Brass

Trumpet

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: E3–Bb5
Overtones to: about 5.6 kHz
Peaks up close: up to 140 dB SPL
Sources: 14 (9 independent)

Recommended mics

Mics sources recommend

26 setups from 14 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 C4141 independent source
beyerdynamic M 1601 independent source
beyerdynamic M 881 independent source
DPA 4011A maker's advice1 source, 0 independent
Electro-Voice RE201 independent source
Neumann U 872 independent sources
Peluso 22471 independent source
Royer R-121 maker's advice2 sources, 1 independent
Sennheiser MD 4211 independent source
Shure SM7 (earlier version of the Shure SM7B)1 independent source
cardioid dynamic, large-diaphragm condenser or ribbon (type only)1 independent source

Named, no placement given

Royer R-121 maker's advice1 source, 0 independent

Distant

AEA R441 independent source
Coles 40381 independent source
Electro-Voice RE201 independent source
Neumann U 871 independent source
Royer R-121 maker's advice1 source, 0 independent
Royer R-122 maker's advice1 source, 0 independent
ribbon (type only); condenser and dynamic described as brighter1 independent source

Room

Royer SF-121 independent source

The 18 setups behind this: placement and quotes

Close DPA 4011A
close, 30-50 cm from the bell, slightly off axis
4011A/4011C perfect for close miking and handle very high SPL; 30 to 50 cm from the bell, slightly off axis (paraphrase).¹
Close Peluso 2247
in front of the bell, with some space so it does not turn harsh
Trumpet: mic in front of the bell with a bit of space; the writer used a Peluso 2247 (paraphrase).²
Close Royer R-121
solo trumpet, about 2 ft from the bell, slightly off-axis
Wayne Bergeron album: R-121 or R-122 about two feet from the bell, slightly off axis (Royer press piece).³
Close Sennheiser MD 421
close, on-axis about 12 in from the bell
Trumpet: MD 421/441, EV RE20/RE15/RE27, Shure SM7, beyerdynamic M 160/260/500 ribbons; 135-140 dB SPL, keep a pad within reach (paraphrase).⁴
Close Electro-Voice RE20 or beyerdynamic M 160 or Shure SM7 (earlier version of the Shure SM7B)
close, about 12 in from the bell
Listed with the 421/441 and RE15/RE27 for trumpet (paraphrase). ... Listed among ribbons for trumpet with the M 260 and M 500 (paraphrase). ... Listed among dynamics for trumpet (paraphrase).⁴
Close Neumann U 87
close, 6-12 in from the bell edge
Large-diaphragm cardioid condenser, Neumann U 87 named as premium choice, 6 to 12 inches from the bell edge (paraphrase).⁵
Close Royer R-121
close, for a darker tone
Ribbon alternative for a darker tone: beyerdynamic M 160, AEA R84, Royer R-121, Coles 4038 (paraphrase).⁵
Named, no placement given Royer R-121
comparison against Neumann U 67 and RCA 77DX
Albini compared the R-121, Neumann U 67 and RCA 77DX on trumpet (page gives no verdict).⁶
Distant Royer R-122
distance, 2-5 ft in front, about 6 in below the line of sight of the bell
Place the mic 2 to 5 feet in front of the instrument and about 6 inches below the line of sight of the bell.⁷
Distant Royer R-121
distance, 2-5 ft in front, below the bell axis
Smooth ribbon highs reduce the harshness common with other mic types (paraphrase).⁷
Close Neumann U 87 or AKG C414
close, within 0.5 m of the bell (use the pad)
Large-diaphragm condensers (U87, C414) within half a metre of the bell; engage the pad (paraphrase).⁸
Distant Coles 4038 or AEA R44
distance, no closer than about 1 m, with a pop screen
Ribbons (Coles 4038, AEA R44) no closer than a metre, with a pop screen (paraphrase).⁸
Distant Neumann U 87
close, 3-5 ft from the bell, slightly above and off-axis
Solo trumpet close mic about 3-5 ft away, slightly above, off-axis, plus a stereo ribbon room mic (summaries differ on the distance).⁹
Close beyerdynamic M 88
close, about 2 ft, off-axis to the side
Second close mic on the trumpet, about 2 ft away; engineer added a Royer SF-12 stereo ribbon room mic.⁹
Room Royer SF-12
room, 12-15 ft
Stereo ribbon room mic 12-15 ft from the players; the part worked better with it muted in the mix (paraphrase).⁹
Distant ribbon (type only); condenser and dynamic described as brighter
distance, 4-6 ft, a few inches above or below the bell's line of sight, about 40 degrees off axis
A ribbon mic will generally give you the most full and natural trumpet sound.¹⁰
Distant Electro-Voice RE20
distance, about 1 m, aimed at the bell, slightly offset
Dynamic mics advised (condensers and ribbons risk overload at about 140 dB); RE20 named; about 1 m, slightly offset (paraphrase).¹¹
Close cardioid dynamic, large-diaphragm condenser or ribbon (type only)
distance, about 10 in, at the bell centre
A cardioid dynamic mic is a good choice; a large-diaphragm condenser can work too; start about 10 inches away (paraphrase).¹²

On stage

Clip-on

DPA 4062 (variant of the DPA 4060) maker's advice1 source, 0 independent
DPA 4099 CORE+ maker's advice2 sources, 1 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
Shure SM137 maker's advice1 source, 0 independent

The 8 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 amplification (paraphrase).¹
Clip-on Shure BETA 98H/C
clip-on, on the bell, 1-2 ft
BETA 98H/C lets you clip right on the horn; a wireless solution for high-volume brass (paraphrase).¹³
Close Shure SM137
stand, 1-2 ft from the bell
SM137 has a 15 dB pad for high-volume performance applications (paraphrase).¹³
Clip-on DPA 4099 CORE+
clip-on, trumpet version
Clip-on mics such as the DPA 4099 Trumpet keep distance and angle constant on stage (paraphrase).¹¹
Close Sennheiser MD 441
dat klinkt goed op alles. Alle sources, maar blijkbaar zijn er wel heel veel trombonisten en trompetisten die dat gebruiken (the sound engineer, as Tomas relayed it)¹⁴
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-XLR
clip-on, brass
A condenser optimised for brass, with horn clamp and in-line preamp (paraphrase).¹³

Advised against

Close condenser (type only)
close, bell-on
Condensers can add an unwanted piercing quality through their high-end boost (paraphrase).¹⁰
Close condenser or ribbon (type only)
avoid for close trumpet: sensitive to the very high SPL (about 140 dB)
Avoid sensitive condensers or ribbon mics because of the high sound pressure (paraphrase).¹¹

Range

E3 to about Bb5¹⁵165 Hz – 932 Hz

B-flat trumpet, sounds a major second below written (written F#3-C6). Lead players go to about F6 sounding or higher.

Written F#3 to C6; the range above is sounding pitch.

Low	E3–Eb4	dark, metallic; fewer overtones
Middle	E4–E5	brilliant, full, rounded
High	F5–Bb5	bright, penetrating

VSL gives registers for the C trumpet (written = sounding F#3-F4, G4-F#5, G5-C6); converted here to B-flat trumpet sounding pitch.

Overtones reach about 5.6 kHz (the highest harmonic within 40 dB of the strongest, at a moderate level; louder playing reaches higher)¹⁶.

B-flat trumpet: The usual trumpet; sounds a major second below written. The range above is for it.¹⁵
C trumpet: Sounds as written. VSL's registers and SHARC's spectrum are for the C trumpet.^15,16

Where the sound comes from

bell: faces along the bell axis (backwards on the horn); very directional^8,13

The highs beam straight out along the bell axis; off axis sounds darker.^8,13

The sound

Brass tone gets much brighter as it gets louder: at mf the harmonics above 3-4 kHz are weak, at ff they reach well past 10 kHz. The bell also beams the highs straight ahead.²⁴

Recording it

Sources agree on the kind of placement, not the distance: from 6-12 in (bright, close) through 1-2 ft and about 1 m to 2-6 ft (more room). Closer means brighter and noisier.
Slightly off the bell axis, or a little below its line of sight; on axis sounds harsh.
Large-diaphragm condensers, ribbons and dynamics are all recommended by independent sources; none is a consensus. Two sources warn against condensers or ribbons right at the bell (SPL, piercing highs).
Check the mic's maximum SPL and keep a pad in reach.^{1,8,5,4,12,11,13,7,10,9}

Mutes

Straight: bright, nasal, thinner
Cup: soft, rounder, highs damped
Harmon: thin and buzzy; with the stem, a "wah"
Plunger: "wah-wah" by hand¹⁵

Estimate: Not found in the sources checked (general practice): Straight, Cup, Harmon, Plunger.

Frequency areas

Boom and mud: 100–200 Hz
Honk: 500–800 Hz
Attack or harshness: 1–5 kHz
Brightness and air: 5–10 kHz^25,26

Problems to watch

The noisy part of the sound is near the bell; the quality sound develops further out (Gary Grant).³

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
96 dB or more	at 4 m; loud playing⁸
88–108 dB	at 3 m; orchestral playing; peak 113 dB¹⁷
88–108 dB	at 3 m; UK Sound Advice table of representative noise levels, row 'Trumpet' (single musician) secondary¹⁷
63–101 dB(Z)	at 1 m; Modern C trumpet, derived from the TU Berlin sound power values estimate¹⁸
Peaks
130 dB	at 0.5 m; from the bell⁸
135–140 dB	near the bell⁴
140 dB	close¹¹
140 dB or more	close up¹⁹
113 dB	not stated (peak column of the same table); UK Sound Advice table of representative noise levels, row 'Trumpet' secondary¹⁷
101–111 dB(A)	at the player; same study, LASmax (slow) per rehearsal or concert²⁰
119–133 dB(C)	at the player; same study, LCpeak per rehearsal or concert²⁰
120 dB or more(C)	personal dosimeter; Same trumpeter: 305 events above 120 dB(C) in the week²¹
Dynamic range
38 dB(Z)	sound power, whole range; Modern C trumpet, Weinzierl et al. 2018, Table I estimate¹⁸
Player's exposure (dosimeter)
88.4–90.2 dB(A)	player (dosimeter); one student trumpeter over a week: LEP,d 88.4 dB(A) on average, 90.2 on the worst day; 305 events above 120 dB(C)²¹
88 dB	at the player; Sound Advice example: typical symphony performance level, 'eg trumpet' (reaches the 85 dB daily action value in 4 hours) secondary¹⁷
84–91 dB(A)	at the player (meters on tripods with microphones close to the players); Polish opera and symphony orchestras, group rehearsals, concerts and performances; 34 samples²⁰
88.4 dB(A)	personal dosimeter; RCM student orchestra trumpeter, one week of rehearsals and a performance: average daily LEP,d²¹
90.2 dB(A)	personal dosimeter; Same trumpeter, worst day (Monday rehearsal), LEP,d²¹
98.2 dB(A)	shoulder microphones 10-15 cm from the ears; Trumpet students (Warsaw), playing in chamber ensembles²²
Sound power
115 dB	maximum sound power level Lw (re 1 pW), no distance; Sengpielaudio table of maximum possible sound power, row 'Trompete' secondary²³
74–112 dB(Z)	sound power level Lw (dB re 1 pW), not a sound pressure at a distance; Modern C trumpet, single notes over the whole range played as soft and as loud as possible, anechoic chamber TU Berlin, 32-mic spherical array¹⁸
83–107 dB(Z)	sound power level Lw (dB re 1 pW), repertoire-weighted average; Modern C trumpet, pp and ff sound power averaged over the range, weighted by how often each pitch occurs in Beethoven's symphonies¹⁸

Sources

DPA Mic University: How to mic a trumpet and trombonemanufacturer · dpamicrophones.com
Production Expert: What to listen for when recording brassAudrey Martinovich · magazine · 2022-01-24 · production-expert.com
Pro Sound Web: Jazz Trumpeter Wayne Bergeron Chooses Royer For Full Circlemanufacturer · 2016 · prosoundweb.com
Recording Magazine: Miking Brass and WindsBob Ross · magazine · recordingmag.com
Recording Magazine: Miking the Horn SectionMichael Schulze · magazine · recordingmag.com
Royer Labs library: Steve Albini microphone comparisonsmanufacturer · royerlabs.com
Royer Labs: Introduction to Recording Brassmanufacturer · royerlabs.com
Sound On Sound: Q. How do I record brass in the home studio?Paul White and Hugh Robjohns · magazine · 2008-03 · soundonsound.com
Sound On Sound: Session Notes, The Practical Craft Of Recording BrassNeil Rogers · magazine · 2015-09 · soundonsound.com
Summersong: Recording Brass Instrumentsengineer · summersong.net
Thomann Online Expert: Recording wind instruments, brassretailer · thomann.co.uk
Yamaha Hub: Recording Acoustic Instruments, Part 3Mike Levine · magazine · 2022 · hub.yamaha.com
Shure: How to Choose the Best Mics for Brass, Wind, and String Instrumentsmanufacturer · shure.com
Tomas's field note: Ma Petite's trumpet on an MD 441 at CaDansaTomas Fiers (relaying the band's sound engineer) · engineer · 2026-10-18 · github.com
Vienna Symphonic Library Academy: Trumpet in Ceducational · vsl.co.at
SHARC Timbre Database v2 (Gregory Sandell): harmonic analyses of McGill University Master SamplesGregory Sandell · academic · github.com
Representative noise levels table with orchestra noise guidance (UK Sound Advice material)eclass-b.uoa.gr
JASA: Sound power and timbre as cues for the dynamic strength of orchestral instruments (Weinzierl, Lepa, Schultz, Detzner, von Coler, Behler)Stefan Weinzierl et al. · academic · 2018-09 · depositonce.tu-berlin.de
DPA Mic University: How to mic woodwinds and brassmanufacturer · dpamicrophones.com
JOSE: Evaluation of Sound Exposure and Risk of Hearing Impairment in Orchestral Musicians (Pawlaczyk-Luszczynska, Dudarewicz, Zamojska, Sliwinska-Kowalska)Malgorzata Pawlaczyk-Luszczynska et al. · academic · 2011 · portal.ciop.pl
Backus, Clark and Williamon: Noise exposure and hearing thresholds among orchestral musicians (ISPS 2007)academic · 2007 · researchonline.rcm.ac.uk
Noise Control 2022 digital monograph, ch. 4: The risk of musicians' high sound exposure during performances of classical music (Pietrzak, Zera)Agnieszka Paula Pietrzak, Jan Zera · academic · 2022 · ciop.pl
Sengpielaudio (UdK Berlin): Stoerquelle - Musikinstrument? (maximum sound power of instruments)Eberhard Sengpiel · educational · 2006-05 · sengpielaudio.com
Fletcher and Rossing: The Physics of Musical Instruments, 2nd editionacademic · 1998 · doi.org
iZotope: EQ Cheat SheetNick Messitte · magazine · 2023 · izotope.com
Sonicbids: EQ Cheat Sheet, Mixing Frequencies for Every Instrumentmagazine · 2026 · sonicbids.com