I am preparing to take my pipes into the studio and am interested in picking the brains of those who record whistle tracks. Any helpful hints to get a high quality track in a short a time as possible? Things like distances from mikes, what mikes work better than others dynamic or condenser, effects and so on. The style of music is ambient but tempos and dynamic will vary. Other instruments that will be used are acoustic drums, ethnic percussion, synth, organ, piano, electric and acoustic bass, six and twelve string acoustic and electric guitar, mandolin, harmonica and violin. What instruments record well with the whistle and what ones don’t.
So in general I’m looking for production hints as I’m old hat with the other instruments but I’m a rooky with the whistle in the studio. Ideas?
I get good results with a good quality condenser mic. I like one that is fairly directional but not too much so. I like to stand back about a foot to 18 inches and for the mic to be picking up signals from the whole length of the whistle.
I can’t really think of an instrument as such that the whistle doesn’t go with. If it has competition up in the soprano range, you might want to Eq and pan differently to get good clear separation. Also, if you find a big difference in volume between first and second octaves, Eq should be able to help even that out. This isn’t a problem I’ve had in the studio either with solo whistle or with whistle used for background texture, but it clearly has been a problem on some records and is a problem on stage for some people.
For ambient music I imagine you will be using quite a bit of reverb. I don’t use nearly as much as some people do, but that is my taste. I aim to restore digitally the accoustics you’d have in a good room but which you eliminate to get a faithful recording. I like reverb that isn’t noticed as such by the listener but rather as warmth. But I think most ambient musicians would go for much heavier reverb. You’ll know what you like when playing back, so this isn’t something you need commit to before mix-down.
It will be best to record with at least 2 microhpones. better 3.
2 should be the same and you should play underneath-between them, since you are moving while you are playing, you would like each mic to catch your whistle closer. It is also very hard to record without moving - allways tiring.
the 3rd mic can catch the whistle at a distance in the room.
Trip got to it before I did. I would suggest 2 microphones about 3 feet apart. Place yourself between them, and back far enough to produce the room sound you desire. If you are tracking alone, omni-directional mics will give a nice room sound - as long as you are recording in a good-sounding studio. If you are in a ‘normal’ room, cardiod mics are preferable. To do the job inexpensively, may I suggest Audio-Technica AT3035’s…A more expensive mic that works well with whistles is Shure’s KSM 32.
For the type of music you mention, you will probably be adding the proper room reverb. I suggest a reverb tail of about 3.5 seconds, with very little of it added to the mix…Cut the highs back on the reverb return…Another trick is to lag one of the two tracks 10-15 mS. This will add a ‘first-reflection’ component to the sound. All effects are, obviously, best used in moderation.
Exellent insights. I look forward to using these tips and will let you know how it turns out. I do plan on using pipes alot in my future recordings so these tips will have a genuine influince on my music and ministry. I really can’t thank you enough.
Here’s an old trick, but it might just work.
I’ve always used just a single mike but, if trying to get something in one take which goes all the way through the range of the instrument, turning away from the mike for the higher (some might say screechier) stuff has worked, for me, in the past.
Wow…What a nice way to end a hard day: Thank you for your kind comments, Jim. My studio would be honored to work with other acoustic bands in the Susquehanna Valley of PA.
