Miking up Harmonica

menamestom

I'm doing a bit of recording with a Harmonica player.  He has a decent sound through an old 50's harmonica mic and nice valve amp, specifically made for harp.  So think fat a nice chicago sound.

Has anybody had any experience miking up a harp amp like this?

I guess it's not that far from guitar so I could just stick a '57 in front at the edge of the cone, but just wondering if there's any convention or tricks that are sometimes used with Harp.

octatonic

Exactly what mic is he using on his harmonica?
If he is using something like a Green Bullet then you don't want to stick anything too crunchy in front of the amp, because the harp mic is doing that already.

I tend to use my AEA R84a if the harp mic is crunchy.
I use a U87 the rest of the time- substitute any LDC in its place- 1-2ft from the mic.
I wouldn't use a distorted electric guitar approach.

Consider mixing the harp acoustically too, not just through the amp.

menamestom

octatonic said:

Exactly what mic is he using on his harmonica?
If he is using something like a Green Bullet then you don't want to stick anything too crunchy in front of the amp, because the harp mic is doing that already.

I tend to use my AEA R84a if the harp mic is crunchy.
I use a U87 the rest of the time- substitute any LDC in its place- 1-2ft from the mic.
I wouldn't use a distorted electric guitar approach.

Consider mixing the harp acoustically too, not just through the amp.

I'm not sure of the exact mic, but it's definitely one that adds that classic crunch.

So do you mean an LDC 1-2ft from the amp?

We have an SE LDC at the room which is quite nice.

octatonic

menamestom said:

octatonic said:

Exactly what mic is he using on his harmonica?
If he is using something like a Green Bullet then you don't want to stick anything too crunchy in front of the amp, because the harp mic is doing that already.

I tend to use my AEA R84a if the harp mic is crunchy.
I use a U87 the rest of the time- substitute any LDC in its place- 1-2ft from the mic.
I wouldn't use a distorted electric guitar approach.

Consider mixing the harp acoustically too, not just through the amp.

I'm not sure of the exact mic, but it's definitely one that adds that classic crunch.

So do you mean an LDC 1-2ft from the amp?

We have an SE LDC at the room which is quite nice.

Depends on the room, but if in a good room I find harp needs a bit of distance.
If you have an untreated room then go closer, but careful about putting it too close.

EricTheWeary

https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/capturing-perfect-harmonica-recordings


Quite a long article, quick skim through does suggest micing the amp as you would for guitar although also having a parallel signal to mix back in. 

p90fool

The guy I normally play with has a very dirty amp sound, so I usually record him directly from his mic so I can decide how much to add later using amp sims. 

McSwaggerty

I use an Astatic JT30 through a small  Harpgear boutique Fender champ type amp....
I hold back a bit on the volume, to keep on the clean side of dirt... 
I Mike up the amp with a SM57.....