I forgot I did that, can't think of what I was thinking. I'm glad the video helped you out a bit. I've stopped operating a commercial facility, these days I just stick a field recorder in front of the harp and edit it on a laptop. Seems to work for most things, although while the field recorders that are commercially available are quite good, I'd certainly recommend experimenting with EQ to get a suitable sound for what you are after and to be wary of the hiss those things create and look at some way to gate it out.
I'm glad you got something from the video. Both options are ok. I usually record in mono if I am going to put the harp in a mix with other instruments as I find it easy to place. Solo I usually record in stereo. If you record in stereo be careful to avoid phase cancellation issues (other people have videos on this). There are plug ins to assist in phase cancellation issues if you are recording with a DAW or often a phase inversion button if you are going through a mixing desk. In the end it is all subjective like most other things about recording, there is no definitive "right" way, trust your ears to get the sound you like the best.
Its all you need to get started, although the Samsons that I have heard tend to be a bit noisy (hissy).. I don't know what type of set you have but there is plenty of advice about if you google removing hiss from recordings. experiment with mic placement to get a sound you like. About 3 feet in front of the harp, pointed say a third up the soundboard might be a good place to start.
I am looking to mic a harp outdoors primarly for weddings. Any suggestions on how to do this and which mic to use. Is mic-ing the interior of the harp an option to eliminate backgroud noise or is the sound quality lost? Also, I am on a very tight budged.
***** Cheapest option is to get a dynamic microphone, stick it in the back of the harp. You should be able to wedge it somehow in the bottom so it doesn't roll around. Something like a Shure PG48 will do it. Use the EQ on your PA or amplifier to change anything you don't like. A dynamic mic only pics up what is in the immediate vicinity so you won't get any background noise. Mic and cable should cost you less than $100. Less than $50 if you shop carefully. I use this method with a Shure sm57 with one of my harps and it works fine. Doesn't have to be a Shure any decent dynamic will do it. The thing you need to be worried about is keeping the instrument out of this wind.
i wonder if you can help, i have a pencil condenser connected up to the comp and i record using audacity. the results are stupidly quiet and when i amp it there is a heavy electronic hiss .....ive tried using different mics but all the same! where am i going wrong
Hi Sarah, thanks for watching, I'm glad you enjoyed it. To be honest with you I haven't done much streaming, but with what streaming I've done I"ve just used my phone inside a clamp on a cheap tripod and it seemed to work fine. You only sound as good as the weakest link in the chain of course, but if its something that people are going to only listen to once I'm not sure that it is particularly worth worrying about. Probably your delivery and your context are more important. If you want to go for higher end sound however, I'd go for a decent dynamic mic (ie SM57 or better). Stay away from condenser microphones because they will pick up a whole bunch of background noise in your environment that you may not want to be streamed (streamt?) and have that running into a laptop or PC that has a video card which supports live streaming. Hope this helps. Cheers Adam.
I believe the Spanish single roll of strings are more difficult to play than the triple rolls of strings,I wonder if the Harp is not one of the oldest music instruments?
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Condenser microphones don't work without "phantom power". This is a small power charge (usually 48v) supplied by a battery inside the microphone or down the microphone cable from your audio interface. For any microphone to work well you need an audio interface between the microphone and the computer. Plenty of various build qualities on ebay but remember you need phantom power on it to use the condenser. If that doesn't work email me at adam(at)adambharris(dot)com
