Microphone Choice for a Cajon and Didgeridoo?

[gafftaper]

Well it's time for the annual fundraiser at my kids school where I and a couple of middle school kids will be rocking 10 bands... and a reptile guy... across the stage over three days. This year I've run into a new one. It's a 70s/80s/90s Pop Rock band with three electric ukuleles, a Cajon, a bass, and a didgeridoo.

I have tried micing a Cajon before and had mediocre luck. What is your mic of choice and where do you place it?
I've never miced a Didgeridoo before. What is your mic of choice and where do you place it?

Thanks!

 

[StradivariusBone]

I've had decent success throwing a 58 in the back of a cajon in a pinch. Granted you need a cajon with a tone hole and this will pick up the "thump" more than the tone. This was for a an outdoor small crowd setting so I was really just trying to capture some bottom end, but it might be a decent place to start.

The didgeridoo is an interesting one. It functions similarly to a brass instrument, but the overtone series starts a lot lower, like a tuba. And then there are a lot of overtones on top of that which is why it sounds awesome. I would probably start with with a large diaphragm condenser pointed at the tone hole, maybe 1-2' away and then back it away from the instrument while still aiming for the bottom hole to experiment with different distances to find a sweet spot. A close miked dynamic pointed towards the opening might work good too, but I don't know how well it would capture the total sound of the instrument. The trick will be getting the mic low to the ground, one of those table top mini stands might come in handy here. Or you can just do what this guy does-

 

[GreyWyvern]

Ooh! Love me some didgeridoo! Still mad at myself for not buying one while on tour in Australia.
Anyway, I'll basically echo what Strad said. I would actually use a Beta 52 and a 58 (or similar) on both the cajon and the didgeridoo. When double miced like that, you can really get the full range of both instruments well. I've found the key is starting with flat EQ and move the mics around until you find the "sweet spot", which is normally the same for cajons, but can vary between didgeridoos. Then I like to play with the EQ a bit to really bring out the low end in both instruments. You may be surprised at what low frequencies you can get from those. Of course that does depend on the player a bit too and the type of music.

 

[FMEng]

Put the mic on the floor, as shown in the picture. Any elevation of the mic will allow it to pick up reflections, which causes comb filtering. A PZM mic might work well for this.

 

[Chris15]

Or you can just do what this guy does-

I know where that photo would have been taken.
And I'm not sure that using what street buskers use as a standard is wise as a general rule...

Remember too that you can play a didg without sitting down, I've seen them played standing without it being anywhere near the floor, so that may affect your choice of mic positions.
Bonus challenges when you need it to be radio miced so they can move while playing...

 

[JohnD]

Here are a few ideas from PSW:
http://forums.prosoundweb.com/index.php/topic,137867.msg1284478.html#msg1284478
http://forums.prosoundweb.com/index.php/topic,147219.0.html
http://forums.prosoundweb.com/index.php/topic,75280.msg685340.html#msg685340

 

[Micklure]

Quite an ensemble, it would seem. Are you recording this or just doing it for amplification purposes? If the latter, what's the space like?

I'm having a flash back to middle school talent shows in cafetorium. Geez luiz.

 

[gafftaper]

Quite an ensemble, it would seem. Are you recording this or just doing it for amplification purposes? If the latter, what's the space like?
I'm having a flash back to middle school talent shows in cafetorium. Geez luiz.

It's an outdoor stage built on my kids' school playground. The interesting thing is that sound system and stage are uncovered but they are pointing toward a large covered pavilion with side and rear walls. The pavilion is about 30' from the stage. Inside the pavilion is where everyone sits and eats. So All kinds of weird stuff happens acoustically depending on where you are standing. The weird thing is the music sounds really flat up close (it is outdoors) but back under the pavilion you get some really nice delay and reverb as it bounces around.

 

[Dionysus]

Ive used a host of mics on both of these instruments.

For the Didgeridoo -> Ive had sucess with usually the end placed on a box or chair, and a mic low (sort of like how the mic is on the floor there). For a shorter one or such it can be up higher even. At summerfolk this year we had a didgeridoo player want it up on a high stool, used a KM184, sounded AWESOME. I've also used Beta 87A, Beta 58 & SM81 for instance to good effect.

For the Cajon -> Depends on the sound you want most (do you want it more of a thump or slap) This really is more about placement than anything. Often just see 57s used near the hole (not inside). I say play around with it, or err to the player's preference. Again I've used many different mics and generally never really had an issue.

 

[gafftaper]

Well this is interesting. I was looking around on the band's website for pictures of the Cajon to see if it has a hole or not (it does so I'm thinking Beta52 in the hole).

...and I found a picture of the Didgeridoo. Apparently it was hand crafted by Blueman Group.

 

[Micklure]

With the didge, I would think any decent dynamic would sound good. Heck, treat it like micing any other lower wind instruments

For the cajon, I might be able to offer a little more insight. My undergrad is in percussion. Generally, a cajon player is mimicking a drumset - the slaps near the edge are the snare and the hand in the middle is the kick. I've had good results putting a 57 near where he's "slapping" and any thing you would use with a kick (beta 52 is great) near the hole.

Sounds like a fun gig!

 

[Footer]

I like a beta91 inside the Cajon. You get the snares and a nice attack on the sub portion.

 

[Lextech]

I agree, 91 inside the cajon is the way to go.

 

[Fountain Of Euph]

Thoughts on using a clip on condenser? I used one on a Ehru ( traditional Chinese instrument) last year.

 

[StradivariusBone]

Thoughts on using a clip on condenser? I used one on a Ehru ( traditional Chinese instrument) last year.

I'd think if you got one with a bit of gooseneck on it so you can position it toward the opening it might work. I've done that with bell-front brass instruments before with a good amount of success and a didgeridoo is fundamentally similar. It would definitly be useful if the performer moved a lot and you wanted isolation from other instruments.

I can't imagine a didgeridoo putting out more SPL than a trombone, so any mic that's used in that realm should do alright. The Shure BETA 98H/C comes to mind.

 

[Fountain Of Euph]

The Shure BETA 98H/C comes to mind.

Yea somthing like that. I use older AT's. I also use them as piano mics...