Making CDs

[Sarah Mullen]

I’ve recorded four cds in so many different places.

[Sarah Mullen]

I agree about editing the harp.

[adam-b-harris]

In my other post I was really talking about using a click track for ensemble work. Not really necessary for solo harp but you may want to use one anyway depending on what you are doing.

Click track bleed can be a real pain when working with acoustic instruments. I use Direct Sound Extreme Isolation headphones which are excellent for minimizing these problems. The trouble is, as the bit that goes over your ear is a bit hefty, I find myself having to tilt my head to the left a little to stop it from knocking into the harp!

Also I’ve found that if you an EQ the click so as some of the high frequencies are rolled off then there is less chance of it bleeding through.

[Saul Davis Zlatkovski]

Thank you Sarah, for all that insight. Indeed, my bedroom has 12 foot ceilings and a small recess in a wall that gives it a nice bit of echo, but there is too much ambient noise and a very tall window that would be hard to block off completely.
I would not mic close to the hands because you pick up all kinds of finger noise and attack, and that is not the sound of the harp. The best recordings I have had so far have been at least six feet away from the harp.
I would never use a click track. Music is not meant to be metronomic. For overdubbing, or studio work, that’s different.
I have a chapel to record in, just have to select an engineer now.

[Sarah Mullen]

I like having a mic closer to the hands to pick up detail, and one six
feet away for the fuller sound.

[Misty Harrison]

is it maybe that Sarah has less finger noise than Saul might because she’s playing lever harp?

maybe recording lever harp is different

[Sarah Mullen]

In my experience the lever harps have more finger noise because of the lower string tension.

[Misty Harrison]

oh I see

I’ve never played lever harp

[Author]

Posts