Mallet percussion
Marimba
Mallet percussion: Marimba, xylophone, vibraphone and glockenspiel: tuned bars spread over a wide frame, so one mic rarely covers them evenly. Mallet type changes the spectrum and the attack.
Part of the Mallet percussion family; that family's advice shows here too.
- Range
- C2–C7
- Overtones to
- about 2.5 kHz
- Peaks up close
- up to 137.6 dB SPL
- Sources
- 6 (5 independent)
Mics sources recommend
8 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
Close
- Condenser pair (unnamed)1 independent source
Distant
- Electro-Voice RE201 independent source
- Shure SM571 independent source
Overhead
- Capacitor (unnamed)1 independent source
Main pair or array
- Neumann KM 841 independent source
- condenser, small diaphragm (Schoeps, model not named)1 independent source
The 5 setups behind this: placement and quotes
- Close Condenser pair (unnamed)about 2 ft above, one over the high end, one over the low end
High-quality condenser microphones are best because they capture the entire marimba as well as the space around the instrument.
1 - Distant Electro-Voice RE20 or Shure SM57resonator side, 4-8 ft from either end, below bar level
Captures resonator sound without the harsh mallet strike (paraphrase) ... A viable alternative to the RE20 for resonator pickup (paraphrase)
2 - Overhead Capacitor (unnamed)above the player's head, player's view
Best available capacitor mics above the player's head capture the sound from the player's perspective (paraphrase)
2 - Main pair or array Mallet percussion advice 2 × Neumann KM 84stereo pair, room and image; large concert rosewood marimba
Smaller-diaphragm mics like the Schoeps, B&Ks and the KM84s capture the room and give a nice stereo image (Narell, paraphrase)
3 - Main pair or array Mallet percussion advice 2 × condenser, small diaphragm (Schoeps, model not named)stereo pair, room and image
Smaller-diaphragm mics like the Schoeps, B&Ks and the KM84s capture the room and give a nice stereo image (Narell, paraphrase)
3
On stage
Distant
- AKG C451 (earlier version of the AKG C451 B)1 independent source
Close
- Shure KSM109 maker's advice1 source, 0 independent
- Shure KSM137 maker's advice1 source, 0 independent
- Shure KSM141 maker's advice1 source, 0 independent
- Shure KSM27 maker's advice1 source, 0 independent
- Shure KSM32 maker's advice1 source, 0 independent
- Shure KSM44 maker's advice1 source, 0 independent
- Shure SM81 maker's advice1 source, 0 independent
- Shure SM94 maker's advice1 source, 0 independent
The 2 setups behind this: placement and quotes
- Distant Mallet percussion advice AKG C451 (earlier version of the AKG C451 B)live (orchestra pops); about 7 ft above, over the low end, aimed toward the high end; one per pitched instrument
I mike from above, at about seven feet, over the low end of the instrument and aimed toward the high end (Colby)
4 - Close Mallet percussion advice 2 × Shure KSM44 or Shure KSM32 or Shure KSM27 or Shure KSM141 or Shure KSM137 or Shure KSM109 or Shure SM81 or Shure SM94pair 1.5 ft above, 2 ft apart, aiming down (mallets list)
Two microphones aiming down toward instrument, about 1 1/2 feet above it, spaced 2 feet apart
5
Studio and stage
Bottom
- Condenser pair (unnamed)1 independent source
The 1 setup behind this: placement and quotes
- Bottom Mallet percussion advice 2 × Condenser pair (unnamed)12 in under the resonator tubes, spaced between high and low bars
evenly spaced between the high and low bars, about 12 inches under the resonator tubes
6
Range
C2 to C7765.4 Hz – 2.09 kHz
Five-octave instrument; 4, 4.3 and 4.5-octave instruments start at C3, A2, F2 (VSL).
| Low | C2–B2 | deep, long (2-3 s) |
|---|---|---|
| Middle | C3–B4 | warm, round |
| High | C5–C7 | short, woody |
Register split is an estimate; VSL only says the low and middle registers carry most of the writing.
Tuning: Bars tuned to equal temperament with overtones at about 4x and 10x.7
Overtones reach about 2.5 kHz (the highest harmonic within 40 dB of the strongest, at a moderate level; louder playing reaches higher).
- 4.3 octave: VSL, Wikipedia ('most common'), Adams Alpha and Solist; Marimba One's Motif is 4.3 octave.7,8,9,10
- 4 octave: VSL, Wikipedia, Adams Solist MSPV40.7,8,9
- 4.5 octave: VSL, Wikipedia.7,8
- 4.6 octave: Wikipedia.8
- 5 octave: VSL, Wikipedia, Adams Alpha MAHA50.7,8,11
- 5.5 octave (Marimba One): Wikipedia: Marimba One adds notes up to F above C7; lowest not stated (VSL notes instruments occasionally start at A1).8
- 3.5 octave (rare): VSL: 'extremely rare'.7
- 3 octave (Adams Solist MSPVJ30): Adams.9
The sound
The bars are thinned under the middle so the 2nd and 3rd modes sit at about 4x and 10x the fundamental (two octaves, and three octaves plus a major third); the tube resonators boost the fundamental.
Where the sound goes
A full-size marimba is about 2.5 m long and spans 3.5 to 5.5 octaves; sound comes from many points, because each bar has a tube resonator beneath it. Shure's stereo section names "marimba" (spelled "miramba") as an instrument big enough to deserve a stereo pair live.14,5
Recording it
Soft mallets give warmer tones, hard ones far more attack; it is "very easy to over-emphasise" the strike, so capture the whole instrument including the resonators. A forum poster found the bass "deafening" with a mic under the centre of the instrument; the replier blamed the room, since a marimba works with the room.14,15
Playing techniques
- Mallets: soft yarn damps the upper partials (dark, round); hard mallets are brighter with more attack
- Rolls: tremolo to sustain a note
- Bowing: a double-bass bow on the bar, a sustained, ethereal tone7
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.
| Peaks | |
|---|---|
| 117.8 dB | at the player's head position; Marimba (Marimba One, Ron Samuels), played by a percussion student in an individual practice session in a practice room of the F. Chopin Academy of Music, Warsaw; 1/4-in B&K 4135 mic on a tripod at the position of the musician's head; 120 s music selection12 |
| 137.6 dB(C) | personal dosimeter worn by the player; Marimba player, marching band rehearsal (same session)13 |
| Player's exposure (dosimeter) | |
| 105.6 dB | at the player's head position (tripod mic near the instrument); Marimba (Marimba One, Ron Samuels), played by a percussion student in an individual practice session in a practice room of the F. Chopin Academy of Music, Warsaw; 1/4-in B&K 4135 mic on a tripod at the position of the musician's head; 120 s music selection12 |
| 90.4 dB(A) | personal dosimeter worn by the player; Marimba player in a US high-school marching band (front ensemble), rehearsal of about 2.5 h on 5 Nov 201913 |
No figure found for marimba. The only percussion figures are in the timpani section.
Sources
- Lucas, K. (2018) Your Lucky 7: Helpful Tips for Recording Marimba, School Band & Orchestra
- Burton, J. (2013) Q. How should I record a marimba?, Sound On Sound
- Mix (1997) Recording Jazz Combos (Andy Narell on recording Dave Samuels' marimba and vibes)
- Mix: Sound Reinforcement for the Boston Pops: Miking the Orchestra (BSO live mix engineer Steve Colby)
- Shure: Microphone Techniques for Live Sound Reinforcement
- Hogan, J. & T. (2016) Accordions & Didgeridoos: Mic Techniques For 'Exotic' Instruments, Pro Sound Web
- Vienna Symphonic Library Academy: Marimba
- Wikipedia: Marimba
- Adams: Solist marimba (specifications)
- Marimba One: Motif concert marimba
- Adams: Alpha marimba (specifications)
- Archives of Acoustics: Jaroszewski, Rogowski, Rakowski, Sound pressure levels in emission of percussion instruments during training sessions (25(3), 283-289)
- Larson Davis: Marching Band Noise Dose report (Spartan 730 dosimeters, 5 Nov 2019)
- Burton, J. (2013) Q. How should I record a marimba?, Sound On Sound
- HomeRecording.com forum, Recording mallet percussion (2007)