How to record a tuba

[DiveBomber]

Let me preface this by saying I am a high school student who is just trying to put together a relatively simply multitrack. I tried recording my tuba with a cell phone with low expectations and got the expected result, I then proceeded to dig a cheap microphone that my family had in a cupboard that hadn't been used in a few years and tried it, the result was not much better. With both my phone and the cheap microphone the sound in the recording had an ugly rasp to it, something that sounded like white noise somewhat. I was wondering if anyone had any ideas on how to get a better recording with the current equipment I have, I suppose I could also try getting a newer/better microphone but I would be on a rather limited budget? I would also be curious to know where the ideal location for microphone placement is. If anyone has any thoughts I would be very happy to hear them. Thanks.

[Travis99079]

Audacity is a great free resource for easy multi-tracking. It also has decent artificial reverb/digital effect settings.

The white noise you're describing sounds like there is very little dampening in the room. If you record in a room with natural reverberation, like a concert hall, you must ensure there is as little extra noise as possible. Little things like fans or air conditioning will all be picked up by a microphone, even though we tend to not notice them while recording. Experiment placing the microphone in different locations several feet away from the bell of the instrument and if possible, get the microphone up higher as well. Avoid placing the microphone too far from the instrument, as you will increase your chance of picking up the white noise of the room before the sound of the instrument reaches it.

If you are recording in a small confined bedroom or the like, get the microphone away from the bell. If it is too close, too much volume can cause clipping, even with a more expensive mic. This which will create unwanted distortion on your result. You want to be able to play at all dynamics, and still have good sound. Additionally, that small room will likely not have any natural reverb, so you may try hanging up blankets around the room or invest in proper acoustic treatment. This alone can make a cheap microphone sound like an amazing one. You don't necessarily need an expensive mic as long as you manage to dampen the environment well.

I tend to record in small bedrooms more often, so I usually add Audacity's artificial reverb to an otherwise very dry tuba recording. If I don't have any clipping, the result is usually rather nice. Once I'm home from work this evening (and if I remember), I will try to post some samples I've made this way.

Good luck and happy playing.

[swillafew]

If your recording has a range of dynamics, getting the entire range usable is a hurdle. Moving away from the microphone and using a "live" or reverberant space is good place to start. A friend of mine has a lot of stuff and little experience. He used 8 microphones for a trombone quartet, 4 very close and 4 near a far wall. You would never want to hear the audio from the close ones, but the ones across the room worked fine.

[DiveBomber]

I thank you all for your input it has been very helpful and has vastly improved the sound quality of my recording. I still have problems with the sound as I explore dynamic range in pieces but the result was acceptable for the recording I was doing. Once again I must say thank you, your input has saved me a lot of time and frustration.

[smitwill1]

As someone who's listened to an all-state recording or two, here's my $0.02: Don't do much (any?) software "post-processing"--it only raises suspicions about the honesty/fidelity of the recording. As bloke said: listen before you record your “final cut”—I’d suggest doing it for each exercise since they may have different dynamic ranges. If you can, use a recorder that DOESN’T have automatic level control—ALC tends to flatten out your dynamics. Check with your band or orchestra director—they may have a Zoom or Yamaha pocket-recorder with gain control. Maybe they’d let you borrow it overnight (hint: give them some "collateral" like a PERSONAL mouthpiece...) or use it in the band room after school. Smartphone recordings aren’t necessarily bad, but due to the auto-gain feature, they don’t capture dynamics well. Good luck!

[Travis99079]

Here's a recording of Keith Robinson's "Valve Oil 2010."

I first used Audacity to create a metronome track that would change according to the time signatures of the piece. I then recorded each of the four tuba tracks individually, doing a few retakes until I felt comfortable with each track. The only post production I've done is silencing some white noise during rests and adding Audacity's stock Reverb effect. Otherwise, each track is "as-is" including mistakes and imperfections. This was in a mostly dry room and the microphone was placed about 5 feet away and above the bell

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSGElZ_f9gg" target="_blank

[latuba]

Travis, nice recording. The tubas sound good together. But maybe get the mic a bit closer to the bell again, so the valve noise will not be that present Or make appointment with your tech, I honestly would hate mines being that loud...

For my home recordings, I used various mics in various positions. One of my favorites is still an SD-Systems LCM85 clip-on, it just amazing and gives these background instruments which our tubas are a great presence in the sound but also renders the sound of the tuba really lovely. I also used Audio Technica AT 2020 (basic model, but great bang for the buck) and now a rather beaten vintage Sennheiser (MD421). I place either of the two on a stand above the bell pointing down, between 1 and max. 3 ft away. The sound is more direct, which actually helps by bringing a lot of clarity especially into low brass ensemble recordings, "bell noise" is not so much an issue in my room and also valve noise is no issue with this mic placement, the bell is just so much louder than the valves (due to the relative proximity). I hardly use any effects, compressing and EQ's unless I really want to change or distort the sound on purpose.

[BopEuph]

For what it's worth, I made this recording a couple days ago:

https://youtu.be/i0oVA99kIyQ" target="_blank

I did this with a Shure SM57 into a Focusrite interface. With Reaper DAW being free, you can have a very good setup for $200 with the hardware being new...and used could very likely be half that.

To be fair, my recording did break some of the suggested rules in this thread. The mic was pretty much 6 inches from the bell, and I added a high pass and low pass filter. The latter weren't needed, but I was trying to EQ similar to Motown for fun. With the mic close, the gain was carefully checked to see that the input was in the sweet spot...not clipping, but loud enough to mix. I still used a volume booster in post.