Composition chart

Woodwind instruments

Instrument ranges: Piccolo, flute, oboe, cor anglais, clarinet, saxophone, bassoon.

View all the instruments.

General tips

  • Recording any woodwind instrument is very similar to recording vocals.
  • A distance of around 2 feet between the instrument and the mic should produce good results as long as the environment is suitable.
  • In order to yield the best results you should avoid having the musicians breath directly at the mic.
  • To avoid key noise, you should situate the mic slightly to one side of the instrument. Key noise is simply the noise made when the player presses the keys.
  • You should consider the flooring (environment) where you record because a reflective (wooden) surface will allow sound to bounce back up after exiting the bell of the instrument.
  • If you want to keep key noise to a minimum then aim the mic at the front edge of the bell (where the sound comes out).
  • Whether you opt for more key noise or not, the mic should be about a foot (12") away from the instrument.
  • Placing the mic directly in front of the bell will only pick up more wind noises.
  • Remember, it is important to use your ears and reposition the mic if you are unhappy with the recordings!

More specific tips

  • Clarinet....experiment with pointing the microphone toward the lowest key of the clarinet.
  • The higher pitched notes will cause more sound to be generated from the bell. As the pitch lowers, more sound will come from the area around the keys.
  • Flute......it may be beneficial to place a music stand between the musician's mouth and the microphone, with the rest of the flute in full view of the mic.
  • Sax...... microphone placement for the saxophone depends mainly on the amount of key noise you want.
  • If you feel that this clicking is an important quality of the instrument then it is ideal to direct the mic at the middle of the sax.
  • If you want to keep key noise to a minimum then aim the mic at the front edge of the bell (where the sound comes out).
  • Whether you opt for more key noise or not, the mic should be about a foot (12") away from the instrument.

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