"Waltz for rose" acoustic guitar/strings/soundtrack

A

andre.g

New member
Hi,
I´ve been here some time "just" reading and listening. So this time i would like to introduce a composition of me and would be thankful for your feedback on composition, play and recording.
It´s a acoustic guitar recording (with two mics (rode NT 5 and Studio projects B1 and the internal baggs anthem System) and two NI VSL strings/choir instruments in background.
Thanks for listening and commenting!


 
It's a lovely piece. Would make for a really poignant soundtrack given the scene. Nicely recorded.
An audio editor can cut that last extended moment of silence at the end. But no biggie, it doesn't interfere with the listening enjoyment at this point:)
Keep up the nice work.


P.S.
Like the camera angle.
 
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Nice composition. The guitar sounded good but perhaps a little boomy on the low end. The other thing I noticed was the finger noise. A certain amount of that is part of the sound of an acoustic guitar and even adds to the music. It's a matter of degrees. I thought it was a little much in places. I'll be the first to say I suck at recording acoustic guitars, but could this be addressed by mic placement or eq? Maybe it's just differences of taste.

I'd like to hear other work you have done. Glad you've stopped lurking and started posting. I hope you'll take time to offer comments on tracks that other posters have put up.
 
Thank you robus and rockexotic for your generous comments and suggestions! Until now i couldn´t find a sucessful method to make the guitar noise noticeable quieter. I´m using coated strings, use string cleaner and put some cream on my hands, but still its quiet loud. I will try to experiment with changing the mic poitions a bit. And sorry for the silence in the end. I simply forgot to cut it.
 
You're welcome Andre.
The silence at the end just gives those who appreciate the piece a chance to relish in the afterglow:)

Robus confirms the full-body-ness that I could hear & feel listening with over-ear cans.

Try aiming one of the mics at the 12th fret perhaps at an upward or downward angle to bring out more of the highs or lows. Since sound waves are omni-circular, you can catch the sound in all directions. Just float the mic around the sound "bubble" at varying distances and angles.
A little further back can reduce the boominess and add some natural room sound.

It really helps to have someone listening in another room while the other moves the mic around.
Otherwise, it can be hit or miss because you're also hearing the "live" low end along with what you are monitoring.

After achieving the best possible mic config and after other instruments are brought into the mix, you can also employ a high-pass filter.
This enables you to eliminate any unwanted low end while keeping the warmth & presence of the instrument.
Adjust the corner frequency to the point where it just starts to suck the life out then back it off.
So it maintains fullness yet sounds clean in relation to the rest of the mix.
This helps improve the clarity of the overall mix.

Lastly, you can also use parametric eq to boost around the low mid range at a medium bandwidth (bell) and sweep through the frequency range until you hear the most resonant and annoying frequency. Then cut that frequency with a narrow the bandwidth (notch out) so as not to suck the life out. This also helps clear up a mix.
 
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I thought it sounded nice. It created a very relaxing atmosphere.

My only complaint (and it's fairly minor) is the guitar lacks a little presence. It's also a bit wooly. I might play around with either a small cut around 300hz - 500hz or a small boost around 5K - 6Khz. Very small and of medium width.
 
TripleM said:
I thought it sounded nice. It created a very relaxing atmosphere.
I might play around with either a small cut around 300hz - 500hz or a small boost around 5K - 6Khz. Very small and of medium width.
Click to expand...

Nice concise & precise solution TripleM:)
 
Very nice well played I like the video as well... The internal system is more than likely picking up most of the string noise and adding the boomy tone. I have LR Baggs system on my six string acoustic it does the same I try not use it recording if I dont have to.. I use lubriderm to try and help with string noise as well. Still a very nice sounding and well played piece
 
Thank you so much Rockexotic Volstar and TripleM for your detailed helpful replies. I will try your tips. I´m sorry for not understanding everything, because my english is not that good and I´m not so experienced in mixing. What is the corner frequency in
adjust the corner frequency to the point where it just starts to suck the life out then back it off.
Click to expand...
 
A lovely little tune. Finger squeaks didn't bother me. The guitar sound clear and was well played. But I do agree with others about a bit of boominess down the bottom.

On the arrangement itself, I think the next step up for you will be to develop the string part further. At the moment, what I hear is the strings playing a series of chords that follow exactly the chords played by the guitar. It sounds nice enough, but it would take it to new heights were you to create a string arrangement that moved around a bit more: took up the melody in some parts, dropped out in others, then came back . . . a bit like how maybe, say, a string quartet would accompany the guitar.
 
Thank you gecko zzed for your encouraging comment and your suggestions for the strings, thast would surely make the track better.
 
andre.g said:
What is the corner frequency?
Click to expand...

Also known as the cutoff point. Where all the frequencies below that point are filtered out.
When working with a high-pass filter (meaning higher frequencies are allowed to pass through) you can sweep left to right through the frequency range. The left being the lower frequencies and the right, the higher.
From the lowest boom to the highest hiss.

So the cutoff point can be set by sweeping to the point that filters out any unwanted low end but maintains the natural sound of the natural fullness.
If you filter too high up than all of the guitar's "body" will be filtered and it will sound ultra-thin.
So at that point move the cutoff point back to where the body of the sound is allowed through -but stop at the point before it gets too bassy.

High-pass filtering is mostly used when you have a full band like bass, drums and keys.
But in your case, with a couple guitars, following TripleM's advice with the use a a parametric eq can suffice.
Parametric eq enables you to carve out just the right fit in the mix and enables you to hone your tone in a musical way.
You can "cut" the low mids resulting in clarity and boost the desirable frequencies.
A lot of times just cutting certain the low mid frequencies helps regain clarity without having to boost.

The principle is this: When more then one instrument combine, the lower mid frequencies can build up. A filtered instrument may sound thin when soloed, but just right when the other instruments are in the mix (providing the missing energy).
These are just a few aspects and applications. Lots to be found online regarding the mix principles of equalization.
 
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I don't have anything to add, as far as critique goes. I listened and enjoyed the tune and the guitar playing. Great recording as is and with the advise given it will be even better.
 
Thank you outss! I will listen to your song and comment! It´s me playing the guitar.
Thanks rockexotic again for your detailed explanation! And thanks jimistone for your generous comment!
 
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