Instrument
Shamisen
Three-string Japanese lute with a long fretless neck and a small drum-like body (dou) with skin front and back. Played with a large plectrum (bachi). The lowest string sits low on the nut to make a buzz called sawari (Wikipedia). Three neck sizes: hosozao, chuzao, futozao.
- Sources
- 4 (4 independent)
Mics sources recommend
4 setups from 4 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 and stage
Contact
- AKG C 411 L1 independent source
- piezo disc pickup between skin and bridge (koma), or taped to skin1 independent source
The 2 setups behind this: placement and quotes
- Contact AKG C 411 Lstuck on the front skin of the dou
"Your microphone needs to be on the resonating part of the dou, the front skin." Back skin gives little.
1 - Contact piezo disc pickup between skin and bridge (koma), or taped to skincontact, on the skin
A piezo taped to the skin "works great for both live and recording" (forum post).
2
Studio
Named, no placement given
- microphone preferred over pickup for recording1 independent source
Close
- Neumann KM 1841 independent source
The 2 setups behind this: placement and quotes
- Named, no placement given microphone preferred over pickup for recordingstudio mic
Joel_Balestra: "I'd recommend a mic over a piezo pickup for recording"; pickups convenient live.
3 - Close 2 × Neumann KM 184close and room stereo
Koto, bass koto and shamisen (jiuta style) recorded with MC834, TLM-170 and two KM-184, close and room.
4
Where the sound goes
The front skin is the resonating part. A forum expert: a mic or pickup on the back skin "won't work effectively", though back pickups add warmth in a studio.
Recording it
The Bachido community mostly recommends a mic over a pickup for recording, a pickup for live. Contact options: AKG C 411 L on the front skin, a piezo disc between skin and bridge or taped to the skin, K&K Banjo Twin. Impact Soundworks recorded jiuta-style shamisen with the same MC 834, TLM 170 and two KM 184 as the koto. Clip-on mics inside the dou are fiddly and prone to feedback (search summary).
About the range
Tuned to the singer. Honchoshi is C-F-C (Wikipedia). No absolute range sourced.