Check Out my TubePre sample

[adclark]

I used a Presonus TubePre (drive around 12o'clock) to record a double track accoustic guitar track for a piece I'm working on. I like to record the same guitar track twice and pan for a good stereo effect. At the link below is a 30 sec. sample of a passage (I looped it twice for this purpose, you'll hear a click at loop interval) with only the accoustic guitars. http://homepage.mac.com/a.daleclark/...eSharing6.html The rest of the tracks are muted (you can hear a bit of the beats bleeding through my headphones). I actually like the way the guitars came out. They add a nicetexture to entire track. Remember, I have added reverb, some EQ and compression to accomadate the entire mix with other tracks. If this was a solo guitar piece, I would have mixed, eq'd etc.. differently. The effects here sit well with entire track. I'll post when finished. I just wanted to share the kinds of sounds one can get with a cheap piece of gear with a bit of tweaking. I used an ADK-A51 mic, presonus Firebox interface, Presonus TubePre going into Logic 6. The guitar was an Epiphone EJ200 (jumbo). I recorded this in my bedroom/Den low budget studio. Mic position between soundhole and 12th fret (approx 7 inches back). I'm going for an "All Things Must Pass" wall of sound meets U2/Coldplay type sound for this track. Very crispy yet haunting and dark. http://homepage.mac.com/a.daleclark/...eSharing6.htmlRemember, I'm not a true guitar player. I'm a drummer who can play basics on other instruments and has to live with using drum loops and samples since I live in a condo.

[Joseph Hanna]

Great job very nice sound.

[ssscientist]

Sounds good!

[adclark]

I'm really interested in the new Presonus ADL600 tube preamp. Presonus makes decent gear for the money. M-Audio has also stepped it up a bit from what I've heard as well. I may purchase a DMP3 pre.

[adclark]

I'll post a rough mix of the track in a couple of weeks

[Rick Shepherd]

Sounds good, the only thing I hear that is a issue is that the two guitar tracks are noticably out of beat with each other at a few spots. Nice though.

[adclark]

Good observation. It's a little trick I do which is hardley noticable when full fix is on. When played in the entire mix, it sounds nice. At first pass, I record first accoustic guitar to the main rythym track (drum loop, bass, etc). The second pass, I mute everything and play along to the first pass of guitar that I recorded. It gives a little bit of "players strumming together around a circle" feel. Also, it keeps the "pick strum" just a bit out of sync which works nice when panned in stereo and listening through headphones. Also, I'll properly tune the guitar for the first pass and not retune for the second pass (unless something major happens to the tuning). If you do quite a bit of playing and retakes during the first pass, the guitar will detune slightly. The detuning is just enough for a fuller sound (as if 2 differnt players tuned their guitars). I'll also change mic position a bit as well. I have another accoustic guitar and use it sometimes for the second pass.

[adclark]

Anyone have DMP3 samples?

[MISTERQCUE]

Nice brutha'! Good work!

[asulger]

Sounds like it's missing everything under 300 hz except for a little boom. All mids, no body.
Just my opinion, FWIW.

[amra]

It's an accoustic. Accoustic is by it's very nature mostly mids...

[chessrock]

Originally Posted by adclark

Check Out my TubePre sample. Opinions?

It kinda' sounds like an accoustic guitar to me.

Two of them, in fact.

[puffin]

Not enough 'thrum' for me. I lake acoustic guitars that sound like you're playing an oak tree.

[chessrock]

Originally Posted by puffin

Not enough 'thrum' for me. I lake acoustic guitars that sound like you're playing an oak tree.

Now that would be interesting to hear.

I wish someone would post examples of that.

[asulger]

Originally Posted by amra

It's an accoustic. Accoustic is by it's very nature mostly mids...

Must be Nashville tuning - no wound EAD strings
These are acoustic and I think they have the 'body' that seems to be lacking in the tube example.
Anything on this page:
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page...?bandID=138077
Lonely Rag on this page:
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page...?bandID=296237
Rag for Ry on this page:
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page...?bandID=147437

That's all I have time for but there are hundreds of examples on soundclick.
I would also value Timithy Lawler's opinion if he's around.

[chessrock]

Is this like a dual or something now? ? ?


I think I'm having flashbacks of that Steve Vai movie with Ralph Machio.

[adclark]

Wow, lots of opinions on my "cheap" acoustic guitar recorded with a "cheap" mic and a "cheap" pre. Remember, the eQ and effects you hear is what blended in with my entire mix the best. I'll try to post a "non-effect" version of same clip.

[chessrock]

Originally Posted by adclark

Remember, the eQ and effects you hear is what blended in with my entire mix the best.

It sounds like it would be very mix-friendly, but I'd be really careful of the "boom boom" stuff.

And you might want to try a better pre, too, next time. Ebay that thing. Someone will take it off your hands, I'm sure.

[adclark]

I've just added a "dry" version of same clip. No effects.
http://homepage.mac.com/a.daleclark/...eSharing6.html

[Markaholic]

Originally Posted by chessrock

Is this like a dual or something now? ? ?


I think I'm having flashbacks of that Steve Vai movie with Ralph Machio.

that movie kicked ass....i believe it was called "crossroads"..but i could be wrong....nice playing and sounds good to me!

[WERNER 1]

Even though you've mixed the one to sit well in the mix,...as a stand alone recording I sort of like the dry version better.

I seams like the left side is more prominate than the right.......unless my speakers are backwards, then it'd be the opposite. You can hear those "off rythem" strums on the right/quieter track....interesting concept.

Thanks for the clips!!

Rick

[adclark]

Believe it or not, the TubePre is a step up in sound (in my opinion) than teh built in pre's on the Firebox. When I do go to better a better pre (maybe a Sytek or entry level Grace) I will keep the Tubepre as a DI for my bass guitar. It has a nice DI sound for bass. For $99 I really can't go wrong. I may get a DMP3 in the meantime, but I'm not certain that its a big enough step up from the Tubepre. I have yet to hear any samples.

[chessrock]

Originally Posted by adclark

... but I'm not certain that its a big enough step up from the Tubepre. I have yet to hear any samples.

How are you going to hear what a mic pre sounds like through a sample?

I'm confused.

[XLR]

Nice playing adclark - even volume, rhythmically articulate, pleasing tone balanced well for the in-the-mix use you mentioned was your aim. And yeah, it's a different sonority than you'd use in a solo guitar piece but playing to get rich lows and low mids like you'd want in a solo wouldn't have worked as well in this situation - you'd probably just have to EQ them out later in the mix.

Maybe the particular preamp used isn't really making a huge difference here except perhaps by adding a little veiling of transients (sounds like the tube circuit was turned up). I'd think you'd have to go up to a high end pre to really hear a difference there. Even then, though, it'd be more important to figure out what tracking conditions were making that low G woof each time the G chord came around in the progression than to find just the perfect preamp.

IMO it's a good thing to post mp3 samples of gear in action (even though it's pretty much impossible to be scientific about it) because it helps those new to recording to hear that a good sound is possible with inexpensive gear if it's used well.

Good job adclark.

Tim

[adclark]

The "G Woof" I believe is coming from my playing. I'm not a real guitar player and I play my G chord with thumb on top (low) string and finger on bottom (string), 3rd fret. I do not press "A" string like you would with a proper G fingering. I also heard this when I recorded with my older Taylor guitar (even with differnt mics, etc).