Acoustic guitar distortion

  • Thread starter Thread starter Look out!R4XvW3
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ecc83 said:
What has changed chaps? I used to be able to copy such attachments as the original file. Now a right click just gives me "link" options. I can PLAY the audio but how do I save it?

Dave.
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Dave,

I have no problem with saving the audio with a right click. I could either save the file from the post, or save it while playing. When I right click the file I get the Save Link As, which then lets me save the file.

Save Link As.webp


Are you using Firefox? There are some add-ins that "protect" you from harm by stopping you from doing the "Save As" process. You might also try holding the SHIFT key while right clicking. That should force the context menu to come up, even on web sites that block right click saves.
 
@Look out!R4XvW3 No distortion there, I think the mic is too close to the point of contact between pick and strings. It might sound like distortion because of the hearing problems, but I can't tell you for sure because I am blessed with perfect hearing.

Try positioning the mic 1.5 feet away, pointing at the neck of the instrument.
 
Look out!R4XvW3 said:
Both files are the same clip; only went with the dynamic mic for now. One file with EQ and compression, and one without. Trust me when I tell you all the levels in Reaper were appropriate.

I probably just need to lower the levels considerably as suggested by ecc83. Sorry for how 'crispy' these clips sound, this is still very new to me, and it sure doesn't sound that way through my very dull sounding Sennheiser HD 280 Pro's in Reaper.
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BTW, I just went and pulled out my HD280s and yes, they are VERY dark sounding. I don't use them for any kind of tonal adjustments. They work great when I'm jamming and need to follow the bass guitar. My Sony 7506s on the other hand are pretty bright sounding. They show up a lot of detail, but aren't great for mixing. The AKG 240s are the most neutral sounding headphones I've got. I'll try to give it a listen later on those and on my JBL monitors.

The 314ce shouldn't be a thin sounding guitar. It will be less boomy than my 310ce, but far from thin and hollow. I just played one last weekend at Sweetwater.
 
Serendipity Records said:
@Look out!R4XvW3 No distortion there, I think the mic is too close to the point of contact between pick and strings. It might sound like distortion because of the hearing problems, but I can't tell you for sure because I am blessed with perfect hearing.

Try positioning the mic 1.5 feet away, pointing at the neck of the instrument.
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I'm miking a foot away and then some. I will continue to experiment and I appreciate the feedback. My hearing must be more of a mess that I even realized. I will also lower the gain going into the interface. Maybe I will try to record a clip on the condenser tomorrow to see what you guys think hearing that clip.

I have to sleep but I will check in later. Thanks for the responses so far, I really appreciate it.
 
I did a quickie EQ adjustment with about a 3dB cut at 1K and 2 K. That cut some of the thin sound for me. Did this on the monitors, not headphones, so I trust the balance more. First run thru is your file, second is EQed.

I'm not sure it will sound good on the HD280s tho.
 

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I have just listened to the first clip "dynamic mic no EQ" and it sounds fine to me. Playing out of Tannoy 5As from a MOTU M4. Your level is also spot on.
If you are listening on headphones you WILL pick up every 'king buzz and creak in creation! There is also a tendency to listen too loudly on cans and that can make any such faults more obvious.

Sorry Rich! I never thanked you for sorting me out re saving the file. WTF do they have to keep CHANGING stuff!!

Dave.
 
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Look out!R4XvW3 said:
Maybe it's just my hearing. My left ear is a mess and both ears are damaged. I sometimes wonder if that's the issue. I have/ had Menieres disease (I'm 57 now, but my Menieres nightmare started when I turned 39). I have so much tinnitus it would blow your mind, and I have a lot of hearing loss in my left ear. I am curious to hear what others think of those clips.

I just simply have my headphones plugged in to monitor. I hear distortion on those clips here on my laptop on this forum, but again, it could just be my crappy ears. I also feel like so many new recordings are mastered to distortion, but it could be just my compromised hearing that is the culprit.

I play a Taylor 314ce.
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There is no distortion - there is dull strings which mute the tone a bit - combined with a mic placement that isn’t right - produces a mid peak expansion.
If you are always hearing distortion it is probably your ears - when you say they are messed up - what does that mean? That you hear distortion on a lot
of recordings would indicate your ears aren't hearing all the frequencies right - are you sure your ears are messed up or could it be you have ton of wax buildup?
Have you cleaned your ears?
 
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Papanate said:
There is no distortion - there is dull strings which mute the tone a bit - combined with a mic placement that isn’t right - produces a mid peak expansion.
If you are always hearing distortion it is probably your ears - when you say they are messed up - what does that mean? That you hear distortion on a lot
of recordings would indicate your ears are hearing all the frequencies right - are you sure your ears are messed up or could it be you have ton of wax buildup?
Have you cleaned your ears?
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Menieres disease destroys your hearing and you lose the ability to hear certain frequencies from the hearing loss. It also, at times, makes noises sound weird, but that happens to me infrequently and usually only when there are extreme weather events that happen to be approaching.

Luckily for me, the attacks that come with me from Menieres (vertigo, new tinnitus sounds) ended years ago. I had balance issues for years that went away after about a decade or so; the theory is that your 'good ear' compensates and recalibrates your brain for balance.
 
I did something similar to @TalismanRich here, though not on the best headphones (tracking cans). FWIW!

 
I think I'm hearing what you're referring to as distortion. To me, it's the brightness of the Taylor. Fatiguing to my ears. It's nice for picked notes, but full strumming brings out the harshness with the higher strings added.

Listen to some of these. To my ears, the "distortion" isn't as apparent with picked notes and I suspect if the Taylor in the second video were strummed, you'd hear that distortion with each mic tested here.

The first video appears to be the AKG C214 with a different guitar - not Taylor. The second video appears to be a Taylor - model unknown.



 
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Look out!R4XvW3 said:
Is it just me? That sounds extremely distorted.
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It is just you friend. Full disclosure! I too have hearing problems, I am clinically deaf in both ears and have two NHS digital aids but my problem is a simple one compared to yours. My hearing gets to about 2kHz (not a typo!) then goes off a cliff. I cannot hear much of the top string of a violin and the top octave of the piano is just a series of clunks to me. But I don't get distortion nor tinnitus.
The aids help a lot with social situations...IF there is little ambient noise then I am stuffed! They help a bit with TV dialogue (but only British programmes and very od American films. "Friends" I can get most of but anything much later they just mumble).
But! The aids make music sound like a bee in a tin so I go 'naked' to enjoy that.

At 78 I have been listening to acoustic guitar most of my life so I know how it should sound (deafness crept up on me as is usual) and yours sounds fine. The Tannoys I will admit are not 'Newy 150s' but are pretty good.

Dave.
 
I concur with the others. I dont hear distortion, but an excess of the instrument’s harsher tones, and a lack of the body tone. A bit like when people use two mics on an acoustic and one is all pick, nails and finger noise and the other the boomy sound hole tone, which they blend together, in your case, its just the neck end of the guitar.

My guess is wrong mic in the wrong place for that guitar. It will have a nicer sound somewhere! You just have to find it. I dont think it is a level thing, just one of those instruments that record poorly if you cannot find the special place.

NO distortion I can hear. It does occur to me that if you’ve got hearing problems, you might also have an unflattering pair of headphones, so the sound is ‘misheard’ on the way in, and then again on the way out! (For you).
 
spantini said:
I think I'm hearing what you're referring to as distortion. To me, it's the brightness of the Taylor. Fatiguing to my ears. It's nice for picked notes, but full strumming brings out the harshness with the higher strings added.

Listen to some of these. To my ears, the "distortion" isn't as apparent with picked notes and I suspect if the Taylor in the second video were strummed, you'd hear that distortion with each mic tested here.

The first video appears to be the AKG C214 with a different guitar - not Taylor. The second video appears to be a Taylor - model unknown.



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Thank you so much! I will definitely check these out! :-)
 
rob aylestone said:
My guess is wrong mic in the wrong place for that guitar. It will have a nicer sound somewhere! You just have to find it.
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Great advice.

I spent some time on it today, and I am already feeling better about things.
 
I appreciate all the good advice and opinions I received. I am glad I came here to listen to those with experience. :-)

I goofed around with things today, manipulating blankets, levels, and distances, and I am getting happier with my results. I am going to buy a few more blankets and mic stands, but a big difference for me was moving away from the mic about 30 inches. I'm hearing less of what I perceived as 'distortion', and the guitar is fuller sounding now, too. Most of my songs aren't at this tempo, so I usually play much slower and gentle when using the condenser with, at least in my opinion, good results. I don't want to change my aggressive style on the track I am trying to play, so I continue to experiment. I am starting to like the results (sticking with the dynamic mic) and I posted a clip here. Again, 30 inches away, slight angle, blankets brought in, played aggressively, and it sounds fuller. All I did to this file was eliminate some of the low end with a high pass filter.
 

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I would recommend you take a copy of the song to your car and play it, or put it on a stereo somewhere. My HD280s are so bass heavy that I would never use them for setting a tonal balance. It sounds ok on the 280s, but there's no body on my speakers.

That might work if this is being mixed in with other instruments that contribute fullness to the track but if it's the primary instrument, I think it needs some of that bottom end.
 
TalismanRich said:
I would recommend you take a copy of the song to your car and play it, or put it on a stereo somewhere. My HD280s are so bass heavy that I would never use them for setting a tonal balance. It sounds ok on the 280s, but there's no body on my speakers.

That might work if this is being mixed in with other instruments that contribute fullness to the track but if it's the primary instrument, I think it needs some of that bottom end.
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My ear buds on my computer = minimal bass and bottom end

My cheap Porta Pro headphones on my laptop = I would not want anymore bass, sounds just right

If I played it on my Denon Home 350 mini system, well, EVERYTHING on thing is way over the top with bass and bottom end.

I know what you are saying, and when the time comes to mix, I will worry about that then and play the final product on as many sources as possible while comparing it to a professional track I like. For now, I just want to hear that guitar without the rumble I was hearing, and I feel like I am close to achieving that.

On the subject of mixing headphones, any recommendations for budget phones? I had a pair of the Sennheiser HD 380's and they were great, nothing like the 280's.

The Beyerdynamic DT 770's? The Audio-Technica ATH-M50x's? (it would just about kill me to buy these, now, they were on sale just a short while ago)
 
I was about to mention the AKG K701 phones as they are open-back and not bass heavy. Thomann had them on anniversary sale @ $89 last week. I slipped over to recheck their price and I see they upped the price to $118 - over the $99 "affordable" mark for many, yet still a good price (lowest I've seen. . this week anyway).
 
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