Brass
Trombone
Brass: Trumpet, horn, trombone, tuba and their relatives. Brass is loud close to the bell, so a mic's maximum SPL matters as much as its response.
Part of the Brass family; that family's advice shows here too.
- Range
- E2–F5
- Overtones to
- about 3.1 kHz
- Peaks up close
- up to 135 dB SPL
- Sources
- 12 (9 independent)
Mics sources recommend
21 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
- AKG D1121 independent source
- DPA 4011A maker's advice1 source, 0 independent
- Electro-Voice RE201 independent source
- Neumann U 872 independent sources
- Peluso 22471 independent source
- Sennheiser MD 4211 independent source
- Sennheiser MD 4411 independent source
- cardioid dynamic, large-diaphragm condenser or ribbon (type only)1 independent source
Multi-mic plan
- Royer R-121 maker's advice1 source, 0 independent
- Royer SF-12 maker's advice1 source, 0 independent
- Royer SF-24 maker's advice1 source, 0 independent
Distant
- AKG C2141 independent source
- Blue Baby Bottle1 independent source
- Coles 40381 independent source
- Neumann U 871 independent source
- ribbon (type only)1 independent source
Spot
- beyerdynamic M 881 independent source
Room
- Royer SF-121 independent source
The 15 setups behind this: placement and quotes
- Close DPA 4011Aclose, 30-50 cm from the bell, slightly off axis
4011A/4011C perfect for close miking, very high SPL; 30 to 50 cm from the bell, slightly off axis (paraphrase).
1 - Close Peluso 2247in front of the bell, to the player's right of the stand
Trombone: in front of the bell, not too far inside it or the attack is lost (paraphrase).
2 - Close Electro-Voice RE20 or Sennheiser MD 421close, similar to trumpet
Trombone: RE20, MD 421, ribbons, AKG D12/D112 for the bottom end (paraphrase). ... Listed for trombone with the RE20 and ribbons (paraphrase).
3 - Close AKG D112close; chosen for the low end
The range goes more than an octave below the trumpet, so pick mics that do justice to the bottom end (paraphrase).
3 - Close Neumann U 87close, 6-12 in from the bell edge
Trumpets and trombones share this advice: large-diaphragm cardioid condenser, or a ribbon for a darker tone (paraphrase).
4 - Multi-mic plan each player: Royer R-121 + overhead: Royer SF-12 or Royer SF-24one per player at 1-2 ft, plus a stereo overhead
Engineers typically use one R-121 per musician at 1-2 feet, plus a stereo ribbon overhead (paraphrase).
5 - Close Neumann U 87close, within 0.5 m of the bell (use the pad)
Same advice as for trumpet; trombones are roughly 5 dB louder still (paraphrase).
6 - Distant Coles 4038distance, no closer than about 1 m, with a pop screen
Ribbons no closer than a metre, with a pop screen (paraphrase).
6 - Distant AKG C214 or Neumann U 87close, one per player, 3-4 ft back and slightly above the bell
Trombone section: large-diaphragm condensers (C214, U87, Blue Baby Bottle) 3-4 ft back, slightly above the bell (paraphrase). ... Trombone section close mics, about four feet back and slightly above the bell.
7 - Distant Blue Baby Bottleclose, one per player, 3-4 ft back
One of the large-diaphragm condensers used on the trombone section (paraphrase).
7 - Spot beyerdynamic M 88additional close mic
M 88 used as an extra close mic on the trombones (summaries differ on how).
7 - Room Royer SF-12room, 12-15 ft
Stereo ribbon room mic 12-15 ft from the section.
7 - Distant ribbon (type only)distance, closer than trumpet, about 30 degrees off axis
For trombone, closer placement at roughly 30 degrees off-axis works better (paraphrase).
8 - Close Sennheiser MD 441close, nearer than for trumpet, off the bell axis
Dynamic mics advised; MD 441 named; clip-ons only without mutes because of condensation (paraphrase).
9 - Close cardioid dynamic, large-diaphragm condenser or ribbon (type only)distance, about 14 in from the bell
Same options as trumpet, starting further away, about 14 inches, because it is louder (paraphrase).
10
On stage
Clip-on
- DPA 4062 (variant of the DPA 4060) maker's advice1 source, 0 independent
- DPA 4099 CORE+ maker's advice1 source, 0 independent
- Shure BETA 98H/C maker's advice1 source, 0 independent
- Shure PGA98H-XLR maker's advice1 source, 0 independent
Close
- Sennheiser MD 4411 independent source
The 6 setups behind this: placement and quotes
- Clip-on DPA 4062 (variant of the DPA 4060)clip-on, on the instrument
The omni gives the most natural sound at low levels of amplification (paraphrase).
1 - Clip-on Shure BETA 98H/Cclip-on, on the bell, 1-2 ft
Listed with the SM137 and PGA98H-XLR for brass (trumpet, cornet, trombone, tuba).
11 - Close Sennheiser MD 441
blijkbaar zijn er wel heel veel trombonisten en trompetisten die dat gebruiken (the sound engineer, as Tomas relayed it)
12 - Clip-on Brass advice DPA 4099 CORE+clip-on for brass
4099 for instrument-mounted live use gives more isolation and gain before feedback than the omni (paraphrase).
1 - Clip-on Brass advice DPA 4099 CORE+clip-on for brass
The 4099 gives much more isolation and higher gain before feedback than the omni (paraphrase).
1 - Clip-on Brass advice Shure PGA98H-XLRclip-on, brass
A condenser optimised for brass, with horn clamp and in-line preamp (paraphrase).
11
Range
E2 to about F51382.4 Hz – 698 Hz
Pedal notes Bb1 down to E1 below the normal range (VSL); lower with an F attachment.
| Pedal | E1–Bb1 | dark, distant, focused |
|---|---|---|
| Low | E2–F3 | dark, weighty, dense |
| Middle | F#3–F4 | metallic, heroic; mysterious when soft |
| High | F#4–F5 | brilliant, intense |
Overtones reach about 3.1 kHz (the highest harmonic within 40 dB of the strongest, at a moderate level; louder playing reaches higher)14.
Where the sound comes from
The sound
Many strong harmonics with a broad peak around 500-600 Hz; like all brass, much brighter when loud.
Where the sound goes
Along the bell axis; DPA's off-axis tip is the same as for trumpet.6,1
Recording it
- Where: slightly off the bell axis (about 30°); the highs beam straight out of the bell, and on-axis sounds harsh and risks wind blast
- Distance: about 2 m for a natural sound (SOS); a few inches to a foot for a bright close sound (Shure)
- Mics: large-diaphragm condensers; avoid vocal mics with presence peaks. Ribbons (smooth highs) and dynamics (on stage) are also common
- Watch: leave room for the slide; very loud peaks close to the bell23,24
Estimate: Not found in the sources checked (general practice): Mics.
On stage
Playing techniques
- Slide glissando: a continuous slide up to a tritone
- Mutes: straight (thinner), cup (softer), plunger (wah)
- Flutter-tonguing: a rough tremolo13
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 | |
|---|---|
| 90–106 dB | at 3 m; UK Sound Advice table of representative noise levels, row 'Trombone' (single musician) secondary15 |
| 85–114 dB | not stated; hearingconservation.org decibel chart, 'Sound Levels of Music' secondary16 |
| 57–102 dB(Z) | at 1 m; Modern tenor trombone (Bb/F), derived from the TU Berlin sound power values estimate17 |
| Peaks | |
| 109 dB | not stated (peak column of the same table); UK Sound Advice table of representative noise levels, row 'Trombone' secondary15 |
| 135 dB | at 0.5 m; SOS: 'A trombone is roughly 5dB louder still' than a trumpet (about 130 dB SPL at 0.5 m) estimate secondary6 |
| 99–110 dB(A) | at the player; same study, LASmax (slow) per rehearsal or concert18 |
| 118–128 dB(C) | at the player; same study, LCpeak per rehearsal or concert18 |
| Dynamic range | |
| 45 dB(Z) | sound power, whole range; Modern tenor trombone (Bb/F), Weinzierl et al. 2018, Table I estimate17 |
| Player's exposure (dosimeter) | |
| 91 dB | at the player; Sound Advice example: typical symphony performance level, 'eg trombone/French horn' secondary15 |
| 84–90 dB(A) | at the player (meters on tripods with microphones close to the players); Polish opera and symphony orchestras, group rehearsals, concerts and performances; 24 samples18 |
| 85.3 dB(A) | personal dosimeter; RCM student orchestra trombonist, worst day LEP,d19 |
| 90.7–95.7 dB(A) | dosimeter microphone on the shoulder; Portuguese symphony orchestra, general rehearsals of five repertoires (one trombone position)20 |
| 88.4–101.6 dB(A) | dosimeter on the student; Jazz students (Portugal), classes with instrument practice, dosimeter over two weeks21 |
| Sound power | |
| 128 dB | maximum sound power level Lw (re 1 pW), no distance; Sengpielaudio table of maximum possible sound power, row 'Posaune' (6.4 W) secondary22 |
| 68–113 dB(Z) | sound power level Lw (dB re 1 pW), not a sound pressure at a distance; Modern tenor trombone (Bb/F), single notes over the whole range played as soft and as loud as possible, anechoic chamber TU Berlin, 32-mic spherical array17 |
| 82–112 dB(Z) | sound power level Lw (dB re 1 pW), repertoire-weighted average; Modern tenor trombone (Bb/F), pp and ff sound power averaged over the range, weighted by how often each pitch occurs in Beethoven's symphonies17 |
Roughly 5 dB louder than trumpet (about 135 dB SPL near the bell, by inference; SOS gives only the 5 dB difference). UK Sound Advice table: 90-106 dB at 3 m, peak 109 dB. In the RCM dosimeter study the trombonist's worst day was 85.3 dB(A).6,15,19
Sources
- DPA Mic University: How to mic a trumpet and trombone
- Production Expert: What to listen for when recording brass
- Recording Magazine: Miking Brass and Winds
- Recording Magazine: Miking the Horn Section
- Royer Labs: Introduction to Recording Brass
- Sound On Sound: Q. How do I record brass in the home studio?
- Sound On Sound: Session Notes, The Practical Craft Of Recording Brass
- Summersong: Recording Brass Instruments
- Thomann Online Expert: Recording wind instruments, brass
- Yamaha Hub: Recording Acoustic Instruments, Part 3
- Shure: How to Choose the Best Mics for Brass, Wind, and String Instruments
- Tomas's field note: Ma Petite's trumpet on an MD 441 at CaDansa
- Vienna Symphonic Library Academy: Tenor trombone
- SHARC Timbre Database v2 (Gregory Sandell): harmonic analyses of McGill University Master Samples
- Representative noise levels table with orchestra noise guidance (UK Sound Advice material)
- Decibel (Loudness) Comparison Chart, hearingconservation.org
- JASA: Sound power and timbre as cues for the dynamic strength of orchestral instruments (Weinzierl, Lepa, Schultz, Detzner, von Coler, Behler)
- JOSE: Evaluation of Sound Exposure and Risk of Hearing Impairment in Orchestral Musicians (Pawlaczyk-Luszczynska, Dudarewicz, Zamojska, Sliwinska-Kowalska)
- Backus, Clark and Williamon: Noise exposure and hearing thresholds among orchestral musicians (ISPS 2007)
- Noise & Health: Evaluation of the noise exposure of symphonic orchestra musicians (Rodrigues, Freitas, Neves, Silva)
- 3rd International Congress on Environmental Health (Porto 2014), abstract: noise exposure of jazz and classical music students
- Sengpielaudio (UdK Berlin): Stoerquelle - Musikinstrument? (maximum sound power of instruments)
- Sound On Sound: Recording Brass & Reeds
- Shure: Microphone Techniques for Live Sound Reinforcement