A handpan is one of those instruments that sounds the best raw in an ambient setting. At many times, we are however required to play to a larger audience. Choosing the right sound setup is essential in this case. Translating the sound from a handpan; capturing all its harmonics and reproducing it perfectly is a constant challenge that all artists face. Here’s an article on how to mic your handpan. This will help you choose the right system; whether you’re playing a sundowner after a party or recording from a small studio:
Microphones that work for Handpans
A Handpan is a percussive melodic instrument – you’re producing different scales, sometimes as wide as two octaves. If you’re playing to an audience for sound healing or meditation; then, you’d would want the harmonics to be heard clearly, the sustain to be long and add a reverb optionally. Depending on whether you’re doing this: by the sides of a beach or in a closed auditorium, we recommend these two options –
Use two small diaphragm condenser microphones on either side of the handpan. You can also add one kick mic (dynamic mic) below the gu hole to amplify the bass. A distance of about 40 cm- 50 cm for the mics from the instrument is recommended. This will help kill any slap sounds on the notes. Placing both the condenser microphones at the same distance from the handpan is essential. This will ensure a balanced sound as well as to cancel out any phase differences.
Contact microphones have also been famous for playing Handpans live; when played percussively and passed through a mixing system that can add reverbs/ effects for you – consider it a party! There are serval types of contact mics; those that clip on to the rim of the handpan, and others – single or a pair of contact mics. You can pair these with a small mounted condenser for a wholesome experience. The contact microphones can be placed in the interstitial between the notes or on the bottom shell.
You would also need a pre-amplifier set up with your microphones. We recommend that you always carry one yourself or request sufficient time for setup with your sound engineering team. If you’re playing with other instruments such as a didgeridoo or a violin, ensure that there is considerable space between your mics and these to prevent bleeding from other louder musical instruments. Before starting your recording session, play your handpan at the loudest you will and check the feedback to ensure that no sounds get clipped off. Adjust your gains so that your loudest playing is still 3dB below the maximum sound that your system can capture.
Which Microphone system is right for you?
For Soloists who prefer the truest and the cleanest sound of the Handpan in their recordings, both in an outdoor as well as an indoor or studio environment, a pair of small diaphragm condenser microphones with a kick mic would be the way to go. If you’re playing along with other acoustic instruments that are generally low volume such as a flute, violin or acoustic guitar, this setup would still work for you as long as you use in-ear monitors to prevent unwanted feedback.
Handpan players who play up-tempo music along with loud instruments such as an electric guitar, djembe or drums or in noisy public spaces like open auditoriums and festival stages would need high quality pick up microphones. Experts across the world agree that choosing the right pick up mic is tricky – since many contact microphones amplify percussive slaps or highs rather than melodic sounds – mids and lows. The sound from a pick up mic should be adjusted by setting higher gains for your mids and lows, and lower gains for your highs. This often requires the support of a skilled audio engineer who understands the sound of a handpan and is familiar with the acoustics of the environment.
How much should you invest in your microphones?
A really good sound setup for a Handpan is as costly or even costlier than the handpan itself – however you need to consider it as an investment rather than a luxury. If you’re a casual player or strictly play only in closed rooms or studios – we recommend skipping the mic system itself. Get your audience to sit around you, close their eyes and immerse themselves in the experience.
If you will be recording or playing live from home and like a portable and pocket friendly solution – you can buy a handy recorder. Several artists who perform online record audio using a Zoom H4n and video using their smartphones. Since these recorders have built-in sound cards and memory they eliminate the need for an external soundcard connected to a laptop. This setup costs only INR 20,000 and is the most economical option.
For some serious playing, we recommend a matched pair of small diaphragm condensers and a kick microphone to go along. Getting a matched pair is essential to eliminate phase differences – trust us, no amount of software tweaking will help you solve what can already be fixed before the recording. Small diaphragm condensers need phantom power and also require pre-amplification. Having a low noise floor pre-amp will eliminate buzzing/humming sounds when you increase the gain as handpans are low volume instruments that require a higher gain setting. For recording and playback, this set up would additionally require a sound card + laptop or a recorder with memory. For live performances, you could club this with a mixer. There are many sound cards, mixers and field recorders in the market – choose one that has low noise pre-amps. You may alternatively use external pre-amps with your mics – the more the individual parts however, the bulkier and costlier the set up. Also, cables are really important to ensure a low-noise setup, and you would need to use high quality XLR cables and connectors,
Depending on the number of components and the country of origin, such a sound system along with microphone stands and wiring would work out upwards of INR 60,000. Here at Chirp Handpans, we use a pair of LineAudio CM3 condenser microphones along with Zoom F4 field recorder
Haven’t decided on your handpan scale yet? Do check out our handpan simulator to find out the scale for your handpan!
