APHEX 104 AURAL EXCITER

[Davil]

I find that the Aphex 104 can increase sound depth, but sounds gritty. It definitely adds something to the sound, but when more highs and bottoms are added, the mids are completely gone. Has anyone had experience with the 104 and acoustic guitar? Should I record with a compressor? Any tips or tricks??

THANKS!

[The Green Hornet]

Davil:

I'm a keyboard person but maybe I can give you a couple of ideas.

I used to have a compressor/etc. box hooked into my studio set up. It is now in storage in the basement because I could really hear any benefit to the final product and the less wires you have running sound from one point to another is a plus for a clear crips cut.

I do use a mic preamplifier by ART. This is not an "exciter," but it does help get a nice clear vocal AS WELL AS some nice keyboard sounds. I often run my keyboard into the mic-preamp and then that sound goes directly to the track I'm recording.

The Yam MD-8 I use has three modes of EQ which I hardly move from the straight up and down position; however, there are times when I might crank the bass a bit to a fusty gritty sound, depending on the cut I'm doing.

As it may sound, all of this takes time and when a three minute cut takes four or more hours to do, well, if the end product is good, it's worth the effort.

You might rent a mic-pre amp, a good one, and try your guitar through it. Then, go from there to the 800 numbers to find the best price on the unit that suits you.

Keep trackin`

Green Hornet