Knowledge Base

A kalimba is a fairly quiet instrument, so amplifying it for a concert takes some care.

• The simplest and most widely available option is an ordinary microphone. As with any sound source, moving it closer to the kalimba captures more of the instrument relative to the surrounding noise and can help reduce feedback. However, you need to keep the distance consistent while playing, otherwise the volume will jump up and down.

Cardioid and figure-of-eight microphones have a proximity effect: bass becomes stronger as the source gets closer. With control, you can use this to shape the tone. Some vocal microphones, designed for very close use, reduce low frequencies to limit this boominess. Omnidirectional microphones do not have the same proximity effect.

• Contact microphones attached to the body, with adhesive, removable pads or another mounting method, are very convenient. You no longer have to keep the kalimba positioned in front of a microphone and can move freely on stage. They pick up much less airborne background sound, making feedback easier to manage and allowing even quiet models to be amplified. However, they do not capture the hollow body's air resonance in the same way, so “wah-wah” effects may not come through.

Because the instrument is quiet, the microphone's signal-to-noise ratio matters. Amplifying a weak signal can also amplify the microphone's own hiss. Still, unless you are pursuing perfection, even an inexpensive microphone can work.