probably the Toughest Instrument to record:

  • Thread starter Thread starter Vadim
  • Start date Start date
I'd keep it as simple as possible, go with an XY pair of clean SDCs, or a Jecklin disc if you have one, something that will get you a complete picture without a lot of futzing around. Then, just spend a little time positioning the mics and the accordion to where the best sound is. I'd start with the mics in the center of the long side of the room, about 1/3 of the way out from the wall, at ear level, and the accordion in the dumpster out back.
If you can't give a normal reply don't give any.
I know most Americans are perverted to Guitars, but some people, a good amount in Europe listen to variety of music, (not just Rock and Hip-hop, like it is in U.S.).

People who gave helpful reply: Thank You.
 
I know most Americans are perverted to Guitars, but some people, a good amount in Europe listen to variety of music, (not just Rock and Hip-hop, like it is in U.S.)
With all due respect, that's unfair. There's just as many of us in the US.

I know that if you try to base things on this BBS, there are only two types of music, metal if you're white, and hip hop if you're black. But that's not because that's a reflection of US demographics, that just a reflection of what young newb home recorders more interested in rock star egos than in actual love of music are interested in. But you can't base US musicians or engineers on what you find on the newb boards like this one.

Those of us born and bred in the US who find zydeco, skipple, bluegrass, etc. to be far more moving than metal or hip hop (and there are LOTS of us), and love the use of accordion in those genres find that anti-US sentiment to be pretty short-sighted.

G.
 
that just a reflection of what young newb home recorders more interested in rock star egos than in actual love of music are interested in.

I think your comment, although understandable, has a similar level of unfairness. Just because someone is predominantly interested in and perform/plays/records within a particular genre, does not mean that they don't have a genuine love of music, and certainly doesn't mean that their horizons are that narrow. I write and record metal almost exclusively. But at the same time I'll spend hours with my eyes shut listening to classical, jazz, folk..whatever. I love music. I love sound. It fascinates me. All instruments fascinate me. I'm sure many others are the same. I just happen to have a disposition towards writing and playing metal because I've developed a good understanding of it, I enjoy it, and it's a craft I've been learning all my life. I'd love to pick up a violin, or an accordian and learn to play, but that's a lot of time and money I don't have. I mean...I use MIDI for that sort of thing, but there's only so much you can do with it without spending a fortune. Truth be told, If I had a winfall, the first thing I'd do is buy a harp and take lessons.
 
I think your comment, although understandable, has a similar level of unfairness.
Yeah, you're probably right that I was being just as stereotyping.

But in all honesty, I'm still looking for an alternate explanation as to why this board is so heavy on the metal emphasis, a most definite minority genre in this country. You know, I've been at this for 30 years now and I can't remember exactly the last time I mixed a song that had doubled distorted guitars in it? I think it was somewhere around ten years ago. Yet one comes on here and the assumption is made in 90% of the posts that every song ever made - except for the Beatles - is a metal song with a wall of distortion from doubled or quadrupled guitar lines.

G.
 
Wow! 30-40 accordians playing simultaneously! Makes my ears hurt thinking about it.

And.......... How about bagpipes for the toughest instrument to record?
AC/DC did it in "Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock And Roll)" and it sounded GREAT.
 
Yeah, you're probably right that I was being just as stereotyping.

But in all honesty, I'm still looking for an alternate explanation as to why this board is so heavy on the metal emphasis, a most definite minority genre in this country. You know, I've been at this for 30 years now and I can't remember exactly the last time I mixed a song that had doubled distorted guitars in it? I think it was somewhere around ten years ago. Yet one comes on here and the assumption is made in 90% of the posts that every song ever made - except for the Beatles - is a metal song with a wall of distortion from doubled or quadrupled guitar lines.

G.
eh... I double and triple guitar lines too. But it's usually at least 2 L/R acoustics... :rolleyes:

And there is no way what I do could be defined as metal. In fact, in 2004, someone called my songs "Bubblegum".... :o
 
eh... I double and triple guitar lines too. But it's usually at least 2 L/R acoustics... :rolleyes:

And there is no way what I do could be defined as metal. In fact, in 2004, someone called my songs "Bubblegum".... :o
Coming immediately after a post referencing an AC/DC album cut ;).

Come on, Rokket, you gonna deny the fact that this board is heavy on the metallurgy?

Before someone beats up on me for even daring to mention that, I have nothing against metal. All I'm saying is that considering metal's actual relatively modest place in the grand scheme of American musical styles and tastes, there sure is a wildly disproportionate concentration of metal in the amateur recording scene...at least if one were to take this board as faithfully representative.

Those of you guys who are into "hard-" "-metal" or "-core" of one flavor or another probably don't even notice it. But for those of us who don't eat and breathe metal when it comes to music, it's striking. It would be like you guys coming on here one morning and suddenly discovering that a good 4 out of 5 posts on this board had to do with acoustic Piedmont blues, and that time and time again the question du jour was about how to get their banjo to record with that North Carolina sound. You'd be wondering what's up with that.

I'm just wondering what's up with that. :)

And, BTW, bubblegum is a very underrated form of rock. It's not all "Yummy, Yummy, Yummy"; there is some great serious and seminal bubblegum out there. I'd love to hear your stuff.

G.
 
I've always used a decent condensor with excellent results. Live, I've used a silghtly modded wireless EV lavalier clipped to the treble grill which works for most of the stuff I've done live.

I've seen many guys just plunk a 57 down on a stand and let 'er go. That seems to work just about as well.:D
 
Main thing to be careful of with an accordian is that one sound source sits nice and still but the other sound source waggles around. On a concertina both sound sources waggle around. Waggling sound sources need careful mic positioning.
 
Coming immediately after a post referencing an AC/DC album cut ;).

Come on, Rokket, you gonna deny the fact that this board is heavy on the metallurgy?

Before someone beats up on me for even daring to mention that, I have nothing against metal. All I'm saying is that considering metal's actual relatively modest place in the grand scheme of American musical styles and tastes, there sure is a wildly disproportionate concentration of metal in the amateur recording scene...at least if one were to take this board as faithfully representative.

Those of you guys who are into "hard-" "-metal" or "-core" of one flavor or another probably don't even notice it. But for those of us who don't eat and breathe metal when it comes to music, it's striking. It would be like you guys coming on here one morning and suddenly discovering that a good 4 out of 5 posts on this board had to do with acoustic Piedmont blues, and that time and time again the question du jour was about how to get their banjo to record with that North Carolina sound. You'd be wondering what's up with that.

I'm just wondering what's up with that. :)

And, BTW, bubblegum is a very underrated form of rock. It's not all "Yummy, Yummy, Yummy"; there is some great serious and seminal bubblegum out there. I'd love to hear your stuff.

G.

Hey..It beats the hell out of it being full of hip hop..if that was the case we would not be able to talk about instruments...cuz none of them play one!!
 
Hey..It beats the hell out of it being full of hip hop..if that was the case we would not be able to talk about instruments...cuz none of them play one!!
If you think it's all that different here, you're kidding yourself.

What's the difference between a "beatmaker" using a sequencer and samples and a "drummer" using a grid and samples? What's the difference between a "producah" more worried about getting that 808 drop sound than about incorporating actual musical concepts like harmony or melody, and a "guitarist" more worried about the tone he gets out of his amp than he is about actually playing the lines?

The only real difference is in how much the perps are or are not trying to kid anybody, including themselves.

G.
 
If you think it's all that different here, you're kidding yourself.

What's the difference between a "beatmaker" using a sequencer and samples and a "drummer" using a grid and samples? What's the difference between a "producah" more worried about getting that 808 drop sound than about incorporating actual musical concepts like harmony or melody, and a "guitarist" more worried about the tone he gets out of his amp than he is about actually playing the lines?

The only real difference is in how much the perps are or are not trying to kid anybody, including themselves.

G.

Well lets see..every rapper I have ever delt with could not play a chord to save their life.
I also have made BEATS..but I play the beat with my hands and fingers..not a mouse..if you think drawing a line through piano roll in fruity loops takes talent..then good for you...and the kid down the road must be real talented..he can actually take someones record..sample it..and hit a button to place it in his new song...he is awsome!!:D
 
Well lets see..every rapper I have ever delt with could not play a chord to save their life.
Being able to play a chord does not make one a guitarist, either. Half the metal on meSpace these days is performed by kids who could not play a guitar to save their mother's eyes. I own a guitar, I can play a few chords and I can even jerk out a couple of songs. But I'm not egotistical enough to call myself a guitarist, and *certainly* not narcissistic enough to step in front of a hot microphone.

My god, if I had a buck for eveytime I just had to walk out of a bar because the hard_____ band wasn't even in tune, let alone playing a tune correctly, I could buy guitar lessons for a class of these folks.
I also have made BEATS..but I play the beat with my hands and fingers..not a mouse.
Well, then, you're in the minority, because over half the rookie metallurgist "drummers" just grid the triggers and Drumagog themselves to the point where they might as well not have bothered "playing" to begin with; the engineer behind the glass deserves far more drumming credit than the guy on the stool does.
if you think drawing a line through piano roll in fruity loops takes talent..
You got it backwards, scout. I'm with you completely. But I'm saying is that there is just as much of that stuff going on with your average garage metal band as there is with your average basement hip hop deejay. And where there isn't there's just plain suck.

It's not the music's fault ittself; I'm not knocking metal. I went through that stage just like everyone else with Ronnie Montrose, Richie Blackmore, Ronnie James Dio, Neal Peart, Rudy Schenker (sp?) and so on (I know, I'm dating myself). What I'm knocking is that there's waaaay too many people these days who think that just because the technology has advanced to the point where they *can* record themselves, that they *should*. There is such an impatience to get one's stuff up on meSpace that they forget that they gotta acquire the stuff to begin with.

G.
 
I occasionally use an accordion or melodica on acoustic rock ballad tracks- it's a nice sound that works well in the genre.

I usually just put a SM57 on a stand about 10 feet in front of the accordion. That way, it defeats some of the "moving" of the instrument. I do usually have to compress it pretty good and ride the fader, though, to make sure it comes out in the mix where I want it to.
 
I've successfully recorded an accordian once, I used a single Blue Baby Bottle to do the trick, mounted on a regular boom about foot and a half awaf from the right-center of the instrument (the player's right center since the player was me) and angled down toward the instrument to emphasize the bass in it. I kept it close to pick up the creaking and button pushing magic. It mixed in well but wouldnt be wonderful as a stand alone track.
 
Being able to play a chord does not make one a guitarist, either. Half the metal on meSpace these days is performed by kids who could not play a guitar to save their mother's eyes. I own a guitar, I can play a few chords and I can even jerk out a couple of songs. But I'm not egotistical enough to call myself a guitarist, and *certainly* not narcissistic enough to step in front of a hot microphone.

My god, if I had a buck for eveytime I just had to walk out of a bar because the hard_____ band wasn't even in tune, let alone playing a tune correctly, I could buy guitar lessons for a class of these folks.Well, then, you're in the minority, because over half the rookie metallurgist "drummers" just grid the triggers and Drumagog themselves to the point where they might as well not have bothered "playing" to begin with; the engineer behind the glass deserves far more drumming credit than the guy on the stool does.You got it backwards, scout. I'm with you completely. But I'm saying is that there is just as much of that stuff going on with your average garage metal band as there is with your average basement hip hop deejay. And where there isn't there's just plain suck.

It's not the music's fault ittself; I'm not knocking metal. I went through that stage just like everyone else with Ronnie Montrose, Richie Blackmore, Ronnie James Dio, Neal Peart, Rudy Schenker (sp?) and so on (I know, I'm dating myself). What I'm knocking is that there's waaaay too many people these days who think that just because the technology has advanced to the point where they *can* record themselves, that they *should*. There is such an impatience to get one's stuff up on meSpace that they forget that they gotta acquire the stuff to begin with.

G.

Im sorry I miss understood!! you are right..most kids got it easy these days no matter what style it is..
no body has to sit down and learn and practice!!
I started out at age 3 useing a oatmeal container for a drum!!
Then I moved to guitar!!
Then piano...

The point is: If I would have never found out that the doors keyboard player played the bass line with his left hand and rythem on his right...I would have never learned how to play!! I thought that was so cool and, I wanted to learn to do it..I had my dad buy me The doors book with all the music...but first I had to learn how to read music...well I wanted it bad enough that I learned both the things I set out to...I was 13.... ( I have got rusty on the music reading these days)

Yet I could of just sampled it and said it was mine..lol....YA know what I mean!! I hope I made a point...forgive me if I didnt!!
 
I started out at age 3 useing a oatmeal container for a drum!!
LOL, that sounds familiar :). Then I upgraded. About the time I made it to 8 years old or so, I had a whole kit put together (minus the kick) out of varying sized Hills Bros. coffee cans with the newfangled plastic lids. For cymbals, I just turned the cans upside down and used the metal side! :D

And, just to be clear, whether it's metal, hip hop, Gregorian chants or Tuvan throat singing, I do think it's great that there is such a large interest in music generated by today's technology. I just wish their respect of the music were as large as their interest in it, and that they realized that regardless of the technology, that music creation has to retain its humanity for it to remain viable.

Welcome to the board, BTW :).

G.
 
Back
Top