Instrument
Steel guitar
Electric guitars played flat with a steel bar and no frets. The lap steel has 6-8 strings and no pedals; the pedal steel is a table instrument with ten strings (typically), foot pedals and knee levers that change string pitch. Sacred steel, country, Hawaiian and western swing use them. A resonator (dobro, acoustic lap steel) is a different instrument; see its entry.1,2,3
Also called lap steel, pedal steel.
- Range
- B2–G#6
- Sources
- 4 (4 independent)
Mics sources recommend
12 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
Close
- Earthworks QTC11 independent source
- Neumann KM 1841 independent source
- Neumann U 47 FET1 independent source
- Royer R-1211 independent source
- Schoeps Colette series omni1 independent source
- Sennheiser MD 4211 independent source
- Sennheiser MD 421 II1 independent source
- Sennheiser MD 4411 independent source
- Shure 520DX Green Bullet1 independent source
- Shure SM571 independent source
- Shure SM7B1 independent source
- matched pair of ribbon mics (Coles 300 named in the thread)1 independent source
- ribbon mic on the amp1 independent source
Multi-mic plan
- Shure SM571 independent source
- large-diaphragm condenser1 independent source
Room
- Rode NT10001 independent source
Direct
- Sennheiser MD 4211 independent source
The 10 setups behind this: placement and quotes
- Close Neumann U 47 FET or Royer R-121 or Neumann KM 184 or Schoeps Colette series omni or Sennheiser MD 421 II or Sennheiser MD 441amp mic
Vintage Neumann FET 47, best mic overall for the sort of sessions I was doing; I bought a Lawson version. ... Over the years I switched to a Royer 121 ribbon. Really great mic. Different flavor. ... I use small diaphragm mics pretty often too. A Neumann 184 cardioid has a great sound. ... A Schoeps Colette series omni is a different world; no proximity effect; lows to 20 Hz. ... The Sennheiser MD 421II is the most transparent non-tone-shaping mic I have used. ... I know SM57s, 421s and 441s are used a lot; of those I tried I like the 57 or the 441.
4 - Close Shure SM57amp mic, 6-8 in off centre of cone
Any good mic should be fine; an SM-57 is ok; a Neumann or large-diaphragm mic might be better (forum poster).
5 - Close Earthworks QTC1amp mic, uncoloured
A small diaphragm cardioid like the Earthworks QTC1 is a good choice if you do not want to colour the sound.
5 - Multi-mic plan close: Shure SM57 + back: large-diaphragm condenserclose mic plus a condenser further back
Use a Shure 57 or 58 right up on the amp and a Rode NT 1000 about 3 feet away and record together.
6 - Close Sennheiser MD 421 or Shure SM7Bamp mic
Sennheiser 421! A 57 works good, too; nice midrange bump. ... The Shure SM7b, a broadcast mike that sounds like an SM57 but with much better low end.
6 - Room Rode NT1000room, about 3 ft from amp
Use a Shure 57 or 58 right up on the amp and a Rode NT 1000 about 3 feet away and record together.
6 - Close ribbon mic on the ampamp mic
A ribbon mike will capture the most authentic sound coming out of your amp; an SDC will come close, an LDC adds colour.
6 - Close Shure 520DX Green Bulletamp mic, for a different sound
Try a Shure Green Bullet for something different. Don't laugh until you try it.
6 - Direct Sennheiser MD 421amp mic, close; plus DI and room LDC
DI after the volume pedal, close mic the amp (usually a Sennheiser 421), and an ambient room mic, a large-capsule condenser.
7 - Close 2 × matched pair of ribbon mics (Coles 300 named in the thread)amp mic, matched pair
Coles ribbons are great mics; I was thinking of recording through a matched pair of Coles 300 ribbon mics.
7
On stage
Close
- Sennheiser e6091 independent source
The 1 setup behind this: placement and quotes
- Close Sennheiser e609amp mic, live
Live I really like Sennheiser 609 or 906, and those or an SM57 are quick in the studio.
4
Studio and stage
Close
- Shure SM571 independent source
The 1 setup behind this: placement and quotes
- Close Shure SM57amp mic
If you're already content with the SM57, stick with it; it carries authority that no-one will ever question.
4
Range
B2 to about G#68,9123 Hz – 1.66 kHz
10-string E9 (Nashville) pedal steel, strings 1-10: F#4 D#4 G#4 E4 B3 G#3 F#3 E3 D3 B2 (Wikipedia), so the lowest open note is B2. Impact Soundworks sampled a standard E9 guitar up to the 21st fret on most strings and the 26th on the highest string; F#4 plus 26 frets = G#6 (my calculation, assuming 'highest string' means string 1). Pedals and knee levers raise or lower strings by up to two steps, so a little more is possible. (earlier: lowest open string of an E9 pedal steel; not confirmed on a page)
The sound
A pickup sends the signal to an amplifier; the loudspeaker is the sound source (Wikipedia: pedal steel "its sound is transmitted by an electric pickup to an amplifier"). A typical modern E9 pedal steel has ten strings, three foot pedals and five knee levers, with an external volume pedal between the guitar and amp.2
Where the sound goes
Amp cabinet; one player prefers the mic pointed at "the meat of the cone", 6-8 in off centre, not too close.5
Recording it
- Mic type: the Steel Guitar Forum players name the SM57 as the standard stand-by, the MD 421 (often) and ribbons. One veteran says "a ribbon mike will capture the most authentic sound coming out of your amp", an SDC comes close with a few more highs and an LDC adds colour. A session player's favourites over the years were a vintage Neumann FET 47 (and a Lawson copy) and then a Royer R-121, with a KM 184 for small-diaphragm work, and a Schoeps Colette omni for extended range. Another poster finds the MD 421 II "the most transparent non-tone-shaping mic".
- Blends: dynamic on the cone plus a condenser a couple of feet back, or an SM57 on the amp and a Rode NT1000 about 3 ft away, recorded together. One engineer's setup: a DI right after the volume pedal, a close-miked amp (usually a 421), a large-capsule room mic, and a DI of the amp's FX loop. Matched ribbons (Coles 300) are suggested.
- Dry or wet: several posters say track the part dry (DI or a miked amp without reverb or delay) so effects can be added later; others record their full sound through the amp.
- Distance: right on the grille cloth with baffling when playing live in a studio with other instruments; about 10 ft in front for a solo "room sound".6,4,7,5
On stage
Nothing from a non-forum source. DI, SM57 and 421 on the amp are the common answers.4,6
Problems to watch
The studio engineer may never have recorded a steel before; recording effects to tape is permanent; ribbons must not get phantom power. No source gives noise problems.5,6
About the range
No sourced pitch range found (thin). Tunings are the issue: C6 (common on 1920s-30s lap steels), E9 (Nashville pedal steel) and open chord tunings; the page gives no octaves. A pedal steel E9 reaches down to about B2 on the lowest open string (estimate, not confirmed in a page opened).2,3
Sources
- Wikipedia, Steel guitar
- Wikipedia, Pedal steel guitar
- Wikipedia, Lap steel guitar
- The Steel Guitar Forum: Favorite mic for steel (thread)
- The Steel Guitar Forum: First time in the studio on steel, need advice (2001 thread)
- The Steel Guitar Forum: Best Mic to record Steel Guitar (2006 thread)
- The Steel Guitar Forum: Techniques for recording Steel Guitar (thread)
- Wikipedia: E9 tuning
- Impact Soundworks: Pedal Steel user manual