Mic Archive

Bowed strings

Cello

Bowed strings: Violin, viola, cello and double bass. Many sources write for strings as a group, and viola advice is often 'as for the violin', so advice for the family shows on each member's page.

Part of the Bowed strings family; that family's advice shows here too.

Range
C2–A5
Overtones to
about 3 kHz
Peaks up close
up to 112 dB SPL
Sources
7 (3 independent)

Recommended mics

Mics sources recommend

18 setups from 7 sources, 3 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.

On stage

Clip-on

Close

  • mic one foot from the bridge1 source, 0 independent

Named, no placement given

The 5 setups behind this: placement and quotes

Studio and stage

Close

  • DPA 4006ES (earlier version of the DPA 4006A) maker's advice1 source, 0 independent
  • DPA 4011ES (earlier version of the DPA 4011A) maker's advice1 source, 0 independent
  • DPA 4061 maker's advice1 source, 0 independent

Named, no placement given

The 6 setups behind this: placement and quotes
  • Close DPA 4011ES (earlier version of the DPA 4011A)
    close
    4099 CORE+ or 4011ES can focus on the instrument; proximity effect increases low end up close (paraphrase).1
  • Close DPA 4006ES (earlier version of the DPA 4006A) or DPA 4061
    close, gooseneck
    An omni like the 4006ES or 4061 lets you pick one place close to the instrument without proximity bass (paraphrase).1
  • Named, no placement given Bowed strings advice Shure PGA27
    string instruments
    PGA27 is "designed for clear capture of your string instruments" (the only mic Shure recommends on this page).3
  • Named, no placement given Bowed strings advice Shure PGA27
    string instruments
    PGA27 is "designed for clear capture of your string instruments".3
  • Named, no placement given Bowed strings advice Shure PGA27
    string instruments
    PGA27 is "designed for clear capture of your string instruments".3
  • Named, no placement given Bowed strings advice Shure PGA27
    string instruments
    PGA27 is "designed for clear capture of your string instruments".3

Studio

Close

  • AKG C 4141 independent source
  • Royer R-121 maker's advice1 source, 0 independent
  • Royer R-122 maker's advice1 source, 0 independent
  • Royer SF-2 maker's advice1 source, 0 independent
  • mic 0.5 m high, 0.6 m in front, on a banquet stand1 independent source

Room

Named, no placement given

The 7 setups behind this: placement and quotes
  • Close AKG C 414
    solo, aimed at the bridge (generic, 18 in to 3 ft)
    A forum poster would start a 414 between 18 in and 3 ft back, aimed at the bridge; the further the better if the room is good (paraphrase).4
  • Room Rode NT4
    piano and cello, room
    A forum poster cites a piano and cello recorded with a Rode NT4 in a live acoustic (paraphrase).4
  • Named, no placement given Royer R-121
    strings
    "I love the sound of a ribbon on violins, violas, and cellos."5
  • Close Royer SF-2
    soloist
    Yo-Yo Ma miked with a pair of SF-2s (caption); "Royer ribbons are unmatched in picking up the gorgeous tonality and texture of the cello."6
  • Close Royer R-122
    solo, close
    Ben Sollee playing cello and singing on an R-122; engineer Ron Searles records Winona Zelenka with R-122s (captions).6
  • Close Royer R-121
    solo, multiple takes
    Skylar Grey: multiple takes of one cello recorded on an R-121 (caption).6
  • Close mic 0.5 m high, 0.6 m in front, on a banquet stand
    solo, intimate
    Mount a mic on a banquet stand about 0.5 m above the floor, about 0.6 m in front of a solo cello (paraphrase).7

Range

C2 to about A5865.4 Hz – 880 Hz

VSL: C2-A5, harmonics to A7.

C stringC2–F#2weighty, dark, powerful
G stringG2–C#3softer than the C string
D stringD3–G#3the most singing string
A stringA3–A5bright, penetrating, incisive

Open-string spans (non-overlapping); "reach" per VSL.

Overtones reach about 3 kHz (the highest harmonic within 40 dB of the strongest, at a moderate level; louder playing reaches higher)9.

Where the sound comes from

The sound

A bowed string rich in harmonics; the body strongly shapes it, with the main air and wood resonances roughly between 100 and 400 Hz.

Where the sound goes

The large front plate radiates most of the range; the beam width and axis vary with frequency (SOS cello polar plot). Drums can be picked up reflected off the large top (September entry; not re-checked).7

Recording it

Solo cello 0.5 m off the floor (about bridge height) and about 0.6 m in front, on a banquet stand; 18 in to 3 ft, aimed at the bridge, in a forum post; 30 cm for a tighter sound (Shure, as in the September entry). Cellists stay put, so close miking is easier than on a violin.7,4

Playing techniques

Estimate: Not found in the sources checked (general practice): Pizzicato.

Frequency areas

Problems to watch

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.

Playing level
45–80 dBat 6 m; single cello, per SOS 'similar dynamic range to the violin'7
80–104 dBat 3 m; cello, single musician secondary10
85–111 dBcello, 'Sound Levels of Music' list secondary11
75 dB(A)at 1.5 m; solitary practice, O'Brien 2013 Queensland study as tabulated by Skalevik (EAA Forum Acusticum 2023), 54 m3 practice room, 23 min LAeq; 3 cellists, mic 1.5 m in front12
Peaks
112 dBat 3 m; cello, single musician secondary10
Player's exposure (dosimeter)
78.7 dB(A)violas and cellos in a ballet pit (Le Petit Prince), 360 h basis13
87.9 dB(A)dosimeter within 10 cm of one ear; RCM student orchestra cellist, maximum daily exposure LEP,d, seated in front of the brass (Backus et al. 2007)14
86–95 dB(A)player's shoulder; Finnish National Opera orchestra, dosimeter on the shoulder opposite the instrument (Laitinen et al. 2003); 4 players, performances/orchestra rehearsals15
80.4 dB(A)0.1-0.5 m from the ear; 1 opera and 3 symphony orchestras in Poland, meters on tripods 0.1-0.5 m from the players' ears, group rehearsals, concerts, performances (Pawlaczyk-Luszczynska et al. 2011); 20 samples16
84.6 dB(A)player's ear (dosimeter); Queensland Symphony Orchestra dosimetry 2004-2007, mean LAeq per session (O'Brien data, tabulated by Skalevik); 46 sessions17
80 dB(A)player's ears; solitary practice, O'Brien 2013 Queensland study as tabulated by Skalevik (EAA Forum Acusticum 2023), 54 m3 practice room, 23 min LAeq; 3 cellists, either ear12

Sound On Sound: the cello has a similar dynamic range to the violin (45-80 dB SPL at six metres), but the top strings are not quite as strong as the lower ones. Player exposure, ballet pit (A-weighted, 360 h basis): viola and cello 78.7 dBA on average.7,13

Sources

  1. DPA Mic University: How to mic a cellomanufacturer · dpamicrophones.com
  2. Shure: Microphone Techniques for Live Sound Reinforcementmanufacturer · 2007 · music.arts.uci.edu
  3. Shure: How to Choose the Best Mics for Brass, Wind, and String Instrumentsmanufacturer · shure.com
  4. DV Info Net forum: Recording a Cello (2013)forum · dvinfo.net
  5. MusicRadar: Best microphones for recording 2026magazine · 2026 · musicradar.com
  6. Royer Labs: Recording Acoustic Guitar, Violin, Ukulele, Cello & Other Stringed Instrumentsmanufacturer · royerlabs.com
  7. Sound On Sound: Recording StringsHugh Robjohns · magazine · 1999 · soundonsound.com
  8. Vienna Symphonic Library Academy: Celloeducational · vsl.co.at
  9. SHARC Timbre Database v2 (Gregory Sandell): harmonic analyses of McGill University Master SamplesGregory Sandell · academic · github.com
  10. Representative noise levels table with orchestra noise guidance (UK Sound Advice material)eclass-b.uoa.gr
  11. Decibel (Loudness) Comparison Chart, hearingconservation.orghearingconservation.org
  12. Forum Acusticum 2023: Skalevik, Sound levels at musicians' ears from classical instruments during solitary practiceMagne Skalevik · academic · 2023 · dael.euracoustics.org
  13. Noise & Health 20(93): Noise Exposure and Hearing Loss in Classical Orchestra Musicians, a Five-Year Follow-Upacademic · 2018 · pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  14. Backus, Clark and Williamon: Noise exposure and hearing thresholds among orchestral musicians (ISPS 2007)academic · 2007 · researchonline.rcm.ac.uk
  15. Applied Occupational and Environmental Hygiene: Laitinen et al., Sound exposure among the Finnish National Opera personnel (2003), Aalto repository preprintHeli M. Laitinen, Esko M. Toppila, Pekka S. Olkinuora, Kaarina Kuisma · academic · 2003 · aaltodoc.aalto.fi
  16. JOSE: Evaluation of Sound Exposure and Risk of Hearing Impairment in Orchestral Musicians (Pawlaczyk-Luszczynska, Dudarewicz, Zamojska, Sliwinska-Kowalska)Malgorzata Pawlaczyk-Luszczynska et al. · academic · 2011 · portal.ciop.pl
  17. AKUTEK (BNAM paper): Skalevik, Sound levels in symphony orchestra musicians (with O'Brien's Queensland dosimetry table)Magne Skalevik · academic · akutek.info
  18. Sengpielaudio: Formanten prägen die Klangfarbe (instrument formant table after P. H. Mertens, 1975)sengpielaudio.com
  19. iZotope: EQ Cheat SheetNick Messitte · magazine · 2023 · izotope.com
  20. Sound On Sound: Recording A String SectionHugh Robjohns · magazine · soundonsound.com