Stop Micing Your Sax WRONG

[@chickendad711]

The clip-on mic placed that far from the center of the bell will require higher monitor levels, which will bring about feedback. That approach may work in a jazz setting, but not on a live stage in a rock band unless you use in-ears. I despise in-ears because of head noise from growling and only use stage monitors. Also, the center bell placement of studio mics can give a particular desirable tone. The best option is to set up two mics and mix them as needed for whatever tone you're looking for

[@michaelkiese7794]

Read the instructions of your particular mic for proper placement, and use it as prescribed. Don’t overthink it. The vast majority of instrument mics point towards the bell for good reason. Speaking from personal experience, in a live band situation this mic placement at 5:50 is a feedback nightmare, especially in a loud sound environment. There’s not enough sound coming out of the keys to justify sacrificing the strong sound source of the bell. I’ve literally dealt with headaches from sax players that insist on micing their saxes in this way. It creates huge feedback problems for the sound man because it requires excess gain to pick up the low volume output from the keyholes. This creates a very hot mic, which will pick up much more ambient sound around the saxophone and it will be prone to feedback. The sound man will just lower the gain on your lavalier mic, and you won’t be heard in the live mix. That mic placement might work if you’re playing quietly in a small ensemble. But if you’re playing quietly in a small ensemble, you wouldn’t need live sound reinforcement. At the end of the day, especially for live sound, tradeoffs are a reality. It’s much more preferable to be heard in the mix, and not create feedback problems for the sound man, than for you as a horn player to have optimal mic placement to hear all the nuances of your instrument. It’s not worth trading off channel volume in exchange for hearing the nuance of ancillary sound leaking through your key holes. In real world live music application, this lavalier mic placement is generally a bad practice. Sax players, follow this advice with caution. Watch live performances of Michael Brecker, Dave Sanborn, or any major sax player and you will see the vast majority of the time, they’re micing the bell. In the end it’s better to be heard and amplified than to capture every single nuance of your sax sound. It’s a necessary and pragmatic trade off. Sound men will EQ and mix the band anyway. Much of each individual instrument’s nuance is sacrificed in the front of house mix. It’s just the nature of live sound.

[@joeg46Highlands]

I week ago I was playing bass clarinet at a festival and refused to use an amp. I was required to take a solo, so the band's director came at me with a single mic, which I refused. He then realised the obvious alternative (other than sacking me) and got the band to play quietly behind me. A band member, near whose ear I was playing, later said she couldn't see that I ever needed an amp anyway.

[@presequel]

great video, as a (former) sound engineer I approve all your advice :)

[@joshwakeham]

Thanks man, glad you enjoyed it!

[@ampersand64]

thank you for sharing this bit of knowledge!

[@joshwakeham]

I hope you found it useful!

[@ArikLivnat]

…And It depends on what mic you’re using dynamic or condescend

[@Eliaszamm]

Excelent!!

[@leighwakeham4890]

This I can understand, and I love the way you're not afraid to be upstaged by a star struck wall tile.

[@joshwakeham]

I think the foam was the real star of the show!

[@cbredesen]

Thank you for this! My daughter is progressing with learning sax and plays bari about 60% of the time. How would you work out the "geometry" to mic a bari?

[@haileyneel8426]

I understand you on the train going by!! I live right next to a train track.

[@haileyneel8426]

They also have to honk the horn because we’re right by a crossing.

[@joshwakeham]

It's amazing how little I notice the trains, until I'm recording something! Luckily they don't have to honk their horn near me, so that's at least one less irritation!

[@haileyneel8426]

@@joshwakeham the horn is the worst lol! I block it out like white noise, but if I rewatch some of my videos you hear a train😂

[@joshwakeham]

😂

[@pacomaisanava4390]

Wonderful video!! Do you have a video about to mix correctly the sax with a DAW?, thanks in advance

[@joshwakeham]

Not yet. Mixing is still I skill I'm yet to master (pun not intended)!

[@jedwin9769]

Great video. any suggestion on where to mic a soprano sax with one clip on mic?

[@joshwakeham]

Soprano can be a bit tricky! If it's a curved soprano then you can follow the same advice I gave in the video. If it's a straight soprano and you're only using one mic, I'd personally place the mic so it's pointing at the keys, somewhere around the G or F keys so it's picking up sound from as many of the tone holes as possible. You could have the mic pointing into the bell, but I find that to be too grating and harsh a sound for a soprano, but really it comes down to personal taste!

[@sax_n_axe]

Can you PLEASE do a audio processing video for sax to sound more professional using Logic Pro or Garage Band ?

[@joshwakeham]

I'll try to get around to that. In general though my attitude is: less is more

[@ubustudio]

Dead simple. Thanks. How would you orient the mic for a straight soprano?

[@joshwakeham]

Great question! Straight sopranos are a bit trickier if you're only using one mic, because you're forced to pick between the sound from the tone holes and the sound from the bell. Either place it a few inches from the bell, or place it roughly halfway between the hands pointing at the keys. You'll get a darker sound if you choose the second option, and a brighter more nasal sound if its pointing at the bell. Personally I'd point it at the keys but there are loads of pros who prefer to have it at the bell. With sopranos it's definitely more a case of experiment and do what you think sounds the best!

[@AdmiraLimited]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/iJnTpoRsoZmGkLc Here is a description of microphone placement for different saxophones.

[@franciscoxavierfernandez]

which microphone appears in the minute 5:38? Great video!

[@joshwakeham]

It's an SD Systems LCM89

[@Vega_Sax]

It’s the same for the pga98h? I see this model have two sections of microphone sounds catch

[@joshwakeham]

I've just looked into the PGA98H, and although it looks like it picks up sounds from the front and back, it's still just got a normal cardioid polar pattern (so picks up sound in front of it) like most microphones. I'm guessing the metal mesh on the back of the microphone is just aesthetic. So yeah I'd advise using the microphone the same way I suggest in the video!

[@rosemaryquaye6479]

🙄 some things just don't need over complication! This I fear, is one of them

[@Schmidt-Sax]

Du bist prima 👍🏻🏆💯

[@SC-lc7cs]

Hi Josh, I do as you suggest, the sax sounds good, but in my case I can hear the key noice in the recordings.

[@drehsaxysmusic9940]

Don't just point the microphone directly to the bell without thinking 😅😅😅😅😅

[@joeg46Highlands]

Check out the mic set up Mars Williams here (presumably wireless): kzbin.info/www/bejne/bpDWqKN5ZsZ7ZqM