1. Spaced pair of N8s looking at the hammers in the front. You will need
to remove the front cover of the grand piano. This position will yield a
very natural, hi-fi sound. It is common to pull the mics further out of the
piano then you would with a pair of condensers. You can change the
amount of natural room reverb by changing the distance between the
mics and piano.
2. Blumlein pair (coincident pair at 90 degree angle) of N8s positioned
on the side of the piano facing the player: one microphone pointing
towards the treble side of the piano, and the other microphone facing
towards the bass side that can result in a larger than life recording.
Electric Guitar and Bass
The N8 can handle very high sound pressure levels allowing you to
place it close to amplifiers. Watch out for wind blasts, percussive
players, and very loud bass cabinets that push air. The N8 has the least
amount of protection in it for a more open sound which means you
should be extra careful to avoid sudden blasts of wind.
Identify where the center of the speaker cone is located and place the
N8 a few inches away from the speaker pointing right at its center for
a very direct, “in-your-face” sound. This is the spot where you will get
the most high-frequency content. If it sounds too harsh, try moving the
microphone slightly off center of the speaker cone. You can also try
positioning the N8 at an angle. You will find that small differences in
positioning can make huge differences in the sound, so experiment until
you find the spot you like.
The N8 has much more proximity effect than the nearfield N22. This
can be an advantage when trying to thicken up a thin or tinny sounding
guitar.
For a more natural sound that captures the sound of the amp in your
room, try backing the microphone up a couple of feet.
{
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.
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