Mic Tips?

[Bryant Jordan]

I just got a usb mic (Blue Yeti), and will be using it for lessons, practices, and recording (songs, projects, etc.)

I was messing around trying to make it work with my trumpet (Has the sensitivity all the way down in the mic and mostly down on the software I’m using, and found I got the best sound playing about a foot back and to the right of the mic.

Does anyone have any recording tips? I know space, surroundings and placement matter and affect everything (I’m recording in a smaller, dampened bedroom) and that placement will depend on each space, so apart from that, if you have any suggestions, please let me know.

Also, do pop filters really have an effect with trumpet?

[lakejw]

You won't need a pop filter, especially playing at the distance you're describing. And generally you don't need one at all for trumpet unless you have a very expensive ribbon mic, which the Yeti is not. If you use it for speaking, close up, you may want one.

Placement wise. Visualize a cone that extends from your bell, like, imagine a straight mute that sticks really far out of the bell, that goes to infinity. At 1' distance, the cone is 1' wide, at 2' distance, maybe 18-20 inches. etc. You can put the mic a foot or two away from the bell, but you will want it somewhere in that cone. Like, if your bell was a big searchlight, the mic would be hit by that light.

As far as the room, generally, more reflective surfaces = bad. I used to put the mic in front of my closet and play into that. Or, you can buy one of those rear surround baffles from Amazon.
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[Riojazz]

I haven't been a fan of USB mics, but my experience is only with early models.

Yours has a volume control, which is interesting. In general, following rules of gain staging, keep the volume as high as you can without distortion.

Your mic also has selectable pickup patterns, which is very good in a mic of that price range. I recommend you try the Cardioid pattern first, and then the advice above, about a cone, applies. If you were to use the omnidirectional pattern or the stereo pattern, you risk picking up room echos and noise from the outside such as air conditioners, trucks etc.
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Matt Finley https://mattfinley.bandcamp.com/releases
Kanstul 1525 flugel with French taper, Shires Bb Destino Med & C trumpets, Schilke XA1 cornet, Schagerl rotary, Schilke P5-4 picc, Yamaha soprano sax, Powell flute. Sanborn GR66MS & Touvron-D.

[Bryant Jordan]

Thanks guys for the replies. Really appreciate it!

[cgaiii]

I know a number of people that use the Blue Yeti, but unfortunately none of them are trumpet players. They all like it.
I use a Zoom H2n. It seems like the Blue Yeti allows you to make similar choices as the H2n. Here is what I do. I usually record in a room with a fairly high wooden ceiling. I place the mic about 8 to 10 feet away from where I am playing and off to the right, probably roughly at the edge of the cone mentioned above. I use the forward facing two-channel stereo configuration, no surround, no back mics.
When you record, you have lots of choices.
The first big one is deciding to use the acoustics of the space you are in or trying to use a deadened space and add effects in to simulate the kind of room you want your sound in. The former works if you can find a room and positioning that sounds good to you. Once you get it, it is a lot easier to record (less messing around later). If you use dead space, you then get to play with the sound in your software. When you get the settings like you want them to produce the sound you want, then you can create a profile and just use it, making the methods equally easy after a time. Any change will make you have to go back to the settings.
My recommendation is to play with your mic positioning a lot and see if you can get the sound you want in the room you use. This is generally difficult in small rooms, rooms with concrete or block walls, etc. If you cannot get it to work, use deadening materials (like the closet someone mentioned) and learn to use your DAW to create the room you want.
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Bb: Schilke X3L AS SP, Yamaha YTR-6335S
C: Schilke CXL, Kanstul 1510-2
Picc: Kanstul 920
Bb Bugle: Kanstul
Bb Pocket: Manchester Brass
Flugel: Taylor Standard
Bass Trumpet: BAC Custom
Natural Tr: Custom Haas replica by Nikolai Mänttäri Morales

[StartingUpAgainAt53]

Hi There,

I have a Blue Yeti and have been trying to record using SoundTrap. Even with the Gain turned all the way down and the Sound Trap volume control nearly off I find I almost saturating the recording. I have tried playing 5-6 feet from the mic. This is in a small room ~10 ft. x 10 ft. Is this normal for the Blue Yeti? Wondering if the Gain control is working properly. I do see a a decrease from full on but not much.

Any suggestions?

Cheers,
Marc