Best sound??

[Faraday1]

I just recently picked up an Mbox and an AKG C3000b condenser mic to do some home recording. I have been playing around w/ miking my guitar and vocals but was wondering if anyone had any recommendations that could help me get the best sound possible out of the gear i have. Also, what would be the best way to get a warmer sound from the digital recording? A friend recommended using amplitube?? Any help would be great.

[The Green Hornet]

Yo Faraway:

I used the AKG3000 for a long time; just got a different mic to add to the collection.

I found the 3000 worked better with a mic pre. Then, running the mic from the pre into an RNC may give you some interesting results.

I'm not familiar with your other piece of gear.

Also, a touch of reverb will also mellow out your tracks; however, don't over-do the verb and use a quality reverb.

Happy Labor Day

Green Hornet

[Songwriter333]

Howdy- for your digital recordings, you may want to pay particular attention to keeping the low end pumped up in the EQ for some of the tracks, which will help keep away from the high-end "tininess" that can be attributed to digital. Your AKG condensor mic may be more versatile than you've heard- for instance, my old band sometimes used a condensor for the over-head on the drums (coupled with a couple other non-consensors for snare and kick) and we've even tried mic'ing the guitar amp with a condensor mic even though it's not traditional (why so many people think they have to use a Shure 57 unidirectional is beyond me). Just a thought.

[tappmusic]

If you do try to add warmth to your mix via the EQ, be careful of frequency masking. Keep in mind that every instrument has a unique tonal quality and each should compliment the other. You can't just increase the lows and expect it to sound nice and warm. Good luck!

[bennychico11]

i actually disagree with the last two there. i think you can get a better result before even using EQ by experimenting with microphone techniques. research a little bit on the net for some starting ideas of where to put the mic. throw some headphones on and listen as you move the mic around the room until you find the sound you want from the guitar. then you'll just need to adjust the sound a little bit to correct any problem frequencies. good luck!

[tappmusic]

Both techniques (EQ adjustments and mic placement technique) are definitely valid; however, I associate mic placement more with depth positioning and room ambience. Just like most aspects of mixing, you've got to be creative. Troubleshoot different avenues and it may turn out that a combination of several techniques will be what it takes to get you that warm sound you're searching for. It's definitely a challenge when recording digitally.

[Ronan]

mic technique is the single most important part of recording!! (well aside from the song, performance, arangement etc)

It can not be over stated how important micing is in terms of making a track feel warm, or edgy or fat or thin or ambient. It all starts with the mics and what you do with them!!!!!! The more you learn about micing the less you will EQ. Getting most of the sound with mic technique will almost always sounds better than getting most of the sound from EQ.

I would much rather make a record with an OK collection of mics and no EQ at all, than a couple crappy mics and all the best EQs in the world. I am not talking about super expensive stuff but solid mics from Shure or AT, etc.