recording with a loudspeaker instead of a microphone

crumble

Joined: Sep 09, 2008
Posts: 3158
Guildford England
United Kingdom

Posted on Jan 25 2019 06:44 AM

I haven't seen these three BBC documentaries entitled "Guitar, drums and bass" but according to my buddy "Episode 2 - Bass with Tina Weymouth" there is an interview with Paul McCartney. I'm guessing this would have been Beatles Abbey Road point of time - He said he wasn't happy with recorded sound of his bass guitar and an engineer came up with the idea of using a speaker instead of a microphone and reversing the polarity. I'm not entirely sure how it was done but it entails the amp speaker cone in opposite back/forth movement to the speaker-microphone.

Top

psychonaut

Joined: Dec 08, 2007
Posts: 1303
2 Download Pins

Posted on Jan 25 2019 08:02 AM

crumble wrote:

I haven't seen these three BBC documentaries entitled "Guitar, drums and bass" but according to my buddy "Episode 2 - Bass with Tina Weymouth" there is an interview with Paul McCartney. I'm guessing this would have been Beatles Abbey Road point of time - He said he wasn't happy with recorded sound of his bass guitar and an engineer came up with the idea of using a speaker instead of a microphone and reversing the polarity. I'm not entirely sure how it was done but it entails the amp speaker cone in opposite back/forth movement to the speaker-microphone.

It was done for "Paperback Writter". The Beatles weren't satisfied with the low end on their records, and wanted the bass sound they heard on Motown records. Geoff Emerick realized that a speaker is just basically a reverse wired microphone, and used a bass cab for a mic.
I've tried this before with mixed results. You have to reverse the speaker polarity and the resulting signal is very low level, so you need a way to boost it. These days it's become popular among metal guys to mic bass drums like this in order to capture all the sub bass frequencies. They even sell a dedicated mic made from a yamaha ns10 woofer for this purpose.

>

—

https://www.facebook.com/coffindagger
http://coffindaggers.com/
http://thecoffindaggers.bandcamp.com

Last edited: Jan 25, 2019 08:05:46

Top

Gilette

Joined: May 04, 2014
Posts: 734
Montserrat

Posted on Jan 25 2019 08:39 AM

-

Last edited: Mar 08, 2022 13:09:21

Top

killbabykill34

Joined: Apr 03, 2010
Posts: 3201
Jacksonville, AL
United States

Posted on Jan 25 2019 09:21 AM

We used a makeshift version of this on the kick drum in one of our recording sessions. It is not uncommon these days. Of course, it was not the only mic on the kick.

—

THE KBK ... This is the last known signal. We offer Sanctuary.

www.thekbk.com
http://www.deepeddy.net/artists/thekbk/
www.reverbnation.com/thekbk
www.facebook.com/thekbkal

Top

Reverb17

Joined: Jun 14, 2006
Posts: 508
NYC
1 News Pin

Posted on Feb 13 2019 07:05 PM

This is from this past weekend at the studio where we are recording our next CD.

—

TarantinosNYC
TarantinosNYC FB page
The WrayCyclers FB page
Rockaway Beach Surf Music Festival

Last edited: Feb 13, 2019 19:08:04

Top

LHR

Joined: Aug 23, 2006
Posts: 2123
The jungle
Costa Rica

Posted on Feb 18 2019 11:57 PM

Any speaker is a pretty fair microphone. (Well, except piezoelectric ones.) Classical LPs were recorded with speakers in the early days, or so the liner notes told me.

—

SSIV

Top

da-ron

Joined: Jan 02, 2009
Posts: 1305
The original Plymouth, UK.
United Kingdom

Posted on Feb 28 2019 08:23 AM

I would imagine that in Abbey Road days, the speaker would have been an alnico one, and would offer some degree of compression compared to a microphone. I'd say that using a compressor on the bass guitar would achieve a similar effect of amplifying harmonics and thickening the sound.

—

http://thewaterboarders.bandcamp.com/

Top

Redfeather

Joined: Jul 30, 2016
Posts: 883
3 Download Pins

Posted on Jun 04 2021 10:43 PM

Coupled with singing leads through your headphones and the harmonies through a Teisco guitar's pickups, you've got quite a memorable sound!

Top

xavier_irvine

Joined: Jun 06, 2020
Posts: 13
1 Map Pin

Posted on Jun 07 2021 06:48 AM

I've mixed a few productions where a Yamaha Sub-Kick was used to record the bass drum, but always in conjunction with other microphones.

The idea of the Sub-kick (or any speaker woofer used as a microphone) is to capture the very lowest frequencies that the bass drum produces.

A speaker-woofer shares the same basic elements as a dynamic microphone: A diaphragm with a copper coil attached to it, sitting in the field of a magnet.

But a speaker is designed to produce low-frequency sound, sometimes at high volumes, so it has a relatively large, heavy diaghragm/coil assembly. Making the heavier, stiffer assembly vibrate to produce sound is no problem because it will be powered by a powerful amplifier of some sort.
But when you use one as a microphone it's immediately apparent that the heavy, stiff cone/coil can't be agitated by high frequency sound waves the way a microphone diaphragm can.
What it CAN do is to capture those loud, ultra-low frequencies: that powerful rush of air that you can feel on your hand when the bass drum is struck. Those are loud and slow-moving enough to push the cone back and forth.

It sounds great in conjunction with a microphone, especially if you're using a microphone that can't respond well to low frequencies, but the signal that comes from contains only the very lowest frequencies so you'd miss out on all the "attack" of the bass drum if you used it on its own.

Top

crumble Joined: Sep 09, 2008 Posts: 3158 Guildford England	Posted on Jan 25 2019 06:44 AM I haven't seen these three BBC documentaries entitled "Guitar, drums and bass" but according to my buddy "Episode 2 - Bass with Tina Weymouth" there is an interview with Paul McCartney. I'm guessing this would have been Beatles Abbey Road point of time - He said he wasn't happy with recorded sound of his bass guitar and an engineer came up with the idea of using a speaker instead of a microphone and reversing the polarity. I'm not entirely sure how it was done but it entails the amp speaker cone in opposite back/forth movement to the speaker-microphone. Top
psychonaut Joined: Dec 08, 2007 Posts: 1303	Posted on Jan 25 2019 08:02 AM crumble wrote: I haven't seen these three BBC documentaries entitled "Guitar, drums and bass" but according to my buddy "Episode 2 - Bass with Tina Weymouth" there is an interview with Paul McCartney. I'm guessing this would have been Beatles Abbey Road point of time - He said he wasn't happy with recorded sound of his bass guitar and an engineer came up with the idea of using a speaker instead of a microphone and reversing the polarity. I'm not entirely sure how it was done but it entails the amp speaker cone in opposite back/forth movement to the speaker-microphone. It was done for "Paperback Writter". The Beatles weren't satisfied with the low end on their records, and wanted the bass sound they heard on Motown records. Geoff Emerick realized that a speaker is just basically a reverse wired microphone, and used a bass cab for a mic. I've tried this before with mixed results. You have to reverse the speaker polarity and the resulting signal is very low level, so you need a way to boost it. These days it's become popular among metal guys to mic bass drums like this in order to capture all the sub bass frequencies. They even sell a dedicated mic made from a yamaha ns10 woofer for this purpose. > — https://www.facebook.com/coffindagger http://coffindaggers.com/ http://thecoffindaggers.bandcamp.com Last edited: Jan 25, 2019 08:05:46 Top
Gilette Joined: May 04, 2014 Posts: 734	Posted on Jan 25 2019 08:39 AM - Last edited: Mar 08, 2022 13:09:21 Top
killbabykill34 Joined: Apr 03, 2010 Posts: 3201 Jacksonville, AL	Posted on Jan 25 2019 09:21 AM We used a makeshift version of this on the kick drum in one of our recording sessions. It is not uncommon these days. Of course, it was not the only mic on the kick. — THE KBK ... This is the last known signal. We offer Sanctuary. www.thekbk.com http://www.deepeddy.net/artists/thekbk/ www.reverbnation.com/thekbk www.facebook.com/thekbkal Top
Reverb17 Joined: Jun 14, 2006 Posts: 508 NYC	Posted on Feb 13 2019 07:05 PM This is from this past weekend at the studio where we are recording our next CD. — TarantinosNYC TarantinosNYC FB page The WrayCyclers FB page Rockaway Beach Surf Music Festival Last edited: Feb 13, 2019 19:08:04 Top
LHR Joined: Aug 23, 2006 Posts: 2123 The jungle	Posted on Feb 18 2019 11:57 PM Any speaker is a pretty fair microphone. (Well, except piezoelectric ones.) Classical LPs were recorded with speakers in the early days, or so the liner notes told me. — SSIV Top
da-ron Joined: Jan 02, 2009 Posts: 1305 The original Plymouth, UK.	Posted on Feb 28 2019 08:23 AM I would imagine that in Abbey Road days, the speaker would have been an alnico one, and would offer some degree of compression compared to a microphone. I'd say that using a compressor on the bass guitar would achieve a similar effect of amplifying harmonics and thickening the sound. — http://thewaterboarders.bandcamp.com/ Top
Redfeather Joined: Jul 30, 2016 Posts: 883	Posted on Jun 04 2021 10:43 PM Coupled with singing leads through your headphones and the harmonies through a Teisco guitar's pickups, you've got quite a memorable sound! Top
xavier_irvine Joined: Jun 06, 2020 Posts: 13	Posted on Jun 07 2021 06:48 AM I've mixed a few productions where a Yamaha Sub-Kick was used to record the bass drum, but always in conjunction with other microphones. The idea of the Sub-kick (or any speaker woofer used as a microphone) is to capture the very lowest frequencies that the bass drum produces. A speaker-woofer shares the same basic elements as a dynamic microphone: A diaphragm with a copper coil attached to it, sitting in the field of a magnet. But a speaker is designed to produce low-frequency sound, sometimes at high volumes, so it has a relatively large, heavy diaghragm/coil assembly. Making the heavier, stiffer assembly vibrate to produce sound is no problem because it will be powered by a powerful amplifier of some sort. But when you use one as a microphone it's immediately apparent that the heavy, stiff cone/coil can't be agitated by high frequency sound waves the way a microphone diaphragm can. What it CAN do is to capture those loud, ultra-low frequencies: that powerful rush of air that you can feel on your hand when the bass drum is struck. Those are loud and slow-moving enough to push the cone back and forth. It sounds great in conjunction with a microphone, especially if you're using a microphone that can't respond well to low frequencies, but the signal that comes from contains only the very lowest frequencies so you'd miss out on all the "attack" of the bass drum if you used it on its own. Top

SurfGuitar101 Forums » Recording Corner »

recording with a loudspeaker instead of a microphone