Listen to 5 different harps and see which you prefer!
Did you have a favorite? Here are the samples identified:
Sample 1
Delight Carbon Fiber Harp, Painted, Nylon strings
Sample 2
Delight Carbon Fiber Harp, Classic Black (Unpainted), Fluorocarbon strings
Sample 3
DragonHeart Wood Harp
Sample 4
Delight Carbon Fiber Harp, Classic Black (Unpainted), Nylon strings
Sample 5
Infinity Carbon Fiber Harp, Classic Black (Unpainted), Nylon strings
Notes on the recording from Pamela:
I was shocked at how hard the samples were to tell apart. I love carbon fiber harps, and yet I was still surprised at how well they recorded. In some ways, they are superior for the recording studio to wood harps.
All harps were recorded using two microphones (see below for the types) one pointing at the bass of the soundboard and one near the treble. The same microphones and placement was used for all 5 harp samples, except that the bass mic was raised about 3 inches while recording the Infinity.
Almost no processing was done on the sound. I didn’t spend the time I would ordinarily have spent when recording an album to tweak the sound, fine-tuning the EQ or the reverb. What you’re getting is pretty much the raw sound, which is a great basis for creating the sound you want on an album. And it’s shocking how good it is just like that!
The relative volumes are as they were recorded, again with one exception: in recording both black Delight harps, the input had to be turned down slightly, because they were louder and were overpowering the microphones. This delighted my sound engineer, who usually complains about harps being hard to record because they are so quiet. No complaints about these!
The DragonHeart wood harp that I used is my (former) recording harp, on which I’ve recorded all of my recent albums, so it’s top of the line and well seasoned.
For the technically inclined, we used: Neumann KM184 & Royer 121 microphones into APA Juggernaut Preamps and Lucid AD9624 digital converters.
“I have one of your original ten Infinity 36 string small carbon fibre harps… which has been dragged to many harp-unfriendly environments such as trunks of cars in 90 degree weather, camping, massive thunderstorms, snowstorms, left in freezing -30 weather trunks of cars (I live in the great white North Canada) . It has been dropped, knocked over, and banged against brick walls as it is my Travel Harp. That poor thing has suffered many indignities, but it still looks perfect and oddly it has never lost a string, and it rarely goes out of tune. I can leave it for months and then grab it to go for a weekend somewhere and when I take it out of its case it is still in tune… weird! Anyway, thanks for making it and best wishes on your new endeavour!”
“Thank you so much! I love my new carbon fiber Heartland Legend 36 string harp!!! The folks in all my music groups say it sounds great and are very happy to see me play this beautiful harp! This harp is lighter than my music bag! I am so happy and it is a great joy to play this harp and keep in the van while running errands, keeps the tune! It moves around very easy, it’s so lightweight! I am so pleased and happy with my new carbon fiber harp. I play this all the time! I am sure all the harpists around the world would like to have a lightweight carbon fiber harp!!! Thank you!”
“My harp is absolutely GORGEOUS and has an incredible tone after only a week! I took it to my lesson on Saturday and both my instructor AND her instructor (both pedal harp players) were extremely impressed by the style, the tone and, of course, the color! This is truly my “Dream Harp” and I had to tell them both all about the carbon fiber harps and your website. (Of course, I wouldn’t tell them the exact color number of my harp – don’t want anyone to copy mine exactly!). Don’t be surprised if you begin hearing from other people in San Antonio for information and orders on your wonderful harps. Thank you, again!”
“Love, love, love my new Heartland harp!!! Love that it is lightweight, love the sound and appearance! Is everything I ever wanted in a harp! Was well worth the wait!”
“I just want to tell you again how perfect this harp is. The sound is exactly what I wanted. It’s amazing how it can be both transparent and haunting at one and the same time. You have pulled off something really really special with this harp. The more I play it (and I’m playing it a lot) the more I am amazed at it.”
“(This Double Strung Legend harp) exceeds my every expectation. It is absolutely magical. It has a gorgeous tone, beautiful action and a lovely finish. For a double-strung, pitch is even more critical than with a single course harp because the side-by-side strings make any difference excruciatingly audible. The tuning pins on this harp are so smooth and precise, I can just dial it right in. …I am in utter bliss with this harp. Mahalo nui loa. Thank you from my heart.
“I am in love with my Infinity! I never imagined a harp that weighs less than my music bag, that allows me the freedom to move easily through hospital corridors and in and out of patients’ rooms as a CMP. This is a joy and the color is perfect! Everyone wants to touch it and pick it up to marvel at the portability and sound of my new instrument. Many thanks!”
“I can’t tell you how much I love my harp. I always get compliments on the beauty of it as I roll it around the hospital, in addition to getting compliments on the sound. Thank you for making such a splendid instrument.”
“Just to update you. I, finally, got my Delight back from my daughter. The sound is even better than I had anticipated or heard via computer and phone. I could not be happier. Must tell you that, when a friend visited, I picked up the harp to clear a space for us. She gasped and asked what pound weights I was working out with. I mentioned 10 1/2 pounds and she was very impressed. I feel as though this is the 19th century and I have just bought a bicycle… it is the future. Someday I think you will make pedal harps like this. Anyway, thank you and I LOVE THE HARP!”
“I brought my Heartland Harp Delight (carbon fiber) harp to the Orange County Harp Troupe meeting last week, and everyone was nuts for it. I even smacked it with a fork to show them how tough it is. Fun times. Clearly an easily amused Irish person on this end.”
“My Infinity goes almost everywhere with me, and has become my #1 performance harp.”
“I just wanted to let you know that my harp arrived yesterday afternoon about 4:00. Stanley and I waited on the front porch for the truck all afternoon hoping it wouldn’t be as late as 7:00 like it said on the tracking info, and suddenly it came around the corner. We jumped up and ran out into the street, surprising the driver who laughed at us as Stanley helped her get it off the truck. In no time at all we had it unpacked and I started to tune her up. She’s beautiful and sounds amazing. I will continue to strive to bring out the beautiful music that resides in her and be worthy of our your skill and expertise. Thank you for meeting with us and helping us to make this decision.”
“The president of CodaBow, a composite company that makes high-end carbon fiber violin and cello bows that are exported all over the world to the best players in the world, wanted to see my harp. He came over and was amazed at the instrument. Said it was obvious you were a master and that the harp was a quantum step forward, most particularly because of its use in an acoustical application.He was impressed with the design, especially how you had handled the string tension, and also with how beautiful it was. Anyway, it made me feel very happy that I had taken the leap, not knowing anything about the construction other than that it was light weight. After he had examined it, he ran home to get an amplifier and plug so we could try that out also. That also worked very well and even with the amp being an inexpensive one, the sound was clear and pleasant.
So needless to say, I am pleased with my harp! It has already caused my practice time to increase because it is so enjoyable to play. Thanks for your expertise and service. I am very glad I made the decision to buy the harp.”