Essential Reeding

May 1, 2009 12:00 PM, By Myles Boisen

           
 

RECORDING SAXOPHONES AND OTHER REED INSTRUMENTS

All woodwind and brass players move off-mic a bit. Moderate compression is one way to help maintain a consistent mix level with a player who tends to move around. Two physical techniques I've practiced have also been helpful at keeping performers in place. First, put short strips of tape on the floor, in front of the toes of the shoes where it will be easily visible. Make sure your musicians literally toe the line after returning to the studio from a break or between takes. The second trick is to align a pop filter concentrically with the bell to give the performer a visual reminder of their ideal orientation relative to the mic.

Although saxes are less vulnerable than stringed instruments to changes in temperature and humidity, relative tuning throughout the range of the instrument can often be an issue. Sax players will often have to lip up or down to get certain notes in tune. Extreme dynamics can also produce variations in pitch that may escape the artist's attention in the heat of the moment.

Room Service

When it comes to the recording environment, woodwind musicians like to hear a lot of reflected sound coming back at them from reverberant surfaces in the room. This desire is often contrary to the engineer's preferences.

The majority of clarinet and double-reed players point the bell of their instruments toward the floor, as do many soprano saxophonists. For these instruments, a reflective flooring material — preferably hardwood — is advantageous. For curved saxophones, reflective walls or ceilings are best for reflecting bell sound back at the player. In an otherwise dead recording room, a sax player may prefer to play in front of a window or glossy-finished door to liven up their sound with some strong early reflections.

However, the sort of early reflections that make reed players smile can often vex engineers with phase cancellation, excess leakage, and other problems. The best room for recording reeds is one that has either a reflective floor or walls, but not both. Ideally the musician will be situated in the middle of the room, with no walls within at least 6 to 8 feet of the mic.

The worst sonic environment for woodwind musicians and recordists alike is the small, acoustically dead isolation booth. The low ceilings, carpeted floors and walls, small room size, and lack of high-frequency reflections are all negative factors for reed recording, especially for saxophones. If isolation of the instrument is a necessity, be prepared to mic as closely as possible.

Subtractive EQ around 300 to 450 Hz will help to minimize the boxy sound that characterizes most small booths. And added reverb will almost certainly be needed in the mix when recording in any kind of dry room. In this case, predelay and/or early reflections can be increased to make woodwinds sound more live without resorting to obvious long hall or church reverbs.

Besides sound bouncing off walls in a room, music stands can often introduce phase cancellation by directing a delayed waveform toward the microphone diaphragm. Out-of-phase reflections can be dealt with by changing the angle or height of the stand or by draping fabric over the stand.

Reed 'em and Smile

Despite all the potential pitfalls I have mentioned, great reed recordings are made every day. In addition to the tips offered here, you can find supplemental information in my article “Honk If You Love Horns” in the January 2000 issue and in the online bonus material at emusician.com.

Engineer Myles Boisen (mylesboisen.com) toots his own horn from Guerrilla Recording Studio/Headless Buddha Mastering Lab in Oakland, California.