Analog 4 track set up....advice...

M

Michaelyu5

New member
Hello all...
I have the following equipment I use at home to record my vocals and my Martin for simple acoustic songs:
Tascam MkII-4 track
Behringer Eurorack MX 802A mixer
ART V3 Pre amp
(1) SM-57 for my acoustic
(1) Nady cheap mic for vocals

Im currently reading about the art and so far, I do the following....I run the vocals through the pre amp into the mixer and then into the 4 track and I run the guitar (SM-57) through the mixer and into the 4 track.

I keep getting clipping of the signal and sometimes it works well, other times it doesnt.
I then play the 4 track back into my home stereo where I copy it onto another cassette.
I am trying to warm up my vocals and allow myself to record, what I think is called a "hotter" signal or allow myself to sing closer to the mic and have the overall sound come through more distinct. I am strumming loud and the songs are sung low and high so I know I need to work on how I 'work' the mic for the vocals but if any of you have any advice on how I can record a fuller sound for my vocals and guitar, I would greatly appreciate it. Here is what I have planned for the future.....

I better mic for vocals....maybe a KSM-27?
Also, Im reading about compressors and limiters but I wonder if I should just get a reverb rack or chorus for the vocals?
I'm making these purchases one at a time thinking what will make the tracks sound better. I usually play and sing at the same time and go back and add other tracks for riffs and percussion.
Thanks in advance....

Michael
 
Some of the "distinctness" you are not experiencing is likely due to mic bleed between your guitar mic and your vocal mic.

Do you have any way to isolate each of the mics while performing?

The beauty of having a muti-track and doing everything yourself is being able to record one track at a time. I would try it and see if your sound improves.

Outboards couldn't hurt if they are used properly. A little chorus or a short delay on the guitar or a small amount of reverb will do wonders for the sound of the guitar. Same for the vocal. Just keep the vocal out front and don't make it sound like you're singing in the bottom of the Grand Canyon.

You can get natural reverb by recording in a small or medium size room with hard surfaces. It is somewhat more difficult to control than turning a knob on an effects processor though. You may have to experiment with different rooms in your home. Try out the garage of you have one. You can also place a mic some distance away from you in the same room and run that to one of your tracks. Sing close to the second mic and record that on another track.

For a very cool chorus effect that won't cost you a dime, after you record your guitar on one track, detune your guitar a couple of cents and play the exact same part again on a different track. Or, slow down the recorder ever so slightly. Pan one left and one right at about 10 and 2 and you have a very neat sounding chorus effect. EQ as necessary.

Those of us still using analog multi-track have to be creative with what we have. You can learn to do all kinds of tricks with the limited capability of these machines. Experiment, try new stuff. Just don't plug a guitar amp speaker out into your pre.
 
Thanks so much.....I love this....responses in an hour.....
Ill try the guitar thing and the vocals....I am usure what you mean by 'isolating' the mics however.....I assume there is some sort of physical barrier I can create.....I know a little about the patterns of the mics so Ill look at those and try to move them around a bit....thanks again
 
Trying to isolate an acoustic guitar being miced and singing at the same time is damn near impossible.

If you had a wireless headset mic for the vocal with a cardioid or supercardioid pattern, that might work depending on where you placed the guitar mic but they are mucho money.

It's best to record single tracks at a time. Cheaper in your case too.
 
Good advice from Sennheiser. You can pretty much forget about building something to isolate your head from the guitar. You might be able to get a bit more seperation but the best results will be from recording the parts seperately.

You can record a track of vocals and guitar and then use that track as a 'guide track' for recording extra guitar and vocals. Once you have finished the overdubs you can record over the original guide track.

You will notice a big difference in quality by using a good mic. The MXL and Studio Projects mics are great and under $200. You will notice the single biggest improvement by moving on to a digital format recorder. A computer based system or a digital portastudio would work fine. Casette multitracks make it very difficult to get impressive results. They simply have too much noise and poor frequency response.
 
Hey!
What if I use one of those dog neck cones the use so dogs dont lick their wounds? Would that isolate my vocals?.....Nevermind....probably wouldnt work.....

Thanks again for the good advice....Im working on getting a better mic presently and on the mic placement. Ill have to get used to doing the tracks one at a time.....and work up to digital....
 
Probably not, but I'd sure like to see a picture of you trying it out.

What if I use one of those dog neck cones the use so dogs dont lick their wounds? Would that isolate my vocals?.....
Click to expand...
 
Sennheiser said:
Probably not, but I'd sure like to see a picture of you trying it out.
Click to expand...

Heh. I'd post that on my website.

Anyways... Yeah, do the tracks one at a time... Lay down your guitar track... If you REALLY need to sing it while playing it, just do a Milli-Vanilli... lip-sync. And *then* record your vocals. Muuuuch cleaner. ^_^
 
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