5
- Sources
- 33 independent: not from a mic maker
What it is
Armenian double-reed instrument of apricot wood, warm and nasal, circular-breathed (Wikipedia, VSL).
Range
G2 to C5498 Hz – 523 Hz
across VSL's B-flat and bass duduks; sizes vary by key
Where the sound goes
No source.
About the range
Bb duduk F3 to C5; bass duduk in D G2 to A#3 (VSL Synchron Duduks). An eight-hole A duduk plays F# up to A more than an octave higher (Wikipedia). Sizes vary by key.
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.
| Player's exposure (dosimeter) | |
|---|---|
| 82.47 dB(A) | at the player's ear (dosimeter microphone 10 cm from the ear); Iranian professional musician (10+ years' experience) in solitary practice, 20-minute session in an acoustic room at Firoozgar hospital audiology department, Tehran; Extech 407727 meter/dosimeter5 |
| 81.99 dB(A) | at the player's ear (dosimeter microphone 10 cm from the ear); Iranian professional musician (10+ years' experience) in solitary practice, 20-minute session in an acoustic room at Firoozgar hospital audiology department, Tehran; Extech 407727 meter/dosimeter5 |
| 54.72–91.38 dB(A) | at the player's ear (dosimeter microphone 10 cm from the ear); Iranian professional musician (10+ years' experience) in solitary practice, 20-minute session in an acoustic room at Firoozgar hospital audiology department, Tehran; Extech 407727 meter/dosimeter5 |
| 60.08–90.32 dB(A) | at the player's ear (dosimeter microphone 10 cm from the ear); Iranian professional musician (10+ years' experience) in solitary practice, 20-minute session in an acoustic room at Firoozgar hospital audiology department, Tehran; Extech 407727 meter/dosimeter5 |
An Iranian study measured a professional duduk player practising alone at about 82 dB(A) at the ear in a 20-minute session, with readings up to 91 dB(A).
Recording it
One free sample library used a pair of stereo condensers 1 ft from the bell end (Pianobook). VSL and Soundiron recorded close, mid and far positions in large rooms (VSL: Decca tree). A forum summary suggests a Neumann KM 184 rather than a tube mic.
Mics
- 3 setups from 3 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 (2)
Studio
Distant
- Neumann U 871 source
The 3 setups behind this: placement and quotes
- Distant Neumann U 87distant, 1.5 m in front of the player's mouth, treated studio 7 x 7 x 4.5 m (for acoustic analysis)
The recordings were made in a studio (7 m x 7 m x 4.5 m) using a Neumann U87 microphone positioned 1.5 m in front of the musician's mouth.
1 - Close Neumann KM 184close/mid, studio
KM184 suggested for duduk, preferred over tube mics that can sound harsh (search-result summary).
2 - Close 2 × pair of stereo condenser mics, 1 ft from the end of the dudukclose, stereo, 1 ft from the bell end
Sampled with "a pair of stereo condensor mics 1 foot away from the end of the duduk".
3