I am being lazy. We recently made the chance from unplugged to PLUGGED-IN with our Front Ensemble. I should have anticipated that I quickly found out that mallets we had traditionally used suddenly achieved a ";thud"; sound due to the residual vibration of the weight of the mallet/shaft transferring through the frame. Switching to a lighter mallet has made for a better quality of sound.
Who out there has favorites for which brand/model of mallets you use on marimba/vibe/xylophone that are mic'd? On Vibe and Marimba we have a low, mid, and upper range mic.
Not a direct answer to the question asked, but shock mounts on mallet instruments can help with this frame noise. So can high-pass filters on mixer inputs. I hang microphones from the resonators on large rubber bands and make sure no part of the mic is touching any part of the frame.
L
Legacy Forum Post
said
over 9 years ago
Joe,
We have shock mounts, though it does not completely do the trick. Your approach of hanging mics from the resonators is interesting.
David
L
Legacy Forum Post
said
over 9 years ago
David,
Which shockmounts are you using? There are some advertised as ";shockmounts"; and I'd hardly call them that.
L
Legacy Forum Post
said
over 9 years ago
Since I started using the cheap and effective method of suspending the mics by using a combination of rubber bungies attached to rubber pluming ";O-rings";, I haven had a thump, thud or creek out of the mallet instruments.
I'd also recommend replacing out your tension springs with a bit of regularity. These often get neglected during our season routine, I generally replace at least one every month. This will ensure that there is enough tension on the string suspending the bars. Loose string=equals a less than adequate fundimental pitch, less projection as well as the possibility of superfluous frame noise.
Legacy Forum Post
I am being lazy. We recently made the chance from unplugged to PLUGGED-IN with our Front Ensemble. I should have anticipated that I quickly found out that mallets we had traditionally used suddenly achieved a ";thud"; sound due to the residual vibration of the weight of the mallet/shaft transferring through the frame. Switching to a lighter mallet has made for a better quality of sound.
Who out there has favorites for which brand/model of mallets you use on marimba/vibe/xylophone that are mic'd? On Vibe and Marimba we have a low, mid, and upper range mic.
I appreciate any input.