micing/recording the... bagpipes

[hummingbird]

Well, I dinna know how it happened, but I got a piper coming over this weekend to record a dirge or two (and I wonder why my family thinks I'm flakey) and I have no idea how to record the wee noisy instrument. Other than turning down the mic input & wearing ear plugs, that is.I have, on hand... Shure SM57 Apex 435Apex 180Neumann TLM103any idea which mic would be best for this?Hummin'bird

[jewelwing]

Earplugs?! I LOVE a good bagpipe. (Especially in Celtic Rock!) And the first live bagpiper I ever heard was in BC. Unfortunately, I can't answer your mic question, because I don't have/use any of the same mics you do. When in doubt, use several, with plenty of room space. And as I'm sure you know, inputting with appropriate compression/limiting etc. might be necessary (sometimes needed for celtic whistles, too, which I'm using on the dirges - hey, they're a kind of pipe, too).A thought on the drones: in general application, sometimes drones sound good, and sometimes a piece sounds better without the drone on the bagpipe. Even though a dirge will probably need to have a drone, it wouldn't hurt to have the piper give you one take without the drone (if the piper can do that), as a backup plan. (I've probably used my Plan B backup plan live recordings as often as my Plan As; sometimes mixing becomes problem-solving.)Have fun!

[jh]

Hi Hummingbird,I would put one mic in front of the player, several inches (maybe even a foot or two) above (and angled down)(I´d use Neumann). If you have time to experiment, try placing the mic stand a little right or left and do some test recordings to hear which spot would sound the best. Then I´d put the next mic back about 5 feet pointing to the bagpipe (Apex 435). If you still have pre-amps and inputs left (and mic stands) then I would place the Apex 180 closely facing the wall, that picks up the reflections. I´ve never recorded a bagpipe though, but this "system" worked beautifully on violin. One really great engineer explained this to me so I´m just passing it on Here´s a link to his site btw. http://www.bruceamiller.us/ I hope this helps - JH

[hummingbird]

hi - thanks for those thoughts. The Neumann worked very well, but I had it at least 5 feet away (and turn the input down)... and yes, I had to wear ear plugs cause I have this little room - ouch. I thought it sounded warm & sweet on the recording when we were done. Now I have to go listen to some silence H

[sgs4u]

Was your piper named Joe MacDonald, per chance?Why do pipers usually march around while they play?It's harder to hit a moving target.

[hummingbird]

Quote:Was your piper named Joe MacDonald, per chance?Why do pipers usually march around while they play?It's harder to hit a moving target.No, but he was a Stewart He couldn't march much in my little living room/voice studio/recording studio/tv room/computer room. He did tap his foot with the beat so I had to ask him to tone it down when recording (not that you could hear yourself think).H

[mazz]

I thought pipers marched when they played because they were trying to get away from the noise!!

[crs7string]

I played agig a few years ago with a cellist who told me about playing a gig with a piper.The cellist told me that the piper was able to tune his pipes before they started playing!!That has to be one of the biggest kept secrets in the entire world of music Chuck

[malcolmdunn]

Just for the record, in case anyone else is faced with recording bagpipes, the method advocated by JH above is ill-informed. Placing a mic above and close to the instrument (which does work for fiddles) could easily overload a condensor mic like a neumann. The highland “great” pipes are more of a weapon of war than a musical instrument and the SPL level they kick out can exceed the threshold of pain in a confined space. Hummingbird was well advised to wear earplugs.The best way to record the pipes is outdoors on a Scottish hillside - preferably with you indoors in a highland hostelry with a glass of single malt. Failing that keep the mic as far away as possible and point it at the chanter. The single malt whisky works in any size of room.

[jewelwing]

If no Scottish hillside is available, a hillside golf course can be substituted. A beverage facility is usually nearby, with the necessary libations and power outlets.