5 Techniques For Miking The Accordion

Accordion is a central instrument in zydeco, Cajun, and polka music, although it’s also found in indigenous music around the world. There are many different types and sizes of accordion, but the following techniques culled from the 4th edition of my Recording Engineer’s Handbook cover them all.

Just to show that all roads sometimes lead to the same destination when it comes to the type of microphone used, it’s interesting to look at some of the mics used on the albums by accordion virtuoso Dick Contino back in the ‘50s and ‘60s. On an album engineered at Universal Studios in Chicago by the legendary engineer and equipment designer Bill Putnam, a U 47 was used. On another album tracked by engineer Malcolm Chisholm at United Western Studios in Hollywood, an RCA 77-DX was used. On another Universal/Chicago date, engineer Bernie Clapper used a 251. 

Considerations

• Like many instruments, an accordion radiates a different tone in every direction, and each accordion surface produces a distinct timbre. As a result, the tonal balance can be dramatically altered depending upon where a mic is placed. 
• When playing with a rhythm section, many accordionists play only with the right hand.
• If button and air noise is a concern, a single dynamic mic (such as an SM57) tends to pick up less of the noise of the instrument than a condenser mic. This is also a good choice for the button-type instruments used in Tejano and Norteño music

Placement

Technique #1: The most basic technique is to place a mic about 2 or 3 feet away from the bellows (the pleated layers that the player moves to push air over the reeds) of the accordion. 

• Variation:Instead of a single mic, use a stereo mic or a coincident pair. The sound will no longer come from just one point in space, plus it will sound more natural. Experiment with a little more distance than the 3 feet mentioned above when using a stereo pair.

Technique #2: If the player will mostly be playing with only his right hand, place a mic on the keyboard side about a foot or so away from the reeds above the keyboard. 

Technique #3: Clip a miniature lavaliere mic to the wrist strap of the accordion. 

Technique #4: A standard pickup arrangement for a Cajun accordion is an SM57 capsule mounted on a bracket at the bottom of the accordion, facing upward. These are usually four-reed accordions played with all the stops out so the sound is at its fullest.

Technique #5: For internal miking of the reeds, place three lavaliere mics on the treble side (low, middle, high) and two on the bass of a full-sized piano accordion.

At least one of the above techniques should work well when it comes to miking the accordion. As in all recording situations, the type of mic used and the placement is of utmost importance.

---

You can read more from The Mixing Engineer’s Handbook and my other books on the excerpt section of bobbyowsinski.com.