{"id":212,"date":"2019-12-30T20:21:29","date_gmt":"2019-12-31T02:21:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/soundadventurer.com\/?p=212"},"modified":"2019-12-30T20:23:39","modified_gmt":"2019-12-31T02:23:39","slug":"how-to-mic-bongos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/soundadventurer.com\/how-to-mic-bongos\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Mic Bongos: A Complete Guide (With Example Samples)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I have tried to record the bongos several times over the years and I have never done an in-depth study on the best way to record bongos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The most straightforward and common way to record bongos is to directly mic them by placing a dynamic mic 3-6 inches above the center, off to the side, and between the two bongo drums<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There’s a lot more to know about why <\/strong>you would choose to mic your bongos this way, and there is more to learn about other ways you can mic your bongos. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Most Practical Way to Mic Your Bongo Drums<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Later on we’ll talk about figuring out the sound you want, but for now, I’ll tell you the easiest way to get the best sound from your bongo drums.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Materials Needed<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
  • Bongo Drums<\/li>
  • Mic Stand<\/li>
  • Dynamic Mic (like the Shure SM-57) OR a condenser mic<\/li>
  • Bongo Stand or a Bongosero (you) to hold the Bongo Drums<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    I’m assuming you have the cables and audio interfaces necessary to plug in a dynamic mic into your recording device of choice. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Setting Up Your Bongos<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    If you’re lucky, unlike me, you would own a bongo stand. Bongo stands are very nice because they enable you to play bongos while standing, and make it a lot easier to mic your bongos because they won’t be moving. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    If you’re like me, you don’t own a bongo stand, yet, so you have to hold the bongos between your knees in the traditional manner. No big deal, it still works. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Once you have your bongos mounted where you want them, or if you have your bongos situated comfortably (as comfortably as is possible I suppose) between your knees, then you’re ready to position the mic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Positioning the Mic<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Use your mic stand to position your dynamic mic with the following parameters:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    • Position the microphone pointing across the bongo drums, there is no need to point the microphone directly at the bongo drums<\/li>
    • Position the mic parallel to the bongo drum heads about 3-4 inches above the bongo drumheads, between the two bongo drums<\/li>
    • The mic can be around an inch away from the side of the bongos so the mic does not interfere with the bongo player. The player of the bongos.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
      \"shure-dynamic-mic-3-inches-above-bongo-drumheads\" <\/picture>
      Easiest way to mic bongo drums. I don’t have a bongo stand but this is the setup you would use whether you have a bongo stand or you are holding the bongos between your knees.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

      Alternative Mic placements<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

      As contrast, another idea is to put the mic closer to the macho <\/strong>(the smaller drum)–since the macho has the high crisp sound and the hembra has the low resonant sound, the macho is often more desired in your track than the hembra. As always, experiment to find the sound you like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Adjusting Your Mic Levels<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

      For my dynamic mic (Shure SM-57) with my particular audio interface (the Shure X2u), I set my mic gain to as high as it could go and I didn’t have any clipping with this set up. For your mic, set the gain as high as it can go without clipping (green or yellow light, never red). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      It’s easy to set the mic gain too high on drums because it’s hard to adjust for the big variance in pop that drum players inevitably have. In your sound check, let the bongo player hit the drums around the same intensity as they will be in performance and adjust accordingly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Advantages of Using a Dynamic Mic for Recording Bongo Drums<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

      Dynamic mics are great at getting up close and personal to the sound and ignoring everything else going on. This is really nice in performance so you don’t get feedback from other players. The diaphragm of dynamic mics are also small and robust enough to handle the sound of your drums without any issues. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      The SM-57 is considered a workhorse of recording. It’s practically a brick; really tough, and used often for recording drums. This dynamic mic has the advantage of being high quality and fairly affordable as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Advantages of Using a Condenser Mic for Recording Bongo Drums<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

      The best advantage for condenser mics as I will go into more detail later is that you are able to capture more of the sound of the room. This can open up your bongo sound, if that’s what you are looking for (the majority seems to prefer a closed more direct sound). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      If you put the condenser mic closer to the bongo drums, this will be less of an issue–however, condenser mics shouldn’t be too close to a loud source or you could risk damaging them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Summary<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

      That’s it! You’re going to get a nice crisp sound that avoids getting the room sounds and allows the bongo player enough room to play without the mic getting in the way. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      This is a recording of this setup with a SM-57 dynamic mic, 3 inches from the bongo drumheads:<\/p>\n\n\n\n