Harpsichord
- Range
- G1–D6
- Sources
- 43 independent: not from a mic maker
What it is
A keyboard instrument that plucks its strings. A key lifts a jack that carries a plectrum of quill or plastic; the strings sit on a soundboard in a wooden case.7
Range
G1 to D6549 Hz – 1.17 kHz
Four and a half octaves on a modern Flemish (Ruckers-style) harpsichord; 8' choir at written pitch, the 4' choir sounds an octave higher.
Where the sound goes
The sound comes from the soundboard and the open lid; no source gives a polar pattern. Eric James found that the short high strings dominate the left of the image and the long low strings (more diffuse) the right, with no true left-right separation.2
About the range
The largest harpsichords cover a little over five octaves, the smallest under four. One maker's double-manual model is five octaves, written F1 to f3 in the maker's notation (not converted to scientific pitch here). Sounding pitch depends on the stops (8' unison, 4' an octave higher).7,8
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 | |
|---|---|
| 65–75 dB(A) | at 2 m; Ruckers-style harpsichord, rapidly repeated short scale, 8' choir, over the whole compass5 |
| 65–71 dB(A) | at 2 m; same instrument, 4' choir5 |
| 67–77 dB(A) | at 2 m; same instrument, 8' and 4' combined5 |
| Dynamic range | |
| 2 dB | one harpsichord, pp to ff by touch, perceived loudness (listening test)6 |
A note is equally loud however hard the key is pressed, so there is no dynamic range from touch; a listening test put pp to ff at about 2 dB. a Ruckers-style harpsichord measured 65-77 dB(A) at 2 m, depending on the registers in use.7
Recording it
- Spaced pair: a solo recital recorded with Sonodore RCM402 omnis, Schoeps CCM21 subcardioids and a Royer SF12 Blumlein ribbon. The omnis were the pick, at 60 cm apart, 1.7 m from the instrument and 2 m high, aimed at the waist (the curve of the case). Starting closer (40 cm apart, 1.2 m away) was too direct and too wide.
- The Schoeps pair was warm with a lower-mid bloom but less low end; the Royer was judged too smooth and gave a muddy image at the omni distance.
- Coincident: Paul White used one Soundfield mic set to a coincident cardioid pair, about 18 in from the edge of the instrument, half way up the open lid, aimed at the hinge and a third of the way back from the keyboard.
- A single pair of Schoeps CMC 64 cardioids, with no EQ or compression, is reported for a solo album (a review, not an engineer's own notes).2,3,1
Mics
- 6 setups from 4 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 (5)
Studio
Close
- Royer SF-121 source
- Schoeps CCM 211 source
- Schoeps CMC 641 source
- Sonodore RCM4021 source
- Soundfield1 source
Stereo pairSpaced pairBlumleinX-Y
The 5 setups behind this: placement and quotes
- Close 2 × Schoeps CMC 64solo, no EQ or compression (pair)
"Engineer Walter Klimasewski used a single pair of Schoeps CMC 64 microphones, with neither equalization nor compression."
1 - Close 2 × Sonodore RCM402solo, final position 60 cm apart, 1.7 m from the instrument, 2 m high, aimed at the waist (pair)
Pair of omnis: "a startlingly realistic representation of the harpsichord"; chosen over the Schoeps and Royer for the CD.
2 - Close 2 × Schoeps CCM 21solo, same position as the Sonodores (60 cm apart, 1.7 m back, 2 m high) (pair)
Warm, with a "slight bloom in the lower mid-range" and less low end than the Sonodores; a close second, not chosen.
2 - Close Royer SF-12solo, stereo, moved closer
Not recommended here: "slightly unreal smoothness" and a poor image; "not up to the standard" of the omni and subcardioid pairs (paraphrase).
2 - Close 2 × Soundfieldsolo, 18 in from the edge, half way up the open lid, aimed at the hinge (coincident cardioid)
"A well-balanced sound was achieved by positioning the mic about 18 inches from the edge of the instrument about half way up the open lid."
3
On stage
The 1 setup behind this: placement and quotes
- Named, no placement given condenser (condenser (sensitivity))general, harpsichord quiet
Softer instruments such as flutes and harpsichords can benefit from the higher sensitivity of condensers (paraphrase).
4
On stage
Nothing found for harpsichord. Shure says softer instruments such as flutes and harpsichords can benefit from the higher sensitivity of condensers.4
Problems to watch
A close mic gives too direct a sound and too wide an image for a small instrument. No source mentions jack or key noise.2
Sources
- Paul Cienniwa blog: Harpsichord Music for a Thin Place review in UHF Magazine
- Sound On Sound: Comparing Stereo Miking Techniques (Eric James, 2003)
- Sound On Sound: Recording Piano & Harpsichord (Paul White, 2005)
- Shure: Microphone Techniques for Live Sound Reinforcement
- UNSW: Fletcher and Beebe, Chapter 8 Harpsichord and Clavichord (in The Science of String Instruments)
- DAFx-06: Penttinen, On the dynamics of the harpsichord and its synthesis
- Wikipedia, Harpsichord
- J. C. Neupert, harpsichord Hass (specification)