Mic Archive

Woodwinds

Flute

Woodwinds: Flute, piccolo, clarinet, oboe and bassoon (the saxophones are their own family). Most of the sound comes from the tone holes along the body, not the bell, so sources aim at the holes.

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

Range
C4–D7
Overtones to
about 2.9 kHz
Peaks up close
up to 123 dB SPL
Sources
8 (6 independent)

Recommended mics

Mics sources recommend

14 setups from 8 sources, 6 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 and stage

Close

The 4 setups behind this: placement and quotes
  • Close DPA 4006A or DPA 4006C (variant of the DPA 4006A)
    close, 5-10 cm, aimed halfway between mouthpiece and left hand
    An omni such as the 4006 may be an advantage, due to their lower sensitivity to wind and pop (close miking). ... Compact version of the 4006 listed beside the 4006A for close-miking the flute.1
  • Close Shure SM58 or Audio-Technica ATM41 or Sennheiser MD 421
    close, on the mouthpiece, for an assertive sound (dynamic)
    Flute: SM58, ATM41, MD 421/441, EV RE500 named; close dynamic on the mouthpiece for an assertive sound (paraphrase).2
  • Close Electro-Voice RE500
    close or distant, with a distant condenser
    Flute: SM58, ATM41, MD 421/441, EV RE500 named; close dynamic on the mouthpiece for an assertive sound (paraphrase).2
  • Close Woodwinds advice condenser (type only)
    close, about 30 cm from the sound holes
    A mic placed about 1 foot from sound holes will produce a natural, well-balanced sound.3

Studio

Spot

  • DPA 4011A maker's advice1 source, 0 independent
  • DPA 4015A maker's advice1 source, 0 independent
  • Royer ribbon microphone1 independent source

Close

  • condenser (type only)1 independent source
  • condenser or ribbon (type only)1 independent source
  • condenser, flat response (type only)1 independent source

Overhead

  • cardioid condenser (type only)1 independent source

Contact

The 7 setups behind this: placement and quotes
  • Spot DPA 4011A or DPA 4015A
    spot, behind and slightly above the player's head, pointing at the finger holes
    Spot-mic behind and slightly above the head of the player, pointing at the finger holes, with a cardioid (4011) or wide cardioid (4015). ... Wide cardioid 4015 named as the alternative to the 4011 for spot-miking at the finger holes.1
  • Close condenser, flat response (type only)
    close, 6-12 in, halfway between mouthpiece and tone holes
    Place a flat condenser halfway between the mouthpiece and the tone holes, about 6 to 12 inches away.4
  • Overhead cardioid condenser (type only)
    overhead, about 18 in above the midpoint, pointing straight down
    For the most natural sound I point a cardioid condenser straight down over the top of the flute about 18 inches above the midpoint.2
  • Close condenser (type only)
    distance, level with the flute halfway along its length, about 18 in
    Condenser typically gives best results; mic level with the flute, halfway along it, about 18 inches away (paraphrase).5
  • Close condenser or ribbon (type only)
    close, woodwind placement
    Both condenser and ribbon mics do a good job of capturing the sound (said for sax and clarinet; flute grouped with them, no flute detail) (paraphrase).6
  • Spot Woodwinds advice Royer ribbon microphone
    spot, close mics on the woodwinds
    Royer ribbon mics on the woodwinds and low brass7
  • Contact Woodwinds advice 2 × Schoeps MK 4
    pair, stereo pair as overall woodwind pickup
    the woodwinds had a stereo pair of Schoeps MK4s as an overall pickup8

On stage

Clip-on

Close

The 3 setups behind this: placement and quotes
  • Clip-on DPA 4099 CORE+
    clip-on, for noisy stages (headset options also listed)
    4099 CORE+ Instrument Microphone (or headset options) listed for high-noise environments (paraphrase).1
  • Clip-on Shure PGA98H
    clip-on, close to the instrument, away from the mouth
    Listed under woodwinds: a cardioid condenser you clip on, with integrated clamp, gooseneck and preamp.3
  • Close Shure SM137
    close, near the instrument (windscreen to cut breath noise)
    Listed under woodwinds: a flat-response cardioid probe microphone with an ultra-thin diaphragm.3

Range

C4 to about D79262 Hz – 2.35 kHz

B3 with a B footjoint; up to F7 forced (VSL).

LowC4–B4dull, dry, hollow; few overtones
MiddleC5–B5mellow, light, bright; much used for solos
HighC6–D7brilliant; can be penetrating and shrill

Overtones reach about 2.9 kHz (the highest harmonic within 40 dB of the strongest, at a moderate level; louder playing reaches higher)10.

The sound

An open pipe driven by an air jet: the fundamental dominates and the harmonics fall off fast, so the tone is close to a sine wave with breath noise.

Where the sound goes

DPA's two placements (near the hands, and at the finger holes) imply more than one source, but the page does not say so. The existing entry (embouchure hole and open finger holes) was not contradicted.1

Recording it

About 1 m in front of the player at head height, raised, "noticeably reduces mechanical sounds"; in an orchestra, an off-axis omni or wide cardioid between two players at head height pointing at the floor.1

Playing techniques

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
92–105 dBat 3 m; UK Sound Advice table of representative noise levels, row 'Flute' (single musician) secondary11
98–114 dBnear the player's right ear; UK Sound Advice table of representative noise levels, row 'Flute (near right ear)' secondary11
92–103 dBnot stated; hearingconservation.org decibel chart, 'Sound Levels of Music' secondary12
105 dB or more(A)at the player (not stated exactly); Chasin's instrument danger chart: 'Flutes (>105 dBA)' as the auditory danger for flute players secondary13
66–94 dB(Z)at 1 m; Modern flute, derived from the TU Berlin sound power values estimate14
Peaks
109 dBnot stated (peak column of the same table); UK Sound Advice table of representative noise levels, row 'Flute' secondary11
118 dBnear the player's right ear; UK Sound Advice table, row 'Flute (near right ear)' secondary11
97–107 dB(A)at the player; same study, LASmax (slow) per rehearsal or concert15
113–123 dB(C)at the player; same study, LCpeak per rehearsal or concert15
Dynamic range
28 dB(Z)sound power, whole range; Modern flute, Weinzierl et al. 2018, Table I estimate14
Player's exposure (dosimeter)
83–89 dB(A)at the player (meters on tripods with microphones close to the players); Polish opera and symphony orchestras, group rehearsals, concerts and performances; 19 samples15
84.9–96.7 dB(A)dosimeter microphone on the shoulder; Portuguese symphony orchestra, general rehearsals of six repertoires (one flutist position)16
104.9 dB(A)dual-channel dosimeter, microphones on the shoulders 10-15 cm from the ears; One flute student (Chopin University of Music, Warsaw), individual practice17
99.4 dB(A)shoulder microphones 10-15 cm from the ears; Same flute student, playing in chamber ensembles17
96.5 dB(A)shoulder microphones 10-15 cm from the ears; Same flute student, playing in symphony orchestra17
Sound power
77–105 dB(Z)sound power level Lw (dB re 1 pW), not a sound pressure at a distance; Modern flute, single notes over the whole range played as soft and as loud as possible, anechoic chamber TU Berlin, 32-mic spherical array14
89–101 dB(Z)sound power level Lw (dB re 1 pW), repertoire-weighted average; Modern flute, pp and ff sound power averaged over the range, weighted by how often each pitch occurs in Beethoven's symphonies14

The UK Sound Advice table of representative noise levels gives 92-105 dB at 3 m, peak 109 dB; and 98-114 dB, peak 118 dB, measured near the player's right ear. An unsourced chart gives 92-103 dB with no distance. Weighting not stated in either.11,12

Sources

  1. DPA Mic University: How to mic a flute or recordermanufacturer · dpamicrophones.com
  2. Recording Magazine: Miking Brass and WindsBob Ross · magazine · recordingmag.com
  3. Shure: How to Choose the Best Mics for Brass, Wind, and String Instrumentsmanufacturer · shure.com
  4. ProSoundWeb: A Guide to Microphone Techniques for Studio Recording, page 5Bruce Bartlett · educational · 2016 · prosoundweb.com
  5. Sound On Sound: Q. How do I mike up woodwind instruments? (Hugh Robjohns, Nov 2003)magazine · soundonsound.com
  6. Yamaha Hub: Recording Acoustic Instruments, Part 3Mike Levine · magazine · 2022 · hub.yamaha.com
  7. Mix: The Changing Landscape of Orchestral Recording (engineer Steve Smith, Music Works Studios)magazine · mixonline.com
  8. Sound On Sound: Jake Jackson: Recording The 2012 Olympic Anthemsmagazine · soundonsound.com
  9. Vienna Symphonic Library Academy: Concert fluteeducational · vsl.co.at
  10. SHARC Timbre Database v2 (Gregory Sandell): harmonic analyses of McGill University Master SamplesGregory Sandell · academic · github.com
  11. Representative noise levels table with orchestra noise guidance (UK Sound Advice material)eclass-b.uoa.gr
  12. Decibel (Loudness) Comparison Chart, hearingconservation.orghearingconservation.org
  13. AudiologyOnline: Chasin, Musicians and the Prevention of Hearing Loss, Addendum B (instrument danger chart, from Hear the Music, 2001)Marshall Chasin · magazine · 2008-01-28 · audiologyonline.com
  14. JASA: Sound power and timbre as cues for the dynamic strength of orchestral instruments (Weinzierl, Lepa, Schultz, Detzner, von Coler, Behler)Stefan Weinzierl et al. · academic · 2018-09 · depositonce.tu-berlin.de
  15. 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
  16. Noise & Health: Evaluation of the noise exposure of symphonic orchestra musicians (Rodrigues, Freitas, Neves, Silva)Matilde A. Rodrigues et al. · academic · 2014 · recipp.ipp.pt
  17. Noise Control 2022 digital monograph, ch. 4: The risk of musicians' high sound exposure during performances of classical music (Pietrzak, Zera)Agnieszka Paula Pietrzak, Jan Zera · academic · 2022 · ciop.pl