Oboe
- Range
- Bb3–G6
- Overtones to
- about 5.1 kHz
- Peaks up close
- up to 123 dB SPL
- Sources
- 129 independent: not from a mic maker
Range
Bb3 to about G613233 Hz – 1.57 kHz
A6 possible (VSL).
| Low | Bb3–F4 | thick, heavy; the lowest notes loud |
|---|---|---|
| Middle | F#4–Bb5 | bright, reedy; most solos lie here |
| High | B5–G6 | thin; shrill from about D6 |
French-system boundaries (VSL); the Viennese oboe splits at A4/Bb4 and A5/Bb5.
Overtones reach about 5.1 kHz (the highest harmonic within 40 dB of the strongest, at a moderate level; louder playing reaches higher)14.
The sound
A double reed on a narrow conical bore: the fundamental is weaker than the 2nd-4th harmonics, with a strong region around 1-1.5 kHz, which gives the nasal tone.
Where the sound goes
The sound leaves from the whole instrument, depending on which holes are open; Ross says the bell of a woodwind is mostly a timbre filter except on the lowest notes. This fits the existing entry ("most of the sound comes from the tone holes").5,19
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 | |
|---|---|
| 74–102 dB | at 3 m; UK Sound Advice table of representative noise levels, row 'Oboe' (single musician) secondary15 |
| 95–112 dB | not stated; hearingconservation.org decibel chart, 'Sound Levels of Music' secondary16 |
| 69–90 dB(Z) | at 1 m; Modern oboe, derived from the TU Berlin sound power values estimate17 |
| Peaks | |
| 116 dB | not stated (peak column of the same table); UK Sound Advice table of representative noise levels, row 'Oboe' secondary15 |
| 97–103 dB(A) | at the player; same study, LASmax (slow) per rehearsal or concert18 |
| 114–123 dB(C) | at the player; same study, LCpeak per rehearsal or concert18 |
| Dynamic range | |
| 21 dB(Z) | sound power, whole range; Modern oboe, Weinzierl et al. 2018, Table I estimate17 |
| Player's exposure (dosimeter) | |
| 83–89 dB(A) | at the player (meters on tripods with microphones close to the players); Polish opera and symphony orchestras, group rehearsals, concerts and performances; 14 samples18 |
| Sound power | |
| 80–101 dB(Z) | sound power level Lw (dB re 1 pW), not a sound pressure at a distance; Modern oboe, single notes over the whole range played as soft and as loud as possible, anechoic chamber TU Berlin, 32-mic spherical array17 |
| 84–99 dB(Z) | sound power level Lw (dB re 1 pW), repertoire-weighted average; Modern oboe, pp and ff sound power averaged over the range, weighted by how often each pitch occurs in Beethoven's symphonies17 |
74-102 dB at 3 m, peak 116 dB, in the UK Sound Advice table of representative noise levels (collated from several sources; weighting not stated). Read from search-result text, because the PDF text would not extract.15
Recording it
- Where: aimed at the finger holes, about a third of the way up from the bell; most of the sound comes from the tone holes, not the bell
- Distance: 15–20 cm close up; about 30 cm (1 ft) for a natural balance; farther in an orchestra
- Mics: an omni condenser; a cardioid or wide cardioid for more separation; avoid very directional mics
- Watch: key noise close up, and a honky zone around 1–1.5 kHz2,20,21
Mics
- 25 setups from 12 sources, 9 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.
- Schoeps MK 4 2 sourcesSpot, contact
- DPA 4006A 2 sources, all from mic makersClose
- DPA 4011A 2 sources, all from mic makersClose, spot
All the mics sources name, by setting and role (12)
Studio
Close
- Audio-Technica AT40471 source
- Audio-Technica AT40601 source
- DPA 4006A1 source from its own maker
- DPA 4011A1 source from its own maker
- DPA 4015A1 source from its own maker
- Shure SM571 source
- Shure SM581 source
Spaced pair
The 18 setups behind this: placement and quotes
- Close Shure SM58close, about 20 mm from the first open tone hole (OP's trial)
An SM58 also does the job for pros. (Pete Thomas)
1 - Close ribbon microphoneclose, placement not given
A ribbon mic would probably be standard, and yes, they deal with higher frequencies well. (Pete Effamy)
1 - Distant microphonedistant, about the same distance from the mic as the length of the instrument
Basic rule of thumb is distance from mic being about the same is length of instrument. (Pete Thomas)
1 - Close DPA 4006Aclose, 15-20 cm at the finger holes
Aim the mic at the fingering holes, 1/3 of the length up from the bell, at a distance of 15-20 cm.
2 - Close DPA 4011Aclose or spot, for separation
Cardioid 4011A/4011C and wide cardioid 4015A/4015C listed as options (list of models).
2 - Close DPA 4015Aclose or spot
Wide cardioid 4015A/4015C listed as an option for oboe (list of models).
2 - Close 2 × condenser, omnidirectional or spaced pairensemble: between two oboe players, head height, aimed down
Place the microphone between two oboe players at head height, pointing straight down at the floor, which should not be carpeted.
2 - Close Audio-Technica AT4047close, on a boom above the oboe and angled parallel to it, about 2 feet from the middle of the instrument; back off another foot in a good room; aim lower if breath noise
the 4047 on a boom stand set up so that the mic is above and angled parallel to the oboe about 2 feet away ... the most natural sound is gotten from mic positions that capture the whole body, not just the bell. (littledog)
3 - Close Audio-Technica AT4047close, about 12-16 inches from the bell, tracked together with an SM57 placed right above it
You might place BOTH mics about 12-16" from the TWO bells, one right above the other. (knightfly)
3 - Close Shure SM57close, about 12-16 inches from the bell, right above the AT4047
the peak in the 57 just might be the cutting tool that makes the track. (knightfly)
3 - Close Audio-Technica AT4060close, placement not given
excellent results with an AT4060 (littledog, paraphrase)
3 - Spot small-diaphragm condenser (type only)spot, 24 in out, aimed at the centre between the hands
Small-diaphragm condenser mic 24 inches out from the instrument pointing at the centre.
4 - Spot condenser (clarinet technique, type only)spot, as for clarinet
I mic them as I would a clarinet (oboe, English horn, bassoon). No model or distance given for oboe.
5 - Spot microphonespot, one mic between the two oboe players
the oboes had a microphone between the two of them
6 - Spot 2 × Schoeps MK 4spot, one mic per woodwind section, mixed in low under the main pair
do each section of the woodwinds on a separate mic ... Schoeps MK4 cardioid spot mics for the woodwind
7 - Spot cardioid condenserspot, on the oboes
Spot microphones in cardioid or wide cardioid ... oboes (paraphrase of the spot-mic list)
8 - Spot Woodwinds advice Royer ribbon microphonespot, close mics on the woodwinds
Royer ribbon mics on the woodwinds and low brass
9 - 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
6
On stage
Clip-on
- DPA 4099 CORE+1 source from its own maker
- Shure PGA98H1 source from its own maker
- Shure SM1371 source from its own maker
Spot
- Sennheiser MD 4211 source
The 4 setups behind this: placement and quotes
- Clip-on DPA 4099 CORE+clip-on, near the bell, aimed at the keys
Place near the bell but pointing towards the keys instead, to blend bell and tone hole sounds (paraphrase).
2 - Spot Sennheiser MD 421spot, one mic between the first two oboe players
Colby places a Sennheiser 421 between the first two players of each woodwind type-flutes, clarinets, oboes, bassoons
10 - Clip-on Shure PGA98Hclip-on, live
PGA98H and SM137 listed for woodwind instruments including oboe (guide lists by family; paraphrase).
11 - Clip-on Shure SM137close or clip-on, live
PGA98H and SM137 listed for woodwind instruments including oboe (guide lists by family; paraphrase).
11
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".
12 - 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".
12 - 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.
11
Advised against
- Close Shure SM58close, in front of the oboe in a studio
no engineer in their right mind would put an SM58 in front of an oboe. (Pete Effamy)
1 - Close microphoneclose, too close to the bell
Beware too close to the bell - look up Proximity Effect. (Pete Effamy)
1 - Close AKG C1000Sclose, on oboe
I would stay away from the C-1000's for this - noise, sibilance, not a good combo with oboes. (knightfly)
3
Sources
- Cafe Saxophone forum: Recording an Oboe (2024)
- DPA Mic University: How to mic an oboe
- HomeRecording.com forum: Recording an oboe?? (2002)
- Production Expert: Free woodwind and sax recording techniques (2020)
- Recording Magazine: Miking Brass and Winds
- Sound On Sound: Jake Jackson: Recording The 2012 Olympic Anthems
- Sound On Sound: Richard King, How To Record Acoustic Ensembles
- SoundGirls: Recording an Orchestra
- Mix: The Changing Landscape of Orchestral Recording (engineer Steve Smith, Music Works Studios)
- Mix: Sound Reinforcement for the Boston Pops: Miking the Orchestra (BSO live mix engineer Steve Colby)
- Shure: How to Choose the Best Mics for Brass, Wind, and String Instruments
- DPA Mic University: How to mic a flute or recorder
- Vienna Symphonic Library Academy: Oboe
- SHARC Timbre Database v2 (Gregory Sandell): harmonic analyses of McGill University Master Samples
- Representative noise levels table with orchestra noise guidance (UK Sound Advice material)
- Decibel (Loudness) Comparison Chart, hearingconservation.org
- JASA: Sound power and timbre as cues for the dynamic strength of orchestral instruments (Weinzierl, Lepa, Schultz, Detzner, von Coler, Behler)
- JOSE: Evaluation of Sound Exposure and Risk of Hearing Impairment in Orchestral Musicians (Pawlaczyk-Luszczynska, Dudarewicz, Zamojska, Sliwinska-Kowalska)
- Sound On Sound: Q. How do I mike up woodwind instruments? (Hugh Robjohns, Nov 2003)
- Shure: Microphone Techniques for Live Sound Reinforcement
- Sengpielaudio: Formanten prägen die Klangfarbe (instrument formant table after P. H. Mertens, 1975)