Acoustic guitar - warm silk sound

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Chuckschwandt

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How does one get the warm silky strum sound on an acoustic guitar recording. Some commercial recordings sound so comfortable
to the ears; no harshness and etc. Is this
heavy compression or something ?

Thanks
 
yeah I got it once - my artist had an $8,000 acc guitar and it sounded like silk when you strummed it!! perhaps light strings would help
 
Hi John,

You made me laugh. Money talks and silk is expensive too.

Chuck
 
so are we all dreaming when we try to make an $1100 formentin sound great?? I can get it to a somewhat 'comfortable to the ears level' yet it seems to lack some power (maybe we need to add a bass or something) and as soon as i try to add some power via the guit. it starts to sound really harsh , like you were saying chuck.. So john , did this $8000 guitar really make a huge difference.. And that brings up a point about a lot of us trying to get pro results.. Is it possible if we are not playing on the most proffessional gear.. Dont get me wrong , i think most people here would be playing rather high quality instruments , maybe just our recording gear is lacking..anyway , im dribbling so ill go ...
spider
 
yup. a good sounding instrument, a good performance, the right mic, a smooth compressor, and a touch of chorus.
do your recordings come out too thin, or are they boxy sounding?
 
hey there sax, well i usually stereo mic , if i use an xy config. up on the 12th fret then its rather thin (yet closer to that silky sound) , but if i use a spaced stereo pair then the mic aimed down at the bridge picks up a little too much harsh strum. It may just be this guitarist ive been recording , cos i try so hard to just get him to play lighter , yet hes always saying that this is how he plays .. Its kind of through the strings sometimes.Yet when he does play light it sounds great , just half way through the song he starts up again. His excuse is he gets into the song.. Well thats great , but its sounding shit.. well half of it anyway . Just when i think ive got it into him about backing off the strings a little , he starts up again. Am i being a very mean , harsh and unfair engineer?? Is it common for heavy players (just for accoustic) to play slightly different when recording..?? anyway thanks sax...
spider
 
Reply to techniques

I have always got more harhness from stereo micing.
Even the best mics I used seem to add harshness.
I stopped stereo micing my acoustic. Now I mostly
just double track and pan 3 & 9 oclock position.
It both fattens the guitar track and sounds like
real stereo. It is definately warmer. I use a
Neumann M147 large condensor mic going into a Bealari
tube pre-amp, and finally to a analog reel to reel. I
have whipped the harshness, but am still searching
for the silk. I really believe it is a processor issue.
Maybe it is a little EQ, or effects, or compressor side chain trick, or a desser on high strings. - The pros have better equipment, I agree, but we should be close to them.
I'm sure there are trade secrets too...

enjoy,
Chuck
 
chuck,
If it sounds great when he plays light here's and idea. Crank up the guitar really loud in his headphones so anytime he strums really hard it will cause him extreme pain. I learned this lesson the hard way!

[Edited by Wallycleaver on 08-04-2000 at 12:47]
 
Loud strum

Hi WalleClever,

You made me laugh. I like it...

Chuck
 
The volume-in-the-headphone trick really works, and not just when you're recording someone else. I found that it helps *me* use a lighter touch when I record my acoustic. It's a big dreadnaught that just booms if I play too hard.

I got the idea from hearing that this trick works on singers. You turn UP the volume for really strong singers and turn it DOWN for those with softer voices.

Lighter guage strings help also, at least in my case. I try not to overdo effects on my acoustic, usually just some compression and EQ. I usually use two mics, pan them L and R, and use slightly different EQ on each side. If I acknowledge the fact that I don't play an $8000 guitar and use racks full of pro gear it doesn't sound bad.
 
hey chucks - another technique is to add a high strung guitar with it. Put down the track and then capo up to the next inversion of the key and overdub a version played higher up the fret. That helps the silky sound.
cheers
 
John has a great idea, Also using same chords but differnt voicings IE Aminor with open strings then Aminor barre cord. Same notes just with a slighty diffent sound
 
Something To Consider

Chuckschwandt:

"I use a Neumann M147 large condensor mic going into a Bealari tube pre-amp, and finally to a analog reel to reel. I have whipped the harshness, but am still searching for the silk. I really believe it is a processor issue.

Considering the above, I have a feeling it's NOT "a processor issue". It seems to me your best bet would be to replace your preamp. I don't think a Bellari pre will ever allow "silk". Most likely, it's the weakest link in your chain; as long as you're using good cables and connectors.
 
Pre Amp

Hi Recording Engineer,

You may have hit the nail on the head with my Belari
Pre Amp. I have never been really impressed by the
results. Sometimes I think it is mostly good for boosting
the signal alone. - What preAmp would you suggest for
recording my acoustic ? I've considered a Joe Meek unit.

Thanks
Chuck
 
Re: Pre Amp

Hi C7sus,

Thanks for the info on the Joe Meek unit.
I have considered looking into of that
brand gear.

Have a great day,
Chuck
 
Chuckschwandt

Well I think my answer is mainly going to have to do with money... How much you will to spend on this venture? Are you gonna want a momo or stereo pre? Also, you may or may not want a compressor to go with that new pre of yours... So keep that in mind when you mention your max price range.
 
Re: Re: Pre Amp

Hi Recording engineer,

I'm the type that will spend it all for the
right gear. I really love the whole musical
arena, and have strummed since my teens.
Now I'm at the point where my home gear is
close to the big boys. I just need a bit more
silk, and I'm there. I found some more silk
in the #1 chorus setting on my effects unit
this weekend. Also a recording engineer buddy
at StudioPhonix says he pulls down the 400
HZ and the 4 and 5 KLZ to get his silk.
He also has a couple disstressor units
(big bucks too)that he claims gives him so
much warmth that he has to back off,
or he gets mud big time.

So name the preamp unit that will do the
job for us.

Wouldn't it be nice if we could just plug
our guitars up to the internet and dial up
any piece of gear we needed ? None of us would
need gear at home, just web site addresses.
Maybe in the next life...

working it,
Chuck
 
Silky

Brand new strings, light strum with a .46 or even.38 dunlop nylon pick and dump the lower mid and presence 2k or so.

I have also used a second acoustic strung with the high octave strings of a set of 12 strings. Mix both and pan about 2 and 10.
 
hey chuckschwandt - if you've got the money - go get the $8,000 guitar and pay me to come over and record it for you - so simple :D
 
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