Microphones
As Simple
Or as Complex
As You Want to Make Them
Do not give up easily, using amplification will double - triple
your opportunities to play because you are able to play in
almost environment and be heard well. My wife Alison trades
amplified sound for booth fees etc to play shows, fairs and
various public events where people can hear her playing. This
becomes a form of free advertising at selected target audiences.
If the public can hear you they will hire you. Sitting at
home waiting for the phone to ring just does not work as well
nor is as satisfying.
The Celtic harp music has roughly
the same audio range as the human voice and tends to disappear
amongst conversation. In effect you become moving wallpaper,
hence, the need for amplification almost anywhere with more
than a quiet audience of modest size. Amplification to larger
quiet audiences allows you to use the full dynamics of a harp
rather than having to force yourself, your repertoire and
the instrument for volume.
The best sound will usually
come from the more expensive microphones (condenser instrument
mics) but they can be more fragile, harder to find on eBay
or second hand, and most importantly they require either phantom
power or a battery. Phantom power requires 48 volts to come
from the sound system to power the microphone. Most church,
older and in house sound systems will not have this feature.
This means you have to bring along a special plug in adapter
to add 48v to your connection. Alternately get a battery powered
condenser microphone.
The next best sound comes from
a dynamic cardoid instrument microphone. These are literally
plug and play on any sound system that accepts a vocal microphone.
This can be your cheapest option. Avoid microphones from your
local stereo store. Use a proper instrument microphone.
The next best sound comes from
an internal microphone system clipped on the inside of the
harp’s sound box. These systems can give reasonably
good sound but can be prone to feedback and difficult to place
for an accurate well represented range of the harps sound.
The next best sound comes from
a pickup and a pickup preamp. This works well in noisy environments
but does not necessarily have the sound detail of a microphone.
We use all of the above
in different situations with Alison's Celtic harps because
no single solution works universally. In concerts with
our own sound system we use 2 condensers per harp and
in very noisy trade shows we tend towards pickups and
dynamic mics. On foreign sound systems we bring all
options and depending on the ability of the sound engineer
and on the quality of the gear and sound we choose accordingly.
What follows is an amalgam
of links (in my preferred order). The microphones/ transducers
linked are the products I know will do the job well. Use them
as a starting point as there are other microphones that work
too. And Remember, you get what you pay for in the sound world.
Good deals can be had on eBay for name brand mics if you do
your homework.
Different types of mics explained
What
Microphones do I Get?
Audio
Technica Microphone Users Guide
Microphones Condenser
Audio
Technica AT4041
Audio
Technica AT3031
ADK A 51s
Rode
NT3
AKG
C1000S
Microphones Dynamic
Sennheiser
MD421/MD441
Shure
SM57
Shure
Beta 57a
Microphones Inside Harp
Dusty
Strings Harp mic
Pickups
Alfredo
Ortiz Barcus Berry Folk Transducer
LR
Baggs Para Acoustic DI
Reese
Harp Pickup
Pickup
The World #30
McIntyre
Pickup
Barcus
Berry Planar Pickup
Mics Vocal
AKG
Elle C
Shure
Beta58a
Shure
SM58
eMail
me with your favourite links you think should be added to
this list.
Remember, the best mic for
you is the one that sounds the best when you listen to it
while someone else is playing your harp. Audition, audition,
audition.
I will add your knowledge
and experience to the “mix” if it can add
to the effectiveness of these articles. The rest of
the Celtic Harp Amplification Series is available here.
Stephen Vardy
Harpsound
Audio
[email protected]
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