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Tips and tricks for cleanly recording and mixing your didgeridoo with Baptiste Vallet

Gauthier Aubé 1 min read

This episode is in French. My podcast is only available in French for now.

Co-founder of the band Djemdi, Baptiste Vallet has built up long experience in miking the didgeridoo, both live and in the studio. In this interview, he shares his experience of didgeridoo acoustics and mixing. Because however much we love our good old didgeridoo, it’s still not the easiest instrument to amplify! Which mics should you use? Which mistakes should you avoid? Which frequencies should you cut? We talk about all of this with Baptiste throughout this podcast. Enjoy listening!

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Find out more about Baptiste Vallet’s projects

• Info about the classes at the MJC Robert Martin in Roman-sur-isère
• To email Baptiste, click here
• Didgital
• Djemdi
• Dooö 

Didgital, one of Baptiste Vallet’s projects, combining two didgeridoos, a bass and drums

The mics/recorders mentioned in the podcast

• Audix i5: mic used with Didgital on stage
• AKG C414 XLS: mic used with Didgital in the studio
• ATM 250DE: dual-capsule mic that Zalem and Adèle used, as well as Colas. Great on stage, because it has one dynamic and one condenser capsule, and you can switch between the two.
• t.bone CD 56 beta: the (cheap) mic Baptiste still uses for folk music.
• AKG C214 ou Audio technica AT2020: effective, affordable large-diaphragm mics
• Zoom H4: recorder + built-in mics, its reputation speaks for itself!

Topics discussed on the Wakademy forum

• Which mic to record a didgeridoo?
• Can you pair a mic with a smartphone to record a didgeridoo?

More podcasts and articles about the didgeridoo

• Podcast | A life dedicated to the didgeridoo with Zalem Delarbre
• Article | Why analyzing your didgeridoo’s frequencies will help you play better!

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13 responses to “Tips and tricks for cleanly recording and mixing your didgeridoo with Baptiste Vallet”

  1. Vincent Pinson Avatar
    Vincent Pinson

    Hi, thanks for this very interesting podcast.

    I’d like to get just one mic (for studio and live) for now (budget constraints) and the Audix i5 seems pretty good. But is it suitable for both live and studio?

    I have another question, a flute-playing friend of mine told me she uses two mics for her instrument; one at the flute output and one on the flute body.
    Would such a setup have any benefit on a didgeridoo?
    Thanks for your feedback.

    Automatically translated from French · See the original

    Salut, merci pour ce podcast très intéressant.

    J’aimerais avoir seulement un micro (pour du studio et du live)pour le moment (budget oblige) et le Audix i5 paraît pas mal. Mais est-il bien pour du live et pour du studio?

    J’ai une autre question, j’ai une amis flûtiste qui me dit, qu’elle utilise deux micros pour son instrument; un en sortie de flûte et un sur le corps de la flûte.
    Est ce qu’une telle installation aurais un intérêt quelconque sur un didgeridoo?
    Merci pour vos retours.

    1. Gauthier Aubé Avatar
      Gauthier Aubé

      Hi Vincent,

      So with the two mics, there would certainly be things worth exploring but I think that’s secondary.
      The research would be more effective by modifying the distance and direction of the mics at the bell end.

      As for the mic reference, unfortunately I can’t help you much there. We talk about it on the forum if you want and Baptiste sometimes chimes in (or you can contact him via PM on the forum):
      https://community.wakademy.online/t/quel-micro-pour-enregistrer-un-didgeridoo/422

      Hope that helps you!

      Automatically translated from French · See the original

      Salut Vincent,

      Alors pour les deux micros, il y aurait certainement des choses à chercher mais je pense que c’est secondaire.
      La recherche serait plus effective en modifiant l’éloignement et la direction des micros en bout de cloche.

      Pour la référence d’un micro, là je ne peux malheureusement pas trop t’aider. On en parle sur le forum si tu veux et Baptiste y intervient parfois (ou tu peux le contacter en MP sur le forum) :
      https://community.wakademy.online/t/quel-micro-pour-enregistrer-un-didgeridoo/422

      J’espère que ça t’aidera !

      1. Vincent Pinson Avatar
        Vincent Pinson

        Thanks Gauthier for your answer.

        Automatically translated from French · See the original

        Merci Gauthier pour ta réponse.

  2. Jean-Noël Avatar
    Jean-Noël

    For those who want to discover more about Baptiste Vallet’s universe, I also recommend his Sit project, he did everything himself, it’s an album that gets a lot of play at my place, happy listening. It’s over here: https://sitmusic.bandcamp.com

    Automatically translated from French · See the original

    Pour ceux qui veulent découvrir un peu plus l’univers de Baptiste Vallet, je vous conseille aussi son projet Sit, il a tout fait lui même, c’est un album qui tourne pas mal chez moi, bonne écoute. C’est par ici : https://sitmusic.bandcamp.com

    1. Gauthier Aubé Avatar
      Gauthier Aubé

      Thank you for that clarification Jean-Noël!

      Automatically translated from French · See the original

      Merci pour cette précision Jean-Noël !

  3. Patrick GARBOUS Avatar
    Patrick GARBOUS

    I’d say this podcast was a real balancing act, and that applies to several points.

    First, the first twenty minutes could have seemed off-topic compared to the title since they focused on Baptiste VALLET’s background. But it turns out that not only was this first part extremely interesting, but it also helped us better understand the rest of the podcast. So, from that perspective, balance achieved.

    Next, it was about finding a balance between the technical complexity of the subject and its understanding for most of us who, I assume, don’t have sound engineering training. Once again, the balance is achieved thanks to you, Gauthier, who constantly made an effort to bring the subject down to our level, but also thanks to Baptiste VALLET who did his best to make his points understandable.
    Plus, the musical excerpts really make you want to listen to more.
    In summary, well done and a big thank you to both of you.

    Automatically translated from French · See the original

    J’aurai tendance à dire que ce podcast était un vrai travail d’équilibriste et cela concernant différents points.

    Tout d’abord, les vingt premières minutes qui pouvaient sembler hors sujet par rapport au titre puisqu’elles concernaient le parcours de Baptiste VALLET. Mais il se trouve que, non seulement cette première partie était extrêmement intéressante et qu’en plus elle permettait de mieux comprendre la suite du podcast. Donc, de ce point de vue, équilibre réussi.

    Ensuite, il s’agissait de trouver un équilibre entre la technicité du sujet et sa compréhension pour la plupart d’entre nous qui, je suppose, n’ont pas une formation de technicien du son. Encore une fois, l’équilibre est réussi grâce à toi, Gauthier, qui en permanence avait le souci de ramener le sujet à notre niveau mais aussi grâce à Baptiste VALLET qui a fait le maximum pour rendre compréhensible son propos.
    En plus, les extraits musicaux donnent vraiment l’envie d’en écouter plus.
    En résumé, bravo et un grand merci à tous les deux.

    1. Gauthier Aubé Avatar
      Gauthier Aubé

      Thanks Patrick for your feedback. You’re right that I took a bit of a risk going off-topic… ? But I’m realizing that taking the time to present the player’s journey makes it possible to better understand their approach, which enriches the discussion, at least I hope so!

      Automatically translated from French · See the original

      Merci Patrick pour ton retour.
      C’est vrai que j’ai pris un peu le risque de faire du hors sujet… ? Mais je me rend compte que prendre le temps de présenter le parcours du joueur permet de mieux comprendre son approche ce qui enrichie le propos, en tout cas je l’espère !

  4. Jean-Noël Avatar
    Jean-Noël

    Great Gauthier! The podcast format with interviews is really top-notch… Zalem, véfoun and now Baptiste, it was super interesting. Thanks to them. Thanks Baptiste, cheers!

    Automatically translated from French · See the original

    Super Gauthier! La formule podcast avec interview est vraiment top… Zalem, véfoun et maintenant Baptiste, c’était super intéressant. Merci à eux. Merci Baptiste, la bise au passage.

    1. Gauthier Aubé Avatar
      Gauthier Aubé

      Thank you Jean-Noël! I’d be happy to do more but it takes me quite a bit of time. Have a great summer with the whole family!

      Automatically translated from French · See the original

      Merci jean-Noël ! J’en ferais volontiers plus mais ça me prends pas mal de temps.
      Bel été à toute la famille !

  5. Karl Esprit Nomade Avatar
    Karl Esprit Nomade

    Thank you Gautier for this podcast. Do you know if there’s a portable way to record Didgeridoo? So that you can record yourself everywhere?

    Automatically translated from French · See the original

    Merci à toi Gautier pour ce podcast. Est ce qu’à ta connaissance il existe un moyen portatif d’enregistrer du Didgeridoo ? Afin de pouvoir s’enregistrer partout?

    1. Gauthier Aubé Avatar
      Gauthier Aubé

      Thanks Karl for your feedback. In my opinion, the best compromise is the Zoom H4. We talk about it in the podcast. The Zoom series has proven itself. There’s also Stéphane on the forum who opened a thread about adding a microphone to his phone: https://community.wakademy.online/t/peut-on-associer-un-micro-avec-un-smartphone-pour-enregistrer-un-didgeridoo/853/10

      Hope that helps you!

      Automatically translated from French · See the original

      Merci Karl pour ton retour. À mon avis le meilleur compromis est le Zoom H4. On en parle dans le podcast. La série des Zoom ont fait leurs preuves.
      Il y a aussi Stéphane sur le forum qui avait ouvert un sujet sur le fait d’ajouter un micro à son téléphone : https://community.wakademy.online/t/peut-on-associer-un-micro-avec-un-smartphone-pour-enregistrer-un-didgeridoo/853/10

      J’espère que ça t’aidera !

  6. William Belle Avatar
    William Belle

    Yes ! Super cool as always! I really love this type of interview! clap clap clap (I’m applauding in ternary without a mic…)

    Automatically translated from French · See the original

    Yes ! Super cool comme d’hab ! j’aime beaucoup ce type d’interview ! clap clap clap (j’applaudis en ternaire sans micro…)

    1. Gauthier Aubé Avatar
      Gauthier Aubé

      Thank you Will! For these threefold and acoustic thanks. Absolutely beautiful. ?

      Automatically translated from French · See the original

      Merci Will ! Pour ces remerciements ternaires et acoustiques. De toute beauté. ?

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