Mic Archive

Harp

Range
C1–G7
Overtones to
about 2 kHz
Peaks up close
up to 119.3 dB SPL
Sources
118 independent: not from a mic maker

Range

C1 to G71232.7 Hz – 3.14 kHz

Concert pedal harp, strings C1-G7; with pedals Cb1 (= B0) to G#7 (VSL).

LowC1–G3full; long resonance (4-5 s)
MiddleAb3–C#6brilliant and warm; 1-2 s
HighD6–G7bright, hard, short

VSL boundaries F#3/G#3 and C#6/Db6, rounded to string names.

Overtones reach about 2 kHz (the highest harmonic within 40 dB of the strongest, at a moderate level; louder playing reaches higher)13.

The sound

Harpists pluck near the middle of the string, which suppresses the even harmonics: here the 2nd, 4th and 6th are 25-49 dB down while the 3rd and 5th are strong.

Where the sound goes

The harp's sound field is complex and "can only truthfully be picked up" at least 2-3 m away; its stereo distribution is vertical, not horizontal, and a mic close to the soundboard picks up only part of it and sounds boomy. The soundboard resonates and projects the sound and is in contact with the player.1,8

Playing techniques

  • Près de la table: plucked near the soundboard; brighter, metallic, guitar-like
  • Harmonics: an octave up, soft and bell-like
  • Étouffé: damped by the hand, short and dry
  • Glissando: the sweep across the strings12

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.

Playing level
90 dBharp, single musician secondary14
89 dB(A)player's ears; harp at forte, dry (direct) sound at the player's ears, computed from the ISO 23591 Annex A sound power (Lw 92 dB) estimate15
Peaks
111 dBharp, single musician secondary14
119.3 dB(C)0.1-0.5 m from the ear; 1 opera and 3 symphony orchestras in Poland, meters on tripods 0.1-0.5 m from the players' ears, group rehearsals, concerts, performances (Pawlaczyk-Luszczynska et al. 2011)16
Player's exposure (dosimeter)
87 dB(A)player's shoulder; Finnish National Opera orchestra, dosimeter on the shoulder opposite the instrument (Laitinen et al. 2003); 1 harpist, Swan Lake17
89–90 dB(A)player's shoulder; Finnish National Opera orchestra, dosimeter on the shoulder opposite the instrument (Laitinen et al. 2003); 1 harpist, individual practice17
81.5 dB(A)0.1-0.5 m from the ear; 1 opera and 3 symphony orchestras in Poland, meters on tripods 0.1-0.5 m from the players' ears, group rehearsals, concerts, performances (Pawlaczyk-Luszczynska et al. 2011); 5 samples16

The UK Sound Advice table gives the harp 90 dB with a 111 dB peak (secondary). Harpists' own exposure is 81.5-90 dB(A) at the shoulder or ear in Finnish and Polish orchestra studies, with C-weighted peaks near 119 dB, and Skålevik puts the forte harp at about 89 dB(A) at the player's ears (derived).

Recording it

  • Distance: for a solo harp, at least as far as the harp is tall (about 2 m), so its sound blends
  • Spot mic: near the top of the pillar pointing down at the soundboard, or just behind the harp from the right
  • Stage: a miniature omni in one of the sound holes (the second from the bottom), with foam in the lower holes
  • Watch: boomy low mids around 180 Hz up close1

Mics

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

All the mics sources name, by setting and role (20)

Studio

Main pair or array

  • DPA 4006 (earlier version of the DPA 4006A)1 source from its own maker
  • Zoom H4n1 source

Stereo pair

Distant

Stereo pairBlumleinX-YSpaced pair

Close

Spaced pairX-YBlumlein

Spot

  • AKG C4141 source
The 22 setups behind this: placement and quotes
  • Main pair or array 2 × DPA 4006 (earlier version of the DPA 4006A)
    solo, main pair at least 2 m away, optional baffle disc (A-B pair, omni)
    The harp and the room are "best captured with omnidirectional microphones", ideally an A-B pair at 200 cm or more.1
  • Distant 2 × omni pair (omni pair or single cardioid, at least as far away as the harp is tall)
    solo, 2 m or more
    Placement "at least as far from the instrument as the instrument is big": about 200 cm for a 190 cm pedal harp.1
  • Close condenser microphone
    close, from the right side pointing at the soundboard in the treble, about one quarter down the soundboard (treble mic of two, separate tracks)
    A condenser mic that I position pointing towards the sound board in the treble from the right side about one quarter down the soundboard. (tony-morosco)2
  • Close dynamic microphone
    close, low stand pointing in from the front bottom to the left side of the pillar, slightly up the soundboard (bass mic of two)
    I use a dynamic mic to pick up the base. I put it in a low mic stand pointing in from the front bottom to the left side of the pillar (tony-morosco)2
  • Close small-diaphragm condenser
    close, two mics, treble mic on the left and bass mic on the right; move farther from the harp to control transients
    I put the treble mic on the left and the bass on the right ... Also I use two small-diaphram condenser mics ... the mics can be moved farther from the harp.2
  • Close 2 × Shure Unidyne 5155B
    pair, two identical mics on the floor facing the soundboard about six inches away, pointed at the bottom sound holes, spaced about a foot apart (wire-strung harp)
    two microphones on the floor facing the soundboard of my wire-strung harp, about six inches away ... pointed directly at the bottom sound holes of the harp and are spaced roughly a foot apart (Sherri Matthew)3
  • Close electret condenser microphone
    close, near the top of the harp about six to eight inches away, for the highs
    an electret condenser mike positioned near the top of my harp about six to eight inches away to pick up the highs (Sherri Matthew)3
  • Contact built-in piezo pickup
    internal, the harp's built-in pickup blended with the mics
    lastly, I use my harp's built-in piezo-electric pickup (Sherri Matthew)3
  • Close Zoom H2
    close, about six inches from the strings on one side of the harp at about the height of the middle of the strings
    I place the mic probably six inches away from the strings on one side of the harp at approximately the height of the middle of the strings. (Sam Karlinski; used for audition CDs)3
  • Main pair or array Zoom H4n
    main, all-in-one recorder for home recording (placement not given)
    I would believe the "all in one" Zoom H-4N could be the one you need. (bernhard-schmidt)3
  • Close 2 × Zoom H1
    close, directional, 0.1 to 2 feet from the harp
    I use the Zoom H1 ... I found directional mic close up,.1 to 2 feet quite good for my liking.4
  • Close Neumann U 87 Ai
    close, single mono mic placed just above the soundboard
    Use a large diaphragm condenser in cardioid, placed just above the soundboard.5
  • Spot AKG C414
    spot, harp highlight mic on another recording (placement not given)
    an AKG 414 used as a harp highlight mic ... thought it sounded great as well (paraphrase)5
  • Close Neumann KM 184
    close, above the player pointed at the soundboard (first mic of a two-mic setup)
    KM184 or other small capsule condenser placed above player pointed at the soundboard ... had the potential to make the harp sound more like a toy piano depending on placement.5
  • Close Electro-Voice RE27N/D
    close, behind the player, low to the floor, pointed at the sound hole (second mic of a two-mic setup)
    RE27 behind the player, positioned lower to the floor, and pointed at the sound hole ... I had to make sure to not get too much pedal sound which was tricky.5
  • Distant 2 × AEA R88
    pair, Blumlein, a couple of feet in front of the harpist, several feet off the ground, angled slightly down toward the soundboard
    placed a couple of feet in front of Johanna, several feet off the ground ... was a bit too dark for my taste, but would blend nicely with the U87.5
  • Distant 2 × Peluso 2247 LE
    pair, XY, a little further out in front of the instrument, several feet off the ground, angled slightly down toward the soundboard
    placed a little further away in front of the instrument, several feet off the ground ... these mics have a much brighter sound5
  • Distant 2 × Earthworks QTC40
    pair, spaced omnis in a 3:1 ratio, several feet in front of the harp at about 5 feet high
    These are omnidirectional and were placed in a 3:1 ratio ... would be great if you're looking for a dreamy sort of sound.5
  • Named, no placement given ribbon, figure-of-eight (ribbon (Royer, no harp model named))
    stringed instruments incl. harp
    Royer ribbons "from acoustic guitar... to violin, cello, harp and virtually any stringed instruments" capture the tone (no harp example given).6
  • Close sE Electronics SE3A
    close, on a short stand low on the instrument, six to eight inches from the soundhole (which faces the player), out of reach of the player's feet
    a cardioid capacitor mic (an SE3A) on a short stand ... The harp mic was placed six to eight inches from the soundhole. (model name as printed)7
  • Close Neumann U 87
    solo, about 2 ft back from the centre of the strings
    Single U87 in cardioid about two feet back, pointing to the centre of the strings (Studio SOS session).8
  • Close Royer SF-12
    solo, near the harpist's ears
    Tried as a stereo mic as close to the harpist's ears as possible; "a faithful representation" but little high-to-low spread.8

Studio and stage

Spot

  • DPA 4011 (earlier version of the DPA 4011A)1 source from its own maker

Contact

  • Fishman PRO-SBT-HAP1 source
The 2 setups behind this: placement and quotes
  • Spot DPA 4011 (earlier version of the DPA 4011A)
    spot, above the pillar pointing down at the soundboard
    Spot mic such as the 4011 near the top of the pillar pointing at the sound board (paraphrase).1
  • Contact Fishman PRO-SBT-HAP
    contact, on the soundboard away from braces and an inch or two off the central string line, into a preamp
    I use a fishman transducer harp pickup PRO-SBT-HAP ... Don't stick it near any braces & keep it an inch or two away from the central string line4

On stage

Close

The 7 setups behind this: placement and quotes
  • Close DPA 4060
    stage, in the second sound hole from the bottom (miniature omni)
    Conceal a miniature omni such as the 4060 in a sound hole; try the second from the bottom, cover the lower holes with foam.1
  • Close Shure SM81
    close, aimed at the middle of the soundboard, oriented away from the timpani
    For the harp, Colby eschews the use of a contact mic and usually points an 81 or a 451 at the middle of the soundboard, orienting the mic away from the timpani (the '81' is the SM81 named elsewhere in the article)9
  • Close AKG C451 (earlier version of the AKG C451 B)
    close, aimed at the middle of the soundboard, oriented away from the timpani (alternative to the SM81)
    usually points an 81 or a 451 at the middle of the soundboard9
  • Contact AKG contact microphone
    contact, outside on the soundboard, lower left beside F of the 4th octave (one of two)
    They capture the natural sound of the harp, especially when placed outside on the soundboard ... Position A produced the most natural warm harp sound, with the least amount of feedback10
  • Contact AKG contact microphone
    contact, outside on the soundboard next to the middle/high register, at the height of C of the 2nd octave (second of two)
    placed next to the middle/high register, at the height of the C of the 2nd octave10
  • Close condenser, miniature (miniature mic taped to the soundboard)
    stage, on the soundboard
    Tape miniature microphone to soundboard: somewhat constricted; minimizes feedback and leakage.11
  • Close mic aiming toward the player, about 2 ft from the soundboard
    close, 2 ft
    Harp: aiming toward player at part of soundboard, about 2 feet away: natural.11

Advised against

  • Contact contact pickup
    contact, on the harp
    Personally I prefer using external microphones rather than contact picups that a lot of people seem to like. (tony-morosco)2
  • Inside microphone
    inside, hung inside the harp
    Definitely DO NOT hang a microphone inside your harp – the sound is really just awful. (Sam Karlinski)3
  • Contact contact pickup
    contact, pickup instead of a microphone for recording
    pickups are generally used for amplification in a live performance. Microphones will generally give better results in a recording than a pickup.4
  • Contact contact microphone
    contact, on the harp
    For the harp, Colby eschews the use of a contact mic9
  • Contact piezo contact microphone
    contact, on the soundboard
    The sound of the harp amplified in this way looses a lot of its clarity and sweetness.10
  • Contact AKG contact microphone
    inside, contact mics inside the soundbox
    Position B ... more feedback ... less clean and clear sound, that is harsher in tone (paraphrase)10
  • Contact AKG contact microphone
    contact, against the bridge in the middle of the soundboard
    placed closer to the strings, against the bridge in the middle of the soundboard ... attacks harsh, especially in forte chords (paraphrase)10

Problems to watch

Boomy lows in small rooms (stuff the lower sound holes with foam), pedal action noise, finger damping noise, and ringing bass strings.1

Sources

  1. DPA Mic University: How to mic a harpmanufacturer · dpamicrophones.com
  2. Harp Column forum: question on recording lever harp (2007)forum · harpcolumn.com
  3. Harp Column forum: Recording your Harp (2012)forum · harpcolumn.com
  4. Harp Column forum: How to Simply Record the Harp at Home Inexpensively (2016)forum · harpcolumn.com
  5. Production Expert: How To Record A Solo Harp - Expert Tutorial (Audrey Martinovich, 2019)magazine · production-expert.com
  6. Royer Labs: Recording Acoustic Guitar, Violin, Ukulele, Cello & Other Stringed Instrumentsmanufacturer · royerlabs.com
  7. Sound On Sound: Recording & Mixing An Acoustic Ensemble Gig (Paul White, 2007)magazine · soundonsound.com
  8. Sound On Sound: Session Notes - Recording Harp On Locationmagazine · soundonsound.com
  9. Mix: Sound Reinforcement for the Boston Pops: Miking the Orchestra (BSO live mix engineer Steve Colby)magazine · mixonline.com
  10. Research Catalogue (Royal Conservatoire The Hague): Cosmic Journey - Exploring the possibilities of Harp and Live-Electronics (Kyra Frimout, 2025)educational · researchcatalogue.net
  11. Shure: Microphone Techniques for Live Sound Reinforcementmanufacturer · 2007 · music.arts.uci.edu
  12. Vienna Symphonic Library Academy: Harpeducational · vsl.co.at
  13. VS Chamber Orchestra 2: Community Edition sample library (Versilian Studios), CC0; own FFT analysisgithub.com
  14. Representative noise levels table with orchestra noise guidance (UK Sound Advice material)eclass-b.uoa.gr
  15. Forum Acusticum 2023: Skalevik, Sound levels at musicians' ears from classical instruments during solitary practiceMagne Skalevik · academic · 2023 · dael.euracoustics.org
  16. JOSE: Evaluation of Sound Exposure and Risk of Hearing Impairment in Orchestral Musicians (Pawlaczyk-Luszczynska, Dudarewicz, Zamojska, Sliwinska-Kowalska)Malgorzata Pawlaczyk-Luszczynska et al. · academic · 2011 · portal.ciop.pl
  17. Applied Occupational and Environmental Hygiene: Laitinen et al., Sound exposure among the Finnish National Opera personnel (2003), Aalto repository preprintHeli M. Laitinen, Esko M. Toppila, Pekka S. Olkinuora, Kaarina Kuisma · academic · 2003 · aaltodoc.aalto.fi