Mic Archive

Instrument

Kora

21-string West African harp-lute with a half-calabash body covered in cowhide, a long hardwood neck and a notched double bridge (Wikipedia).

Range
F2–A5
Sources
3 (3 independent)

Recommended mics

Mics sources recommend

8 setups from 3 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.

Studio and stage

Contact

  • small-diaphragm omni condenser a few feet in front, plus a pickup on the instrument1 independent source

Close

  • AKG C 4141 independent source
The 2 setups behind this: placement and quotes
  • Contact small-diaphragm omni condenser a few feet in front, plus a pickup on the instrument
    room + pickup, high-ceiling room
    A kora player uses a Countryman pickup and a Neumann omni small-diaphragm mic a few feet in front (search-result summary).1
  • Close AKG C 414
    close, studio or quiet room
    AKG C414 listed among suggested condensers for kora (thread summary).2

On stage

Close

Clip-on

Contact

  • AKG C 4111 independent source

Multi-mic plan

  • internal or bridge-mounted pickup to a DI, plus small mic near the sound hole1 independent source
The 6 setups behind this: placement and quotes
  • Close Beyerdynamic MC 930
    close, aimed at the gourd near (not into) the sound hole
    Small-diaphragm condensers such as Beyer MC930s or Schoeps CMC65 suggested over general-purpose dynamics.2
  • Close Schoeps CMC 65
    close, aimed at the gourd near the sound hole
    Small-diaphragm condensers such as Beyer MC930s or Schoeps CMC65 suggested over general-purpose dynamics.2
  • Clip-on DPA 4099
    clip-on
    Bob Bickerton: the DPA 4099 "would be the best solution yet" if you can mount it on the instrument.2
  • Contact AKG C 411
    stuck on the body, feedback safety net
    A contact mic such as the AKG C411 as a safety net for gain before feedback (thread summary).2
  • Close Shure SM57
    close, backup if no condenser
    SM57 and SM58 named as dynamic fall-backs for kora (thread summary).2
  • Multi-mic plan internal or bridge-mounted pickup to a DI, plus small mic near the sound hole
    pickup + close mic
    Pickup via DI paired with a small mic near the sound hole (general blog advice, no models).3

Range

F2 to A54,5,687.3 Hz – 880 Hz

Read from Wikipedia's 'Traditional range of the kora' notation image (bass-clef F below the staff to treble A on the first ledger line above): about F2 to A5, which fits 21 strings on an F silaba scale with an incomplete bass octave (UBC wiki: octave 2 incomplete, octaves 3 and 4 complete, octave 5 incomplete). Estimate because it is read from a low-resolution image. Players retune the whole instrument: Cora Connection notates it in C and says it is usually tuned higher, 'an A being pretty much the upper limit' for the tonic; some Gambian and Casamance koras add bass strings (up to 23).

Tuning: Heptatonic; four traditional tunings (silaba F-G-A-B-C-D-E, sauta, etc.), three close to Western major, minor and Lydian; the two thumb strings carry the tonic. Absolute pitch centre is the player's choice.6,5

Where the sound goes

"Most of the sound comes from the bulbous sound box, so point the mic at that" and start near the large sound hole but not aimed straight at it (Hugh Robjohns, SOS forum). Lower on the gourd gives more bass, if the floor is reflective (search summary).

Recording it

SOS forum: small-diaphragm condensers (Beyer MC 930, Schoeps CMC 65), AKG C 414 and DPA 4099 are suggested; SM57/58 as fall-backs; a contact mic (AKG C 411) gives gain before feedback. Check whether the instrument already has a pickup. A kora player (Gearspace summary) uses a Countryman pickup plus a Neumann omni small-diaphragm a few feet away in a high-ceiling room. Soniccouture's library offers stereo mic and stereo contact mic channels.

About the range

Silaba tuning F-G-A-B-C-D-E; the UBC wiki lists an incomplete bass octave 2, complete octaves 3 and 4, and an incomplete high octave 5, "more than three octaves". Its octave numbering convention is not stated, so no Hz range here.

Sources

  1. Gearspace: recording a koraforum · gearspace.com
  2. Sound On Sound forum: mics for Kora (Hugh Robjohns, Bob Bickerton and others)forum · forum.soundonsound.com
  3. Ticket Fairy blog: Mic'ing the Unusual at Folk Festivals (kora section; unsourced blog)retailer · ticketfairy.com
  4. Wikimedia Commons: Traditional Range of the Kora.png (Wikipedia kora infobox)Joiesoudaine · reference · 2011-01-25 · commons.wikimedia.org
  5. UBC wiki: Korawiki.ubc.ca
  6. Cora Connection: What is a Kora? (mirror on electro-music.org)electro-music.org