Absence of Presence

[dachay2tnr]

Just starting recording using Shure SM57s and 58s through a Mackie Mixer into a Delta 1010 soundcard to hard disk. I'm please with the intital results, in that the recordings are relatively free of noise and the quality is OK.

However, they seem to lack "presence". They tend to sound a little more like a live recording than a studio recording. I've tried adding effects, but it still doesn't quite get there.

I realize this is a difficult question to answer without hearing the material, but would you guess that this is because of the dynamic mics? Or something else?

 

[37point5]

I'd definitely say the mics are contributing to your presence problem. Try one of the newer cheapo large diaphragm condensers (Nady has one for $99) and see if that helps at all. Or if you have the money, go buy a Rode NT1 or even something better if you can afford it. Also, try boosting the highs above 8kHz and cutting between 200-300 Hz for a more sparkly, less muddy sound.

Possible reasons for the "live" sound:
1. The space where you're recording is very reverberant and you're singing or playing too far from the mic. Try close micing things and/or applying some acoustic treatment to your room.
2. You're not using enough compression (compression tames the dynamic spikes that are natural in live situations, and helps things sit better in a mix).

Good luck!

Ryan

 

[CyanJaguar]

hi dachay2tnr,

I had that problem of presence in my recordings as well. THe best way I think would be to double mic, but I only have one channel so what I do is record the vocal, and add a reverb. THe main thing to bring presence into it is not so much the reverb itself but the early out. Try setting the early out on your software reverb to -10 db and make it about 16 ms. Everybody who has heard it has loved it, and it really adds the presence I want.

Also, don't record more than a foot from the mic. I think about 4-6 inches will be fine.

I use sonic foundry's vegas with my delta 1010.

 

[dachay2tnr]

Thanks for your help, guys. I will try what you recommend. We have an opportunity to borrow a condenser mic for a weekend, which will allow me to get a base of comparison.

Ryan, you hit the nail on the head about the reverberative environment (it's a basement), although we do close mic already.

As regards compression, the recording has about 7 tracks which I've bounced down to a single stereo track. I applied a 4:1 compression on the mixed stereo track only. Should I be compressing the individual tracks instead of the mixed? Both? I'm worried about draining the life from the recording.

 

[JC Lives]

Just to pass on something that I read a while back and have tried it with success. Go light on the compression when doing your mix down. Try using a 2:1 ratio and applying only enough to decrease the signal no more than 2 to 3 dbs on the loudest peaks of the song. I also through experimentation, found that during my mixdown I used a hard knee. This seems to add some punch to the mix. Happy recording.

Joe