Instrument

Pipe organ

An instrument that drives wind through pipes chosen from keyboards (manuals) and usually a pedalboard. Each manual controls its own division; stops select ranks of pipes. Notes sustain as long as a key is held. The sources also discuss theatre organs (Wurlitzer), a related type.¹

Peaks up close: up to 138.4 dB SPL
Sources: 5 (4 independent)

Recommended mics

Mics sources recommend

9 setups from 5 sources, 4 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

Main pair or array

DPA 4011c (earlier version of the DPA 4011A)1 independent source
Neumann KM 1841 independent source
Blumlein and spaced omnis (crossed figure-of-eight and spaced omnis)1 independent source
omni spaced pair + mono spot mics (spaced omnis, plus mono spots at the pipes)1 independent source
ORTF cardioid pair or coincident pair or Soundfield (ORTF or coincident pair, or Soundfield, at about half the critical distance)1 independent source
stereo pair (X-Y, Blumlein) (stereo pair 30 ft or more back from the pipes)1 independent source

Close

omni or cardioid small-diaphragm, DPA/Schoeps preferred, Earthworks used (DPA, Schoeps or Earthworks, omni or cardioid)1 independent source

Inside

Schoeps CMC 1 L with MK 4 capsules1 independent source

The 8 setups behind this: placement and quotes

Main pair or array 2 × stereo pair (X-Y, Blumlein) (stereo pair 30 ft or more back from the pipes)
main pair, 30 ft or more
"I would suggest a decent stereo pair set up at least 30 feet, maybe more, back from the pipes"; shotguns are the worst choice.²
Main pair or array 2 × Blumlein and spaced omnis (crossed figure-of-eight and spaced omnis)
main pair, theatre organ
Omnis "picked up better bass but phase can be an issue"; Blumlein is usually mono-safe (paraphrase).²
Close omni or cardioid small-diaphragm, DPA/Schoeps preferred, Earthworks used (DPA, Schoeps or Earthworks, omni or cardioid)
outdoor organ pavilion (Spreckels), several positions
"We tried DPA, Schoeps and Earthworks in both omni and cardioid configurations. Our preference was for the DPA and Schoeps."³
Main pair or array 2 × ORTF cardioid pair or coincident pair or Soundfield (ORTF or coincident pair, or Soundfield, at about half the critical distance)
main pair, in the hall, up high
"The ORTF approach is generally a good one... the multi-capsule Soundfield mic is also a common favourite." ORTF at about Dc/2, spaced omnis at about Dc/3.⁴
Main pair or array 2 × omni spaced pair + mono spot mics (spaced omnis, plus mono spots at the pipes)
main pair, with spots for clarity
"I tend to go for a main stereo pair... then add additional (usually) mono mics if needed to reinforce a particular section."⁴
Inside Schoeps CMC 1 L with MK 4 capsules
inside the grand organ case, five mics, one per compartment (inside the case)
Five Schoeps CMC-1 L with MK4 cardioid capsules in the case compartments "to balance the instrument in post-production".⁵
Main pair or array DPA 4011c (earlier version of the DPA 4011A)
in front of the facade, close to the display pipes (array)
Array of five DPA 4011c cardioids on stands in front of the organ facade, aligned with the display pipes.⁵
Main pair or array Neumann KM 184
chamber organ, continuo (array of three)
The organ was equipped with a microphone array of three Neumann KM 184 cardioid microphones.⁵

On stage

Named, no placement given

Shure Beta 91 (earlier version of the Shure Beta 91A) maker's advice1 source, 0 independent
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 MX202 maker's advice1 source, 0 independent
Shure PG81 maker's advice1 source, 0 independent
Shure SM81 maker's advice1 source, 0 independent
Shure SM94 maker's advice1 source, 0 independent

The 1 setup behind this: placement and quotes

Named, no placement given Shure KSM44 or Shure KSM32 or Shure KSM27 or Shure KSM141 or Shure KSM137 or Shure KSM109 or Shure SM81 or Shure Beta 91 (earlier version of the Shure Beta 91A) or Shure PG81 or Shure SM94 or Shure MX202
listed for piano / organ
Listed under "Piano / Organ" in the Shure Microphone Selection Guide (no argument given).⁶

Range

from C0 (top not sourced)¹16.4 Hz

Manuals: 61 notes C to c'''' (C2-C7 at 8' pitch); pedals 30-32 notes C to f' or g' (C2-G4 written). A 32' stop sounds two octaves lower, so pedal C sounds C0 (about 16 Hz); upper limit set by 2', 1' and mixture ranks, not given.

Written C2 to C7; the range above is sounding pitch.

Where the sound goes

Every pipe is a separate source; the case is divided into compartments (a French church organ is described as five sections plus pedal towers). No polar pattern found.⁵

Layout

From one or two dozen pipes and one manual to over 33,000 pipes and seven manuals. Pipes sit in several places in a building, often high up, so one mic cannot cover them all.^1,4

Recording it

Main stereo pair first, spots only to reinforce a section: Hugh Robjohns prefers a main pair for overall balance and room, with extra (usually mono) mics to add clarity. ORTF cardioids at about half the critical distance (Dc/2), spaced omnis at about Dc/3; coincident pairs and the Soundfield mic are also favourites. Mic stands should be very tall, as pipework is high.
A forum engineer would put a stereo pair at least 30 ft back from the pipes, and calls shotgun mics "the worst possible choice". Another used Blumlein and spaced omnis for a theatre organ: omnis gave better bass but have phase problems in mono. A third compared a large-diaphragm M/S pair with a small-diaphragm ORTF pair about a third of the church's length from the organ.
Close recording of the case itself (research projects): the Vaulted Harmonies project put Schoeps CMC 1 L (MK 4) mics inside the case compartments, plus a DPA 4011c array in front of the facade, then balanced them in post. A chamber organ continuo used three Neumann KM 184.
Outdoors (Spreckels Organ, San Diego): the team tried DPA, Schoeps and Earthworks in omni and cardioid; they preferred DPA and Schoeps and now use Earthworks QTC-40 omnis with a Jecklin disc plus SR40 cardioids.^4,2,5,3

On stage

Nothing found beyond the Shure list.

Problems to watch

Phase between spaced mics, a hall that is too reverberant for a distant pair, wind outdoors, and pipes spread over several locations.^4,2,3

About the range

An 8' stop sounds at unison pitch, 16' an octave lower, 32' two octaves lower. No source gives the total compass, so none is stated. A 32' stop's lowest note would be about C0, 16 Hz (estimate from the pitch rule).¹

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
138.4 dB(C)	Vox Maris (Hey Orgelbau), Guinness record 'loudest pipe organ', 21 Oct 2011⁷

No figure found.

Sources

Wikipedia, Pipe organreference · en.wikipedia.org
DV Info Net forum: Capturing a pipe organ? (2010)forum · dvinfo.net
PS Audio: The Spreckels Organ, a historic musical treasure, part two (interview)engineer · psaudio.com
Sound On Sound: Q. What arrangement of microphones should I use to record a pipe organ? (Hugh Robjohns, 2005)magazine · soundonsound.com
Vaulted Harmonies (UPMC/d'Alembert): Recordings (organ and voices, backstage)educational · vaultedharmonies.pasthasears.dalembert.upmc.fr
Shure: Microphone Techniques for Live Sound Reinforcementmanufacturer · 2007 · music.arts.uci.edu
Guinness World Records: Loudest pipe organreference · 2011 · guinnessworldrecords.com