Drums
Although the N22 works well for traditional ribbon mic placement
techniques like overheads or room mics, it is particularly well-suited for
more close-up applications like drum overheads or even as a close mic
on individual drums. Try it on a snare drum or a tom and the N22 really
brings some character to the table that will be hard to find in an SM57.
Use the null plane of the figure-of-8 to reject the hihat. If you have a
drummer that plays very well balanced (
yes, this might be rare
), position
the N22 so that its back side picks up the hihat as well.
Piano
The N22 delivers a great sound as a close-up mic on both upright and
grand pianos. On an upright piano we have found two positions to be
particularly useful.
1. Spaced pair of N22s looking at the hammers in the front. You will
need to remove the front cover of the upright piano. This position will
yield a very natural, hi-fi sound.
2. Blumlein pair (coincident pair at 90 degree angle) of N22s positioned
behind the piano. This position typically leads to a more colorful sound
that can work well in pop or indie rock genres.
On a grand piano, try a spaced pair of N22s inside the piano 6-10
inches (15-30 cm) above the strings. One microphone positioned near
the upper midrange of the piano, the other positioned towards the bass
strins (
you may need to adjust this depending on the part being played and
the piano
).
{
pRECAUTIONS
}
Most ribbon microphones need little, if any, maintenance. Given proper
care they last for decades. Bing Crosby’s personal RCA-44BX (now in
the collection of the Pacific Pioneer Broadcasters in Hollywood) sounds
as good today as it did when he recorded his radio broadcasts in the
1940s.
A few simple precautions will help you to keep your AEA N22 working
well for life:
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