another mic question- condensers in the mouthpiece.

[Dylan King]

When I perform on stage in loud situations that require a microphone (rock, jazz, etc...) I use a phantom powered dynamic from Blue Microphones. I place it much closer to the horn, about 1 foot above the bell, so it gets more tuba sound than leakage from the monitors. The dynamic makeup of the mic allows one to play at very high volume without distortion.

In a studio situation condenser mics are used for the tuba, hence the placement so high above the instrument. The mic would distort if placed too close. It also gets a greater span of overtones when placed further away from the instrument. Think about it. If one was sitting right next to Norm Pearson in the Disney Hall, they wouldn't hear nearly as full and colorful a sound as they would sitting further out in the hall. The more the air gets a chance to vibrate, the warmer and more tuba-beautiful the sound will be.

[Paul Tkachenko]

Hi all,

I'm still looking into this. Does anyone know the model number of the Sony headphones that might work in the mouthpiece?

I'm still interested in trying a Poullath clarinet barrel pickup, just not sure where the best part of the horn would be to insert it (it will require a hole to be drilled!)

[Paul Tkachenko]

Hi all,

I'm still looking into this. Does anyone know the model number of the Sony headphones that might work in the mouthpiece?

I'm still interested in trying a Poullath clarinet barrel pickup, just not sure where the best part of the horn would be to insert it (it will require a hole to be drilled!)

I'd also love to know the model of the Barcus Berry so I could try and locate one.

[Ben]

It is my understanding that the BB pickup you are looking for (tuba) was discontinued long ago. I will have to second everything negative about these that has ever been said. The BB setup in the MP picks up all sorts of mechanical noise. I also had feedback problems with these, but that may have been unique to the particular application - heavy metal tuba solo w/ distortion pedal & huge amp. When I go to amped gigs, I use very close to what Dylan King uses - a phantom powered condensor clip on mic (AudioTechinica-35pro) at the bell. The clip on isolates the mic from the valve noises and you get a great tuba sound. Different applications will call for different setups.

[Paul Tkachenko]

This pickup would be used in conjunction with my SD system clip mike, to run effects which aren't possible at extreme volume levels with the microphone and often standing right next to the drums.

[iiipopes]

Before that, King teamed up with Vox/Thomas Organ and put a transducer in a mouthpiece and ran it to a belt pack primitive synthesizer that went to a guitar amplifier or other sound system. The sound clips I heard at the time, especially running the signal through first generation ring modulators, were interesting, to say the least.
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