In the discussion about microphone placement, the focus is on exploring the pickup method of close range microphones. The microphone is only a few inches away from the sound source, and the pickup of up close microphones naturally emphasizes direct sound while downplaying the components of reflected sound in the ambient room. This method can pick up very rich sound without picking up the leakage sound of other instruments, which is very ideal in this regard. Paired with appropriate polar microphones, this method is largely unaffected by room sound staining, making it easier for multiple takes of the same instrument to match each other. Stereo recording of individual instrument tracks is also very suitable for using close range pickup methods, as it can increase the sense of separation.

Extending the distance between the microphone and the sound source to 10 inches to 12 inches or longer will add more ambient sound and enhance the depth of the sound. It can also obtain the natural compression of sound, as this pickup method preserves less sound dynamics. Many times, both close range and long-distance pickup methods are used simultaneously to obtain more sound timbre and more balanced ambient sound. However, picking up a single sound source from two or more microphones also has drawbacks, as it may result in phase cancellation. Because of this, most recording engineers adopt the 3-1 principle, which adjusts the distance between the farthest pickup microphone and the sound source to approximately three times the distance between the closest pickup microphone and the sound source. And if the close-up microphone is only 1 to 2 inches away from the sound source, the 3-1 principle will slightly change to the 4-1 principle.

Note that if they are moved even at very small distances, most close range pickup microphones will pick up completely different sounds. For high sensitivity condenser microphones, this is particularly true. When you move the microphone further away from the sound source, these variables are not so obvious.

Another characteristic of picking up sound in ultra close range microphones is the proximity effect. This effect only occurs at a distance of approximately 2 inches. When the sound source and microphone diaphragm are kept at 1 or 2 inches, picking up with a directional microphone will improve the low-frequency response of the sound. Many experienced singers use this method as a natural dynamic EQ regulator, which increases the fullness of their voice. This method can also add bangs to guitar and bass tracks. However, this effect very disadvantageously incorporates low-frequency breathing sounds and can cause vocal bursts, such as p or b, which requires you to use a bang filter to eliminate them.

Drum pickup

There are many ways to pick up drum sounds. You can use only one pair of elevated microphones to pick up sound, or you can place one or two microphones on each individual drum instrument of the drum stand to pick up sound. No matter how finely you arrange the microphone for picking up drums, you still need to keep a golden rule in mind: drums must be treated as a whole, not simply the sum of various parts. That is to say, using an elevated microphone to pick up drums must always be your priority method of use, and using each microphone that picks up individual drum instruments as a "close-up shot". Indeed, close range microphones can reduce certain frequencies, making the starting waveform sharper and focusing on the sound of a single drum instrument on the drum stand. I will share my suggestions with you below. (I assume you don't want to be affected by microphone leakage sound and would like to have a more isolated drum track for future mixing.)

Place a large diaphragm dynamic microphone inside the drum, a few inches away from the drum surface, and slightly angle the microphone towards the drummer.

If you want the drum sound to be more intriguing and with minimal clicking, you can pull the microphone back a few inches and place it in the middle of the drum surface. I like the Audio Technica AE2500 ($699), a dual unit heart-shaped instrument microphone that combines capacitors and dynamic components to pick up true low-frequency sound and has high sensitivity. When picking up hip-hop or jazz loops that are too flat and quirky, I use a large orchestra bass drum and place it together with the bottom drum to get more low-frequency sound.

You can also try placing an additional tube microphone approximately 12 to 14 inches in front of the bottom drum surface to enhance the sound picked up by your up close range microphone. Of course, this method may be affected by the sound leaked from other drum instruments on the stand, so you need to build a drum house about 4 to 5 feet long, isolating the microphone for picking up the bottom drum from the sound of cymbals and snare drums.

The small military drum, I like to use the Shure SM57 to pick up its sound and place it about 1 to 2 feet away from its edge, facing the center of the drum surface. For cymbals, in addition to placing an off-axis microphone, try placing a blanket filling of approximately 6 * 6 inches behind it to isolate its sound from the cymbal. So how to place the bottom microphone? I like to place the condenser microphone closer to the snare drum (2 to 3 inches), with its back facing the snare drum, and choose a heart-shaped microphone to reduce the sound leakage from the snare drum. Although many recording engineers only use bottom microphones for drums, I prefer to use close range dynamic microphones to pick up the upper drums and condenser microphones to pick up the middle and bottom drums. Each microphone is facing the drum surface, approximately 2 to 3 inches away from the drum surface. You can use a dynamic microphone to pick up the sound of stepping on cymbals, but I prefer to use a cardioid condenser microphone and place it at a distance of 2 inches from the cymbal. Try adjusting the position of the microphone so that the cymbal creates a natural sound barrier between the microphone and the snare drum. The misunderstanding about elevated microphones is that they are only used to pick up the sound of cymbals. In fact, they can pick up the entire drum sound from there, and they can also pick up a certain amount of ambient sound. The elevated microphone picks up the entire drum sound, so you need to use your best studio condenser microphone as the elevated microphone and use the best preamplifier.

Electric guitar pickup

In modern music production styles, there are many ways to pick up the sound of electric guitar speakers. Although the most reliable method is to use reliable dynamic microphones, such as the Shure SM57, now many condenser microphones, even ribbon microphones, can withstand such high sound pressure levels!

The classic placement method is to place the dynamic microphone very close to the speaker, aiming the microphone directly at its center position to obtain the maximum amount of high-frequency "British style" creaking sound. When placed at a slight angle with the speaker, a warmer sound can be obtained, and most recording engineers agree that the pickup position of an electric guitar is at the point where the speaker paper bowl and dome come into contact. The sound picked up by this close range pickup method sounds like it's on your face. Move the microphone closer to the speaker grille, you can try several times to find the distance between the microphone and the speaker, and use the proximity effect to obtain a stronger low-frequency response; You can get weaker low frequencies by moving the microphone further away from the speaker; Or angle the microphone and speaker at a larger angle to reduce high frequencies; You can also aim the microphone at the edge of the speaker to get a more sluggish sound. To add more ambient sound to the instrument sound you pick up, you can change the polarity of the microphone by replacing the cardioid microphone with a non directional microphone. Using a heart-shaped microphone and placing it 1 to 2 feet away from the speaker is more likely to pick up a cleaner guitar sound.

If you want a fuller and more intense "American" sound, you can try using both condenser microphones and dynamic microphones to pick up sound. Record multiple tracks and merge them into one track. If this method is combined with dual guitar speakers, it would be even better! You aim one microphone at the "emperor's position" on the edge of a speaker, align the other microphone off axis with the other speaker, and merge the two tracks. This method combines the distortion and warmth of creaking sound and sound together. When using this method, it is important to remember to keep the distance between the two microphones and speakers consistent for better phase integration.

Another widely used method is to place one microphone behind the speaker and another microphone in front of the speaker, which picks up sounds similar to those heard in a taxi. Unless your recording studio has a very good acoustic design, you must use heart-shaped microphones, align them with each other, and make the polarity of the back microphone opposite to that of the front microphone.

Wooden guitar pickup

Usually, small diaphragm non directional condenser microphones are very suitable for picking up the sound of pure acoustic instruments because they have excellent high-frequency ductility and smoothness, are not sensitive to proximity effects, and do not have off-axis staining effects. But many recording engineers also use dynamic microphones to pick up. If your recording studio is average, it's also okay to use higher quality cardioid condenser microphones, preferably tubular or ribbon microphones.

If picking up a wooden guitar, the microphone position is very important, and you should try to avoid picking up excessive reverberation of the guitar sound as much as possible. Although the sound of a wooden guitar mainly comes from the sound hole, its tone is also influenced by the reverberation of the guitar board. So, I usually try to pick up a guitar with a more balanced sound between the wooden body, strings, sound holes, and ambient sound.

If using a single microphone for pickup, place the small or large diaphragm condenser microphone on the most classic 12th column, align the microphone diaphragm with the neck, and adjust the polarity of the microphone to a heart-shaped shape to reduce the resonant sound produced by the pickup hole. This is the most common placement method because it prevents standing waves and captures the sound of the entire instrument, rather than just picking up the sound from the sound hole. If you have picked up too many guitarist breaths and wheezing sounds, you can try placing the microphone above the low E string and tilting it downwards, but still aiming it at the angle of the neck.

Regarding the distance between the microphone and guitar, you can try placing the microphone 15 to 16 inches away from the guitar to pick up a more cohesive sound, as at this distance, the guitar's direct and reflected sound components are well balanced, even in less than ideal recording rooms. Close range pickup -1 foot or closer - will enhance the mid to high frequency components and make the sound more crisp, which is very suitable for popular music.

As a general rule, the closer you place the microphone to the neck, the lower the bass component of the sound, and the softer the beginning of the sound. If you place the microphone closer to the piano horse, the sound will be warmer and fuller without feeling bulky, and the sound will be brighter and more crisp.

Another method is to place the pickup microphone above in front of the sound hole, slightly at an angle with the guitar, and align it with the direction of the piano horse; Place another condenser microphone in the position aligned with the middle column plate (approximately the sixth column) to pick up the noise emitted by the strings. (Of course, both microphones should be pointed towards the heart shape). After the pickup is completed, you can use these two picked up tracks as stereo or merge them into one single channel. For more precise stereo recording, place two condenser microphones in the XY format so that their diaphragms are in the same position and at the same distance from the guitar. Finally, you can use a pair of separate microphones, with one placed on the guitarist's shoulder and the other 8 to 12 inches away from the middle of the neck. The advantage of using this method to pick up sound is that it is almost the same as what the guitarist hears while playing.

Regardless of the placement method of the microphone, the guitarist must remain stationary, otherwise the sound recorded by the microphone will be cloudy and unclear. Let me tell you an alternative solution for picking up sound. Try placing a small microphone inside the guitar to pick up sound.

String instrument, brass instrument pickup

String instruments, such as the violin, viola, and cello, all require a certain amount of space to make their sounds fuller and more reverberating. That's why you don't have to pick up their sound using close range pickup. Moreover, non directional microphones are very suitable for picking up long-range horn and chord instruments. The best way to pick up a small string ensemble is to place two heart-shaped microphones in the XY format and place them a few feet above the performer. To bring out the low-frequency end of the instrument, such as the cello and bass, using a large diaphragm condenser microphone is a good option. When picking up brass instruments at close range, you can place a dynamic microphone in front of the horn for clearer, sharper, high-frequency transient sound, or place it at a 45 degree angle to the horn mouth for warmer sound.

Picking up the piano requires a lot of skills, depending on the type of music. But you can directly draw on the techniques discussed above: close range pickup can produce brighter and less reverberating sounds, which is great for popular music; Mid range sound pickup will increase the room reflection sound, making the sound more full-bodied. Unless the acoustic design of your recording studio is very ideal, picking up the piano from a long distance is not very good, which can cause the piano sound to not be prominent enough. The simplest way to pick up sound with a microphone is to hang a small diaphragm condenser microphone on a shock-absorbing microphone stand, such as Atlas Sound air suspended SB series, and place it directly above the resonance board. Carefully adjust the angle of the microphone so that the front and back of the 8-shaped microphone are aligned with the high and low strings, resulting in a very full and balanced sound pickup. When you pick up sound at such close range, you don't have to worry about the type of microphone, so I usually use dynamic microphones to record bass strings and condenser microphones to record treble strings. Then, I can merge these two recorded tracks into one mono track or mimic them as keyboard sound.