Mic Archive

Instrument

Hurdy-gurdy

A bowed-by-wheel string instrument: a hand-cranked rosined wheel rubs the strings like a violin bow while a keyboard of tangents shortens the melody strings. Also called wheel fiddle, vielle a roue, drehleier. Drone strings give a bagpipe-like sound. French six-string models have two melody and four drone strings.1

Range
G4–G6
Sources
8 (8 independent)

Recommended mics

Mics sources recommend

24 setups from 8 sources, 8 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 NT21 independent source
  • small-diaphragm condenser1 independent source

Main pair or array

Clip-on

Close

Room

  • AKG C451 (earlier version of the AKG C451 B)1 independent source
The 12 setups behind this: placement and quotes
  • Overhead Rode NT2
    overhead, about 1 m above the instrument
    studiodhorlebaix: "j'ai placé un rode nt2 à 1 metre au-dessus"; small angle changes matter little at that distance.2
  • Main pair or array Neumann KM 184
    main, placement not given
    Falavor: "un très bon statique doit pouvoir s'en sortir...genre un km184".2
  • Clip-on Sennheiser e 608
    clip-on, two mics on the instrument, searching for the best spot
    Anonymous poster: two e608s, "tu peux essayer de les placer sur la vielle en cherchant bien l'emplacement".2
  • Main pair or array Behringer ECM8000 or AKG C414
    main, placement not given
    Harvey Gerst: it "should do a great job" on hurdy gurdy or bagpipe, under $40 (paraphrase). ... Richard Monroe used a C414 on hurdy gurdy, crumhorn and portable organ with "very acceptable results".3
  • Main pair or array 2 × Studio Projects C4
    pair, small-diaphragm stereo pair, backed off a little only in a good room
    Richard Monroe: a C-4 pair; back the mics off "a little, but only if you have a good room" (paraphrase).3
  • Close small-diaphragm condenser
    close, near the bridge at the front of the instrument
    piper spice: one mic pointing "near the bridge at the front of the instrument" (two-mic setup).3
  • Overhead small-diaphragm condenser
    overhead, over the player's right shoulder, pointing down at the chien
    piper spice: second mic "over the player's right shoulder, pointing down at the chien".3
  • Main pair or array Neumann U 67 or Neumann U 47 or Neumann TLM 170 (earlier version of the Neumann TLM 170 R)
    main, about 4-5 ft in front; move it to balance drone, chien and chanterelle
    darkwillow quoting engineer Frederic Salter: a warm large-diaphragm condenser (U67, U47 or TLM170) at about 4-5 feet gives warmth without close-mic problems (paraphrase).3
  • Close 2 × Beyerdynamic M 160
    pair, M/S: mid mic at about 40 cm (would use about 4-5 ft for a pure folk band)
    "for the Mid channel I used a ribbon mic (Beyer m160)"; "about 40cm or so" to cut through heavy guitars; 4-5 ft for a folk band.4
  • Close 2 × AKG C414
    pair, M/S: side mic at about 40 cm
    "for the side channels I used an AKG c414" - Mid-Side, "a criminally underused technique".4
  • Room 2 × AKG C451 (earlier version of the AKG C451 B)
    pair, above the instrument (to damp key-press noise); cardioid for a very reverberant room
    "a pair of AKG C451 condenser cardioids microphone set above the instrument" to dampen key presses in a reverberant room.5
  • Close 2 × Beyerdynamic M 201
    pair, set at a wider angle than the C451 pair
    The M201s "allowed us to obtain a warmer, clearer and more honest sound quality" than the C451 setup.5

On stage

Contact

  • AKG C4111 independent source
  • Shadow SH7111 independent source
  • piezo pickup1 independent source
  • Schertler bridge pickup1 independent source

Clip-on

  • Audio-Technica ATM351 independent source
  • Shure Beta 981 independent source
  • clip-on condenser near the sound holes or bridge1 independent source

Close

  • Sennheiser e 8651 independent source
  • Shure SM571 independent source
  • hypercardioid small-diaphragm condenser, 30-60 cm away on a boom1 independent source
  • second microphone for the drones1 independent source

Multi-mic plan

  • pickup or contact mic via DI, blended with a mic1 independent source
The 12 setups behind this: placement and quotes
  • Contact AKG C411
    contact, on the instrument
    Elysio10: "Le C411 de chez AKG" - a violinist friend used it on stage with fairly decent results; doubts it survives loud amps nearby (paraphrase).6
  • Contact Shadow SH711
    contact, piezo on the instrument (needs a preamp)
    Elysio10: "capteur piezo (comme le shadow SH711)" isolates the vielle from other sources but needs a preamp (paraphrase).6
  • Contact 2 × piezo pickup
    internal, two piezos glued and clamped under tension on the first brace under the soundboard, either side of the wheel axle, midway between bridge foot and the drone / trompette strings
    "deux micros pièzo classiques" on the first brace, "montés sous tension (ce qui assure une meilleur linéarité de réponse)"; picks up the whole instrument, not single strings.7
  • Clip-on clip-on condenser near the sound holes or bridge
    clip-on
    Clip-on condenser mics near the sound holes or bridges move with the performer; ensure consistent pickup even if the player sways.8
  • Close hypercardioid small-diaphragm condenser, 30-60 cm away on a boom
    close stand, still player
    A hypercardioid small-diaphragm condenser about 30-60 cm from the instrument can focus on the output while rejecting stage noise.8
  • Multi-mic plan pickup or contact mic via DI, blended with a mic
    pickup + mic
    A blend of a pickup (for stability and bass) and a mic (for natural air and detail) yields the best result.8
  • Close Shure SM57
    close, taped to the body (caisse); move per venue
    asr: the rustic solution "ça fait un SM57 gaffé sur la caisse"; change the mic position depending on the room (paraphrase).9
  • Close Sennheiser e 865
    close, position adjusted per venue
    asr preferred a condenser such as a Shure Beta or Sennheiser e865 (under 250 EUR) over the SM57 (paraphrase).9
  • Clip-on Audio-Technica ATM35
    clip-on
    Erix: "un micro sur pince" - an ATM35 (used) or its successor ATM350, "qualité légèrement en dessous".9
  • Clip-on Shure Beta 98
    clip-on, on the lid (capot) above the chanterelles
    Malo: "placé sur le capot au dessus des chanterelles", wood resonance helped; better "au moins un micro pour le bourdon et un micro pour les chanterelles".9
  • Close second microphone for the drones
    close, separate mic for the drone (bourdon) strings, mixed separately from the chanterelle mic
    Malo: ideally at least one mic for the bourdon and one for the chanterelles, mixed separately (paraphrase).9
  • Contact Schertler bridge pickup
    contact, on the bridge (chevalet)
    Lucien: "j'ai une cellule Schertler sur mon chevalet, qui fonctionne très bien".9

Advised against

Range

G4 to G61,10392 Hz – 1.57 kHz

Melody strings: Wikipedia says the Spanish zanfona's melody strings are tuned in unison to G above middle C (G4), and that most modern instruments have 24 keys covering two chromatic octaves, giving G4-G6 (my combination). A composers' range chart also lists the hurdy-gurdy's lowest note as G4. Tunings vary (G/C, D/G), so treat as typical, not fixed.

Tuning: Wikipedia: in later instruments tunings vary widely, 'with equal temperament most common'; drones switch on or off to play in two keys (e.g. C and G, or G and D).1

The sound

Wheel-driven strings drive a soundboard and a hollow body. A loose bridge under one drone string, the chien ("dog"; the festival blog below calls the buzzing bridge the "trompette"), buzzes against the soundboard when the wheel speeds up, giving a percussive buzz; a control peg (the tirant) sets how much, from "sec" to "gras".1,8

Where the sound goes

No source; the body and soundboard radiate and the buzzing bridge adds noise from the soundboard.1

On stage

The only recording advice found is a festival-sound blog from a ticketing company, so low authority. It suggests a clip-on condenser near the sound holes or the bridge (to follow a swaying player); a hypercardioid small-diaphragm condenser about 30-60 cm away on a boom for a still player; and a pickup via DI blended with a mic. It says to listen for crank and key noise (crank without playing to find constant rumble; high-pass if needed), manage the trompette buzz with gentle compression rather than EQ, and ring out monitors since the drones resonate at fixed pitches (notch the monitor feed, or damp a drone with foam).8

Problems to watch

Crank and key noise; the buzz spiking; drone strings feeding back with stage monitors.8

About the range

Most modern instruments have 24 keys spanning about two chromatic octaves on the melody strings. No sounding pitch given (typically C/G tuning; not confirmed here).1

Sources

  1. Wikipedia, Hurdy-gurdyreference · en.wikipedia.org
  2. Audiofanzine forum: Quels micro pour enregistrer vielle à roue, cornemuse et accordéon diatonique (2005)forum · fr.audiofanzine.com
  3. HomeRecording.com forum: mic for recording hurdy gurdy / bagpipe (2004)forum · homerecording.com
  4. Ultimate Metal forum: Recording a Hurdy Gurdy (Lasse Lammert, 2011)engineer · ultimatemetal.com
  5. Filippo Deorsola: Hurdyin' an' Gurdyin', or the sorrows of recording a renaissance instrument (2016)engineer · filippodeorsolamusic.wordpress.com
  6. Audiofanzine forum: Sonoriser une vielle à roue sur scène (2017)forum · fr.audiofanzine.com
  7. Sons et couleurs (luthier build log): Naissance d'une vielle à roueeducational · sons-et-couleurs.eu
  8. Ticket Fairy blog: Mic'ing the Unusual at Folk Festivals (kora section; unsourced blog)retailer · ticketfairy.com
  9. Tradzone forum: sonorisation de vielle (2008-2014)forum · forum.tradzone.net
  10. Professional Composers: Orchestral and Acoustic Instrument Range Charteducational · professionalcomposers.com