Tuba
- Range
- D1–G4
- Overtones to
- about 1.2 kHz
- Peaks up close
- up to 128 dB SPL
- Sources
- 53 independent: not from a mic maker
Range
D1 to about G4636.7 Hz – 392 Hz
F bass tuba (VSL). Pedal notes lower. BB-flat and CC tubas reach about the same low notes; their top is usually lower.
| Low | D1–F2 | ponderous, soft-edged |
|---|---|---|
| Middle | F#2–F3 | very full; the most used |
| High | F#3–G4 | loud and powerful |
Overtones reach about 1.2 kHz (the highest harmonic within 40 dB of the strongest, at a moderate level; louder playing reaches higher)7.
Where the sound comes from
The sound
Wide bore: the first few harmonics carry most of the energy and little remains above about 1 kHz at moderate loudness.
Where the sound goes
The bell points up and is large (over 18 in on some BBb tubas), so where on the bell the mic sits matters: Ross compares it to miking a large speaker, centre or edge, square or angled. Thomann says the tuba has little above 2-3 kHz, so the upward direction matters less than for other brass.2,3
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 | |
|---|---|
| 60–111 dB(Z) | at 1 m; Tuba, derived from the TU Berlin sound power values estimate8 |
| Peaks | |
| 106–110 dB(A) | at the player; same study, LASmax (slow) per rehearsal or concert9 |
| 122–128 dB(C) | at the player; same study, LCpeak per rehearsal or concert9 |
| Dynamic range | |
| 51 dB(Z) | sound power, whole range; Tuba, Weinzierl et al. 2018, Table I estimate8 |
| Player's exposure (dosimeter) | |
| 87–91 dB(A) | at the player (meters on tripods with microphones close to the players); Polish opera and symphony orchestras, group rehearsals, concerts and performances; 5 samples9 |
| Sound power | |
| 113.1 dB | maximum sound power level Lw (re 1 pW), no distance; Sengpielaudio table of maximum possible sound power, row 'Basstuba' secondary10 |
| 71–122 dB(Z) | sound power level Lw (dB re 1 pW), not a sound pressure at a distance; Tuba, single notes over the whole range played as soft and as loud as possible, anechoic chamber TU Berlin, 32-mic spherical array8 |
The Sound Advice table lines I could read (oboe, piccolo, sax, trumpet) have no tuba row. The TU Berlin anechoic measurement gives 71-122 dB sound power for single notes pp to ff; Polish orchestra studies put tuba players at 87-91 dB(A), with C-weighted peaks of 122-128 dB.11
Recording it
- Where: the bell points up; a mic above the bell, or from the side for less air noise
- Distance: 30–60 cm (1–2 ft) from the bell; on-axis bright, off-axis natural
- Mics: a large-diaphragm condenser or a ribbon; in a brass section the section mics often suffice13,14
Estimate: Not found in the sources checked (general practice): Mics.
Mics
- 10 setups from 5 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.
- AKG D112 2 sourcesClose
All the mics sources name, by setting and role (8)
Studio
Close
- AKG D 1122 sources
- beyerdynamic M 881 source
- Neumann U 871 source
The 4 setups behind this: placement and quotes
- Close large-diaphragm or dynamic (type only)close, 2 ft above the bell, 15 degrees off axis
Position the mic about 2 feet over the top of the bell at about 15 degrees off axis of center.
1 - Close Neumann U 87 or AKG D 112 or beyerdynamic M 88close, 30-60 cm above the bell
I've had success with a Neumann U 87, an AKG D112, and a beyerdynamic M 88.
2 - Close bass-instrument and kick-drum mics; large-diaphragm condenserclose, one to two feet above the bell on a sturdy boom
The tuba records well with the same mics one would use to record upright bass, a bass guitar amp, or kick drum.
2 - Close AKG D 112close, about 0.5 m above the bell
The AKG D 112 for the lower frequency ranges; mic placed directly above the bell at about half a metre.
3
On stage
Clip-on
- Audix clip-on1 source
- DPA 4099 CORE+1 source from its own maker
- Shure BETA 98H/C1 source from its own maker
- Shure PGA98H-XLR1 source from its own maker
Close
- Shure SM1371 source from its own maker
The 6 setups behind this: placement and quotes
- Clip-on Shure BETA 98H/Cclip-on, live, 1-2 ft from the bell
BETA 98H/C, SM137 and PGA98H-XLR listed for brass; start 1 to 2 feet from the bell (guide lists by family; paraphrase).
4 - Close Shure SM137close, 1-2 ft from the bell
BETA 98H/C, SM137 and PGA98H-XLR listed for brass; start 1 to 2 feet from the bell (guide lists by family; paraphrase).
4 - Clip-on Audix clip-onclip-on, for low frequencies
The Audix clip-on is quite a sensible solution and custom-made for the lower frequency ranges.
3 - Clip-on Brass advice DPA 4099 CORE+clip-on for brass
4099 for instrument-mounted live use gives more isolation and gain before feedback than the omni (paraphrase).
5 - Clip-on Brass advice DPA 4099 CORE+clip-on for brass
The 4099 gives much more isolation and higher gain before feedback than the omni (paraphrase).
5 - Clip-on Brass advice Shure PGA98H-XLRclip-on, brass
A condenser optimised for brass, with horn clamp and in-line preamp (paraphrase).
4
Sources
- Bobby Owsinski: A Guide To Miking Brass Instruments (excerpt from The Recording Engineer's Handbook)
- Recording Magazine: Miking Brass and Winds
- Thomann Online Expert: Recording wind instruments, brass
- Shure: How to Choose the Best Mics for Brass, Wind, and String Instruments
- DPA Mic University: How to mic a trumpet and trombone
- Vienna Symphonic Library Academy: Bass tuba
- SHARC Timbre Database v2 (Gregory Sandell): harmonic analyses of McGill University Master Samples
- 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)
- Sengpielaudio (UdK Berlin): Stoerquelle - Musikinstrument? (maximum sound power of instruments)
- Representative noise levels table with orchestra noise guidance (UK Sound Advice material)
- Sound On Sound: Q. How do I record brass in the home studio?
- Shure: Microphone Techniques for Live Sound Reinforcement
- Sound On Sound: Recording Brass & Reeds