Instrument

Tubular bells

The thread mixes small desktop chimes with orchestral tubular bells, and one reply asks which are meant; only the moderator's comment is about orchestral tubes.¹

Also called tubular bells, chimes.

Range: C4–F5
Overtones to: about 3.6 kHz
Peaks up close: up to 118.2 dB SPL
Sources: 5 (5 independent)

Recommended mics

Mics sources recommend

13 setups from 5 sources, 5 of them independent of any mic maker. Each mic shows how many sources name it for that role, and how many of those are independent. Listed alphabetically: there is no ranking.

Studio

Overhead

Rode TF51 independent source
large-diaphragm condenser pair (type only)1 independent source

Close

Neumann KM 1841 independent source
close microphone1 independent source
stereo pair (type not named)1 independent source

Distant

AKG C4141 independent source
Microtech Gefell M2211 independent source

Main pair or array

Microtech Gefell M9401 independent source
Neumann U 871 independent source
Samar Audio Design VL373A1 independent source
main microphones (type not named)2 independent sources

The 13 setups behind this: placement and quotes

Overhead 2 × large-diaphragm condenser pair (type only)
stereo pair at distance, as for drum overheads
Distance is your friend; use a pair of LDC mics in stereo, like a set of overheads on a drum kit (paraphrase)¹
Close 2 × stereo pair (type not named)
tubular bells: a pair set back over the player's shoulders; drop the input gain 10-20 dB, as transients trick meters
I'd set a pair back over the players shoulders from left and right; knock the input gain down at least 10 (paraphrase)¹
Close Neumann KM 184
close, close mics (positions not described further)
Close Mics- Neumann KM 184's²
Distant AKG C414
distant, 'far' mics
Far Mics- AKG C414's²
Main pair or array Neumann U 87
room, 'balcony' mics
Balcony Mics- Neumann U87s²
Main pair or array main microphones (type not named)
main, mics where the conductor would normally stand (tubular bells/chimes among the instruments)
The mics were positioned where the conductor would normally stand, which means the hall's acoustic is discernible³
Overhead 2 × Rode TF5
pair, close: a pair of TF5s as overheads for the attacks (no distance given)
Up close, a pair of Rode TF5 overheads provide unmatched articulation and detail to the attacks.⁴
Distant 2 × Microtech Gefell M221
pair, mid distance: measurement omnis (no distance given)
At mid distance, legendary Microtech Gefell M221 measurement omnis capture the perfect blend of body and detail⁴
Main pair or array Microtech Gefell M940
main, supercardioid LDCs as main mics
For main mics, choose between the focused, ultra-low noise Microtech Gefell M940 supercardioid LDC's⁴
Main pair or array Samar Audio Design VL373A
main, alternative stereo ribbon main mic
the relaxed sound of the Samar Audio Design VL373A stereo active ribbon mic⁴
Close close microphone
close, mono close mic
Close Mic - Mono⁵
Close 2 × mid-layer pair
pair, stereo mid-layer mic
Mid Layer Mic - Stereo (L/R)⁵
Main pair or array 3 × Decca tree
main, Decca tree as main/room mic
Main/Room Mic - Decca Tree Stereo (L/R) ... Decca Tree Mono (Center)⁵

Advised against

Close close mic (any type)
close mic on chimes gave "terrible results"; shrill white noise (poster's own attempt)
I've tried close mic'ing (terrible results) and various distance mic'ing... chimes end up sounding like a shrill white noise (paraphrase)¹

Range

C4 to F5⁶262 Hz – 698 Hz

Standard 1.5 octaves (18 tubes); 2-octave F3-F5 and 2 1/3-octave Eb3-G5 sets exist. The pitch named is the strike note (VSL).

Whole range	C4–F5	metallic strike, long humming decay

Tuning: Strike note tuned to equal temperament; the heard pitch is inferred from modes 4, 5 and 6 near 2:3:4.^6,7

Overtones reach about 3.6 kHz (the highest harmonic within 40 dB of the strongest, at a moderate level; louder playing reaches higher).

2 octave, 25 tubes: VSL.⁶
2 1/3 octave philharmonic, 29 tubes: VSL.⁶
1.6 octave (professional, to G5): Wikipedia ('some professional models reach G5'); Adams BK5216 lists 1.6 octaves as C5-G6 in its octave naming.^7,8
Adams chimes as named by Adams: Adams Philharmonic BK5203 and Standard BK2201 list '1.5 octaves (C5-F6)'. This is the same instrument as C4-F5 named an octave higher, the naming difference Wikipedia mentions; kept as given.^8,9
Adams bass extension BK5200 (as named by Adams): 0.5 octave add-on; Wikipedia captions the Adams bass chimes as F3-B3, again an octave apart.^8,7

The sound

The tube's bending modes 4, 5 and 6 fall near 2:3:4, so the ear hears a pitch an octave below mode 4 (the strike note) even though nothing sounds there.

Recording it

Where: 1–2 m away, at about the height of the top caps where the tubes are struck; a single close mic catches only part of a tube

Good to know

Strike note: the pitch you hear has no energy of its own; the ear infers it from partials near 2, 3 and 4 times it^11,12

How loud

Sound pressure level measurements as published. Different kinds of figure (a playing level, a peak, a dose at the player's ear) can't be compared with each other, and neither can figures at different distances.

Peaks
118.2 dB	at the player's head position; Tubular bells (Premier), played by a percussion student in an individual practice session in a practice room of the F. Chopin Academy of Music, Warsaw; 1/4-in B&K 4135 mic on a tripod at the position of the musician's head; 120 s music selection¹⁰
Player's exposure (dosimeter)
99.4 dB	at the player's head position (tripod mic near the instrument); Tubular bells (Premier), played by a percussion student in an individual practice session in a practice room of the F. Chopin Academy of Music, Warsaw; 1/4-in B&K 4135 mic on a tripod at the position of the musician's head; 120 s music selection¹⁰

Nothing found. The existing entry says "1-2 m away at the height of the top caps"; no source found for or against it.

Sources

HomeRecording.com forum: What is a good way to record chimes? (2023)forum · homerecording.com
Pianobook: Hunter's Percussion - Orchestral (concert chimes; hunter rogerson), recording rigengineer · pianobook.co.uk
Sound On Sound: London Orchestral Percussion review (Dave Stewart, Oct 2002)magazine · soundonsound.com
Versilian Studios: Tubular Bells II sample library, mic positionsengineer · versilian-studios.com
Vienna Symphonic Library: Synchron Bells I (tubular bells, Synchron Stage A)engineer · vsl.co.at
Vienna Symphonic Library Academy: Tubular bellseducational · vsl.co.at
Wikipedia: Tubular bellsreference · en.wikipedia.org
Adams: Philharmonic series chimes (specifications)manufacturer · adams-music.com
Adams: Standard series chimes (specifications)manufacturer · adams-music.com
Archives of Acoustics: Jaroszewski, Rogowski, Rakowski, Sound pressure levels in emission of percussion instruments during training sessions (25(3), 283-289)A. Jaroszewski, P. Rogowski, A. Rakowski · academic · 2000 · acoustics.ippt.gov.pl
Fletcher and Rossing: The Physics of Musical Instruments, 2nd editionacademic · 1998 · doi.org
VS Chamber Orchestra 2: Community Edition sample library (Versilian Studios), CC0; own FFT analysisgithub.com