Advice on mic'ing up saxes

[lownote]

I know this question would be better asked in the sax community but I am not aware of any equivalent of BC. So... I may get to play alto in a blues band.  They are very noisy.  My little horn will not work without help.

 I have a spare D200 Phil Jones head.  I also have a 2x7 Phil Jones bass cab.  Might these work on sax? 

If so, I think most sax mics need phantom power and terminate in an XLR out plug.  What do I need to successfully couple said head with a clip on mic?

Anyone suggest a good but cheap-ish clip on sax mic.

[Trueno]

Best to go through the PA. just treat it like vocals. You will need very decent monitoring. If I was going to play sax again I'd go for a frfr powered speaker for monitoring, with some arrangement to go straight in and take a line out to the PA... so I could control my own monitoring levels for the sax.

I have a Sennheiser clip on (can't remember the model number off hand). Also had a Shure Beta 58 on a stand. With a mic on a stand use can use mic technique, but with a clip on you can leap about the stage and keep a consistent tone and volume... I prefer the clip on.

PS... the Sennheiser was dynamic and didn't need phantom power.

Edited October 7, 2020 by Trueno

[Trueno]

Just checked... it's the Sennheiser e608. £139 from Andertons.

[TwoTimesBass]

Yup what @Trueno said... I'd go for a mic through the PA every time with sax, mics through amps are rarely a good idea live.

Condenser mics (which need phantom) are often the best choice on reed instruments especially when recording, but an SM57/58 on a clamp on your vocal mic stand is also pretty standard practice and works well.

If you do go down the PA route and want a clip-on mic, i can also recommend the AKG C519 for around £110, but it will require phantom power.

[casapete]

Guys in my last band used Shure SM57s for their saxes. Old school but worked great. 

[Count Bassy]

On 07/10/2020 at 20:19, Trueno said:

Just checked... it's the Sennheiser e608. £139 from Andertons.

My wife used to use these on her sax,and they sounded great, but having had two fail after a couple of years each, has gone back to a mic on a stand solution.

 

[whizzzy]

Good advice in earlier posts. Mic it through the PA every time. It will save you having to lug around another amp as well.

I use the Sennheiser e608 for the soul band and have several of them. They are know to fail, the wiring tends to fracture just where it enters the strain relief bush as the bush doesn't flex enough and puts the strain on the cable. It is generally repairable but a real PITA to do. (I've had to do this on a couple of mine).

An SM57/58 also works well but on stage it constrains you to a fixed position which some sax players don't like. A fixed mic on a stand is always best for recording though. Clip on mics will pick up the movement of the valves opening and closing on the sax. This is rarely a problem in a live environment though with everything else that is going on.

Thomman sell a budget clip on if you just want to experiment with the principle but as with most things you get what you pay for and the feedback rejection on these will probably not be as good as the Sennheiser.

[Andyjr1515]

Bit late to this one, but I have used a Shure Beta 98H condenser clip-on for years.  Straight into the PA using an XLR and phantom power.  Very natural sound.

 

[DaytonaRik]

We occasionally had a guest saxophonist turn up for Think Lizzy gigs just to play Dancing in The Moonlight - an AKG 416 was the clip on mic choice, which I've also used for guitar cabs with excellent results.  I have a pair that need servicing as the connector cables are quite thin and fragile.

[JoeEvans]

I’ve been using Sennheiser e608s on piano accordion and I love them, great sound with low feedback and no reliability issues in my own experience. I think they’d sound amazing on a sax.

[zbd1960]

Zombie thread I know... The sax equivalent of here is Cafesaxophone.com 

[Gasman]

Or the Sax in the Web forum - https://www.saxontheweb.net - probably the biggest sax players resource of all. As a sax doubler, I find it very helpful for advice on issues like this