Mic' ng Reed Insturments

Where does the sound come from in a read instrument? The bell right? Most people would assume that placing the microphone right at the bell of a reed instrument is a great idea but in all actuality it usually results in a very harsh sound. Much of the instruments character comes from the tone holes themselves. So in the case of say a clarinet, you would want to get both the timber of the belle and the tone holes. You could do this with two microphones for more control at the console but you may not have that luxury. A single microphone in front of the bell but off to the side were it also catches the tone holes does the job quite nicely. Adjust placement for your own taste and your room's acoustics. For direct single instrument close-mic sound you'll want to be perhaps 6 inches away with a unidirectional condenser or dynamic microphone. You can certainly pick up two instruments with one mic by moving it back a bit and placing it between the instruments equally. I have also had good results with a lavaliere mic around the bell.

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