Mic Archive

Saxophones

Soprano saxophone

Saxophones: Soprano, alto, tenor and baritone saxophone. Many sources write for 'sax' in general, so their advice is filed here and shows on each member's page.

Also called soprano saxophone.

Part of the Saxophones family; that family's advice shows here too.

Range
Ab3–E6
Overtones to
about 3.7 kHz
Peaks up close
up to 113 dB SPL
Sources
12 (9 independent)

Recommended mics

Mics sources recommend

26 setups from 12 sources, 9 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

  • Coles 40381 independent source
  • Electro-Voice RE201 independent source
  • Neumann U 871 independent source
  • RODE NT11 independent source
  • Sennheiser MD 4212 independent sources
  • Shure SM581 independent source
  • close mic at the bell (type only)1 independent source
  • condenser or dynamic (type only)1 independent source
  • condenser or ribbon (type only)1 independent source
  • large dynamic (type only)1 independent source
  • large-diaphragm cardioid condenser (type only)1 independent source
  • large-diaphragm condenser, cardioid (type only)1 independent source
  • tube condenser (type only)1 independent source
  • type only1 independent source

Room

Named, no placement given

The 18 setups behind this: placement and quotes
  • Close type only
    close, above the instrument at about the midpoint, aimed straight down
    For soprano sax, place the mic above the sax at about the midpoint, aimed straight down.1
  • Close tube condenser (type only)
    close, above the end of the sax, aimed halfway up the body
    Position a tube condenser above the end of the sax, aimed halfway up the body (paraphrase).2
  • Close condenser or dynamic (type only)
    close, about 1 ft from the midpoint, aimed square at the body
    On a straight soprano I aim the mic perpendicularly, approximately one foot away from the mid point of the horn.3
  • Room Saxophones advice Coles 4038
    room ambience must be good
    Pete Thomas (saxophonist and producer): Coles 4038 is great for saxophones (paraphrase).4
  • Named, no placement given Saxophones advice Neumann U 87
    studio, listed among suitable condensers
    Pete Thomas lists U87 and U47 among studio condensers suitable for sax (paraphrase).4
  • Named, no placement given Saxophones advice Sennheiser MD 421 or Electro-Voice RE20
    studio, listed as fine
    Pete Thomas: RE20 and the Sennheiser 421 are fine for saxophone recording (paraphrase).4
  • Close Saxophones advice Sennheiser MD 421
    studio, close
    Praised for smooth tones by two posters (paraphrase).5
  • Close Saxophones advice Neumann U 87 or Electro-Voice RE20 or Coles 4038 or RODE NT1 or Shure SM58
    distance, 12-18 in, aimed between the bell end and the player's left hand
    A well-balanced portrait of the sax's whole range is usually attained 12 to 18 inches from the horn.3
  • Close Saxophones advice Electro-Voice RE20 or Coles 4038 or Sennheiser MD 421
    close, 12-18 in
    Personal favorites include the Neumann U 87 condenser, the Electro-Voice RE20 dynamic, and the Coles 4038 ribbon (saxophones in general). ... You can't go wrong with a Sennheiser MD 421 (saxophones in general).3
  • Close Saxophones advice Shure SM58
    close
    Some of my most cherished sax sounds were recorded with a Shure SM58 (saxophones in general).3
  • Close Saxophones advice Neumann U 87 or Electro-Voice RE20 or Coles 4038 or Sennheiser MD 421 or Shure SM58
    close
    Personal favorites include the Neumann U 87 condenser, the Electro-Voice RE20 dynamic, and the Coles 4038 ribbon (saxophones in general). ... You can't go wrong with a Sennheiser MD 421 (saxophones in general). ... Some of my most cherished sax sounds were recorded with a Shure SM58 (saxophones in general).3
  • Close Saxophones advice large-diaphragm cardioid condenser (type only)
    distance, about 1 ft from the bell, 45 degrees up; or a second mic about 6 in below the bell
    One foot from the bell at about 45 degrees up; or two mics, one above the keys and one below the bell (paraphrase).6
  • Named, no placement given Saxophones advice Royer R-121
    comparison, Albini against the Coles 4038
    Albini compared the R-121 and Coles 4038 on saxophone on a demo CD (page gives no verdict).7
  • Named, no placement given Saxophones advice Coles 4038
    comparison, Albini against the R-121
    Albini compared the R-121 and Coles 4038 on saxophone on a demo CD (page gives no verdict).7
  • Close Saxophones advice large-diaphragm condenser, cardioid (type only)
    distance, 18 in, aimed just below the middle of the body
    Large-diaphragm condenser about 18 inches away, aimed just below the midpoint (paraphrase).8
  • Close Saxophones advice large dynamic (type only)
    distance, 18 in, aimed just below the middle of the body
    Large dynamic microphones offer a fuller, softer alternative (paraphrase).8
  • Close Saxophones advice close mic at the bell (type only)
    close, very close to the upturned bell, pop style
    In pop music sax mics sit very close to the upturned bells, for a bright, raspy sound (paraphrase).9
  • Close Saxophones advice condenser or ribbon (type only)
    distance, about 18 in, over the bell aimed at the middle of the keys
    Both condenser and ribbon mics do a good job; aim over the bell at the middle of the keys (paraphrase).10

Studio and stage

Named, no placement given

Close

  • DPA 4006ES (variant of the DPA 4006A) maker's advice1 source, 0 independent
  • Shure SM571 independent source
The 4 setups behind this: placement and quotes
  • Named, no placement given Saxophones advice Shure SM57
    Pete Thomas calls the SM57/SM58 a great versatile mic that needs no phantom power (paraphrase).4
  • Close Saxophones advice DPA 4006ES (variant of the DPA 4006A)
    close, beside the bell on the player's right
    The spot slightly to the player's right-hand side, next to the bell, is a good starting position.11
  • Close Saxophones advice Shure SM57
    budget, close
    Most-mentioned mic in the thread (about 7 posters by my tally); aim more at the body of the sax for a warmer sound (paraphrase).5
  • Named, no placement given Saxophones advice Shure SM58
    budget
    Mentioned about 3 times by my tally as the dynamic alternative (paraphrase).5

On stage

Clip-on

Close

  • DPA 4011ES (variant of the DPA 4011A) maker's advice1 source, 0 independent
  • Shure SM137 maker's advice1 source, 0 independent
The 4 setups behind this: placement and quotes
  • Clip-on Saxophones advice DPA 4099 CORE+
    clip-on, on the bell (saxophone clip STC4099)
    4099 CORE+ with the STC4099 saxophone clip listed as the directional instrument option.11
  • Close Saxophones advice DPA 4011ES (variant of the DPA 4011A)
    close, beside the bell, for isolation on a noisy stage
    Directional (cardioid) mics isolate the sax from stage noise but bring proximity effect (paraphrase).11
  • Clip-on Saxophones advice Shure PGA98H
    clip-on, a few inches from the bell
    A few inches from and aiming at the bell gives a bright sound with reduced feedback and leakage (paraphrase).12
  • Close Saxophones advice Shure SM137
    close, a few inches from the bell
    The sax is like the human voice, so a shaped-response (vocal) mic works well (paraphrase).12

Range

Ab3 to about E613,14208 Hz – 1.32 kHz

B-flat soprano; sounds a major second below written (written Bb3-F#6). Altissimo goes higher.

LowAb3–B4full, can be reedy
UpperC5–E6sweet to piercing
AltissimoF6–C7thin, piercing

Written registers: low B-flat3-C#5 (no octave key), upper D5-F#6 (octave key), altissimo above; converted to sounding pitch. Boundaries are the usual fingering split, not a sharp change in tone.

Overtones reach about 3.7 kHz (the highest harmonic within 40 dB of the strongest, at a moderate level; louder playing reaches higher)14.

The sound

Ross says most sopranos are edgy, reedy and nasal, so he warms and rounds the upper partials, and cuts below the bottom note with a high-pass at 200 Hz (the September low note is Ab3 = 208 Hz).3

Where the sound goes

Ross says aiming at the midpoint picks up mainly the tone holes, at least 90 degrees off the bell axis, and that this suits the soprano sound best.3

Recording it

Playing techniques

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.

Playing level
75–110 dBat 3 m; UK Sound Advice table of representative noise levels, row 'Saxophone' (single musician) secondary15
Peaks
113 dBnot stated (peak column of the same table); UK Sound Advice table of representative noise levels, row 'Saxophone' secondary15

Only the one "saxophone" line, 75-110 dB at 3 m, peak 113 dB, in the Sound Advice table. Nothing specific to soprano.15

Sources

  1. Bobby Owsinski: Saxophone miking (excerpt from The Recording Engineer's Handbook)educational · bobbyowsinskiblog.com
  2. Production Expert: Free woodwind and sax recording techniques (2020)magazine · production-expert.com
  3. Recording Magazine: Miking Brass and WindsBob Ross · magazine · recordingmag.com
  4. Cafe Saxophone: Recording saxophones (Pete Thomas, 2025)engineer · cafesaxophone.com
  5. HomeRecording.com forum: Which microphone to studio record a saxophone?forum · homerecording.com
  6. Recording Magazine: Miking the Horn SectionMichael Schulze · magazine · recordingmag.com
  7. Royer Labs library: Steve Albini microphone comparisonsmanufacturer · royerlabs.com
  8. Sound On Sound: Q. How do I mike up woodwind instruments? (Hugh Robjohns, Nov 2003)magazine · soundonsound.com
  9. Sound On Sound: Q. How do I record brass in the home studio?Paul White and Hugh Robjohns · magazine · 2008-03 · soundonsound.com
  10. Yamaha Hub: Recording Acoustic Instruments, Part 3Mike Levine · magazine · 2022 · hub.yamaha.com
  11. DPA Mic University: How to mic a saxophonemanufacturer · dpamicrophones.com
  12. Shure: How to Choose the Best Mics for Brass, Wind, and String Instrumentsmanufacturer · shure.com
  13. Wikipedia: Saxophone (written range, transpositions, high F#, low A on baritone)reference · en.wikipedia.org
  14. MTG Solo Saxophones (Music Technology Group, UPF, via Freesound; SFZ by kinwie), CC BY 4.0; own FFT analysisgithub.com
  15. Representative noise levels table with orchestra noise guidance (UK Sound Advice material)eclass-b.uoa.gr
  16. Sound On Sound: Recording Brass & ReedsHugh Robjohns · magazine · 1999 · soundonsound.com