Mic Archive

Instrument

Bongos

Sources
6 (5 independent)

Recommended mics

Mics sources recommend

9 setups from 6 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

Top

  • dynamic mic (e.g. Shure SM57)1 independent source
  • omnidirectional mic1 independent source

Bottom

Close

The 8 setups behind this: placement and quotes
  • Top dynamic mic (e.g. Shure SM57)
    top, 18-24 in above the drums, slightly favouring the smaller drum
    Mic from 18 to 24 inches above the drums, slightly favoring the smaller drum; a dynamic like an SM57 gives midrange emphasis (paraphrase)1
  • Bottom Shure SM57
    bottom, from underneath when held between the legs, at least 6 in away, aimed slightly at the smaller drum
    mic from underneath with a dynamic mic at least 6 inches away, again aiming slightly toward the smaller drum (paraphrase)1
  • Top omnidirectional mic
    top, about a foot above them (mono)
    Put an omni about a foot above them (Harvey Gerst)2
  • Close Royer SF-1
    close, one figure-8 ribbon between the two drums
    ribbon mic in figure-8 between the two drums, Royer SF-1 favoured (Fletcher, paraphrase)2
  • Close Earthworks QTC1
    close, small-diaphragm omnis (distance not given)
    small-diaphragm omnis, such as Earthworks QTCs (littledog, paraphrase)2
  • Close Shure SM57 / SM58 / Sennheiser MD 421 / e604
    close, dynamic mics placed close
    For congas, bongos and timbales, close-placed dynamic mics such as SM57, SM58, Sennheiser 421 or e604 (Tonio, paraphrase)3
  • Close Electro-Voice RE15 or beyerdynamic ribbon
    close (distance not given); needs a flat mic, the sound is in the midrange
    these instruments sound best with something like an RE15 or a beyerdynamic ribbon4
  • Close microphone (type not named)
    close, a few centimetres above the rim of each drum, or one mic between the pair
    Mic each drum a few centimetres above the rim; for a pair, one mic between them often works fine (paraphrase)5

On stage

Close

The 1 setup behind this: placement and quotes

Advised against

Frequency bands

tone250 Hz – 700 Hzmacho 310 Hz (+ modes 460, 610 Hz); hembra 264 Hz (+ 517 Hz)
attack1 kHz – 3 kHz
ring3 kHz – 8 kHzclose mic; falls slowly above 3 kHz

Own analysis: 1/3-octave band levels of the first second after the hit (dB re loudest band), plus a 12 ms attack window and spectral peak picking. A band is listed where the level stays within about 10-15 dB of the loudest band (weaker bands are given with their level). "tone" = clear spectral peaks; "noise" = dense or broadband energy. Measured from: Virtuosity Drums BongoH_Hit1_v2_rr1, BongoL_Hit1_v2_rr1.

Sounds it makes

Macho (smaller, higher)about 310 Hz
Hembra (larger, lower)about 264 Hz

The sound

Small, tightly tuned heads: high, short, pitched tones with a sharp finger attack.

Recording it

Sources

  1. Bobby Owsinski blog: 2 Techniques For Miking Bongos (from The Recording Engineer's Handbook)educational · bobbyowsinskiblog.com
  2. HomeRecording.com forum: Problems with micing Congas and Bongos (2006 thread)forum · homerecording.com
  3. My Conga Place forum: suggestion for percussion recording (2007 thread)forum · mycongaplace.com
  4. Recording Magazine: The Doom of the Dumbek (Paul Stamler)magazine · recordingmag.com
  5. Violet Recording: How to Record Percussion (editorial team)magazine · violetrecording.com
  6. Shure: Microphone Techniques for Live Sound Reinforcementmanufacturer · 2007 · music.arts.uci.edu