Re: when would you use a minature mic mounted directly on an instrument?

In article <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:

> i've been perusing the DPA site, and on their applications page (under
> microphone university), they often advocate the use of minature mics
> mounted right on the instrument, like at the bridge of a violin.

> it seems like such ultra-close micing
> would result in a really "IN YOUR FACE" kind of sound.  so, what's up
> with this?

Exactly that. When playing on stage with other instruments and monitor
speakers, by putting the microphone very close to the instrument, you
greatly reduce leakage of other sound into the instrument's channel,
as well as reduce the potential for feedback from the monitor
speakers. If you use a good mic like the DPAs, and are careful with
placement (it takes some experimentation and experience - you have to
listen) you can get a reasonably balanced instrument sound. But it
will never be the same sound as you'd get from a distance for two
reasons.

First, acoustic instruments radiate in all sorts of directions, each
with a somewhat different sound. They blend together in the air and
you get the mix that the instrument builder intended for you to hear
when you (or the microphone) get far enough away to hear that blend.
This is why moving a microphone a little can give a noticably
different tone from an istrument. The other reason is that as you get
further away from the instrument, you (and the mic) hear more of the
room reverberation, and that adds something to the sound that isn't
coming from the instrument.

Some orchestral recording sessions are now done using miniature mics
on individual instruments (and that'a a LOT of mics!), but those mics
are not used as the major pickup source in the mix as they would be in
a rock band. The main pickup is still with an more distant mic setup,
and the individual mics are used to help with the balance or to bring
a soloist a bit more up front if the player or conductor doesn't make
it happen.

> 
> also, for those of you who have used the little DPA 4060s, can those
> mics be used in normal studio applications at distances of 3-10 feet,
> like normal omnis, or do you start running into self noise issues due
> to the tiny capsule?


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