English horn
cor anglais
- Range
- E3–A5
- Overtones to
- about 4.44 kHz
- Sources
- 52 independent: not from a mic maker
What it is
The alto oboe, in F, with a pear-shaped bell (the "Liebesfuss"); VSL says the lower pitch and the bell make it "darker and more powerful than the oboe".6
Also called cor anglais.
Range
E3 to about A56165 Hz – 880 Hz
VSL: E3-A5 (B5). Registers: lower E3-A3, middle Bb3-C5, upper Db5-A5. Sounds a fifth below written.
Overtones reach about 4.44 kHz (the highest harmonic within 40 dB of the strongest, at a moderate level; louder playing reaches higher)7.
The sound
A double reed on a conical bore with tone holes, as on the oboe.6,1
Where the sound goes
No English horn measurement found; Pätynen and Lokki left it out because their recorded excerpts had no part for it. DPA's oboe advice, which it says applies to the English horn, aims at the finger holes: a mic near the bell but pointed at the holes picks up a blend of both.8,1
About the range
E3-A5 (B5). VSL's registers: lower E3-A3, "warm, intense and rather dull", no pianissimo, rough and shawm-like at forte; middle Bb3-C5, the most used, "the sound seems to come from a long way away"; upper Db5-A5, "acerbic and insistent; penetrating when played forte". It sounds a fifth below written; modern parts are in treble clef.6
Recording it
DPA: aim at the finger holes a third of the way up from the bell, 15-20 cm away, with a 4006A omni, or a 4011A cardioid or 4015A wide cardioid for more separation; the 4099 clip-on in noisy or PA-heavy settings; for an orchestra, one mic between two players at head height, pointing straight down at an uncarpeted floor. "The above techniques also apply to the English horn (cor anglais), oboe d'amore and other variants of the oboe family". Bob Ross mics oboe and English horn the way he mics a clarinet. A recording.org post (search-result text; the site no longer resolves) says the same: mic it like a clarinet or oboe, about mid-body, pointing down, parallel to the body, about a foot away.1,9,10
Mics
- 8 setups from 5 sources, 2 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.
- Few independent sources so far, so the full list shows no counts.
All the mics sources name, by setting and role (5)
Studio and stage
Spot
- DPA 4011from its own maker
The 5 setups behind this: placement and quotes
- Close DPA 4006Aclose, 15-20 cm, aimed at the finger holes a third of the way up from the bell
"Aim the mic at the fingering holes, 1/3 of the length up from the bell, at a distance of 15-20 cm"; "The above techniques also apply to the English horn (cor anglais)".
1 - Close DPA 4011A or DPA 4015Aclose, 15-20 cm, for more separation
4011A cardioid or 4015A wide cardioid for more separation; the oboe page's advice applies to the English horn (paraphrase). ... 4015A wide cardioid for more separation (paraphrase); oboe-family advice.
1 - 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".
2 - 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".
2 - 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.
3
On stage
Clip-on
- DPA 4099from its own maker
Studio
The 2 setups behind this: placement and quotes
- Spot Woodwinds advice Royer ribbon microphonespot, close mics on the woodwinds
Royer ribbon mics on the woodwinds and low brass
4 - 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
5
Problems to watch
No English horn-specific source found; the oboe's advice applies.
Sources
- DPA Mic University: How to mic an oboe
- DPA Mic University: How to mic a flute or recorder
- Shure: How to Choose the Best Mics for Brass, Wind, and String Instruments
- Mix: The Changing Landscape of Orchestral Recording (engineer Steve Smith, Music Works Studios)
- Sound On Sound: Jake Jackson: Recording The 2012 Olympic Anthems
- Vienna Symphonic Library Academy: English horn
- 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)
- Recording Magazine: Miking Brass and Winds
- recording.org, tracking English and French horn (forum post; search-result text only)