Compensate for mediocre equipment

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AlecBeretz

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Hello,

My band is planning to home record an album--we are fairly punk based and simple so we don't need ridiculously high quality recording. I do want to sound as awesome as possible on budget though... seems like 99% of the dilemmas with home recording are money related...

Anywhat, if I have a low to medium end dynamic microphone, can I compensate it's sub-excellent quality with some fine tuned software EQ's and compressors? I mean, for the most part, these things are made of pretty much the same stuff--I don't want to buy into a market idea that more expensive = better if i can just edit it to sound good. Hell i've recorded vocals with a usb guitar hero microphone mic one time and i got it to sound decent ON GARAGE BAND. a 31 band EQ can go a long way. and proper mic placement.

thanks for any help you can give!
 
sorry maybe this should have gone in the editing and mixing pages
 
the short answer is that while they can alter or improve, eq and plugins won't be able to 'fix' the sound of a crappy microphone.

but you can make the best of what you do have. For example Shure 57's and 58's are pretty much industry standard mics, because they aren't hugely expensive AND can be used in a massive variety of ways to different instruments. Here's an overview of the Shure sm58 which should explain a bit clearer.

And here's a few more general pointers on getting the best from dynamic microphones which should be really useful.

Above all, my number one tip is to try and get it right at the source i.e. the unaltered sound of your source straight from the mic. There's a lot you can change by just moving the mic away a bit, or changing where it points slightly, and every improvement you make right there will save you a lot of time and trouble compared to trying to fix it later with plugins.
 
Ditto what Cobalt sez. I would consider having at least one decent mic. I would suggest an AKG 535 EB, which can be found for around 150-200 used. It will make a huge difference in the detail that can be captured.
 
AlecBeretz said:
I do want to sound as awesome as possible on budget though... seems like 99% of the dilemmas with home recording are money related...
Click to expand...
I think 99% of home recording dilemas are skill and patience related.
 
I'd reiterate CobaltAudio's post. You can only do so much, but there should be a lot you can do with something like a 57. A friend of mine did a record only on 57's as they were the only mics that worked in the studio. Sounded fine, as he know where to put them.

The only alternative I can think of is this:

Antares Microphone Modeler

Heard it's quite good, but never really tried it myself. If you don't want to spend the money, stick to getting to know your gear.
 
okay thanks guys. i'll give it all a try. yeah i know amps especially are quite sensitive in terms of mic placement (i've realized a mic pointing straight at the speaker doesn't always work great). And as for shure 57's/58's, is the difference what audio frequency's they are tuned for? cause i know 58's are used more for vocals and 57's for instruments, but i've seen the opposite too.
 
wait nevermind i answered my own question in regards to the mics
 
58's are just 57's with a spit guard and bass roll off. unless it's live I'd always use a 57... even on vocals.
 
You said that 99% of crappy recording is money related. Actually 99% of crappy recording comes from lack of knowledge - knowing what to use and how to use it.

First of all the selection and placement of mics is THE key to quality recordings. Fix it in the mic, not in the mix. You can get some great mics from MXL and AKG super cheap these days. An MXL990/991 package only cost $79 at Musician's Friend. The 990 is great for vocals and you can use both of the them to record drums - 990 on the kick and 991 on the overhead. Put a widening reverb and slight delay on the overhead track to simulate a stereo drum mix.

Now for mic placement... Invest in a pair of Extreme 29 Headphones for $100 bucks. This will isolate your ears from the room sound so you only hear the monitoring sound. Then while the person is playing, move the mic around until it sounds like the instrument your recording. If you don't like the sound of the instrument to begin with, then go back and fix that first.

Also, lay down isolated guitar tracks to a drum loop, then replace the drums, and finally the vocals. Using a click track will save you a ton of editing time.

Also, GrooveZoo streams Volume 1 of the Secret of the Pros Series for free (just sign up). Vol 2 and 3 are only $25 each.

So adding it all up...

MXL990/991 - $90
Extreme Headphones - $100
SOTP Videos Tutorials - $50
Total $240

*Learning what gear to use and how to use it... priceless.

Good luck, and most of all remember to have fun :-)
 
hey thanks a ton. thats encouraging. i know me and my band mates have a lot of that equipment, or similar...
 
AlecBeretz said:
Anywhat, if I have a low to medium end dynamic microphone, can I compensate it's sub-excellent quality with some fine tuned software EQ's and compressors? I mean, for the most part, these things are made of pretty much the same stuff--I don't want to buy into a market idea that more expensive = better if i can just edit it to sound good.
Click to expand...

Not really....hate to rain on the parade, but that "market idea" isn't totally false. Expensive more often than not definitely equals better. As a friend of mine likes to say: "Get it right at the source."

You won't be able to compensate a shoddy mic with eq and and compressors. They might get you a little way there, but you can't polish a turd.
 
Knowledge and experience means more than the sticker price. Learning what each mic you're attempting to use actually does throughout its frequency range in conjunction with its polar pattern gives you a good starting point at placement.

IF, (and I use the BIG letters for this) if your source is quality, then capturing it is more than halfway done. I dont care who you are, what your budget is, or what gear you use, having the source be right is first. Every time.
 
theD1CKENS said:
you'll see this all over this site. guess what. it is THE secret to recording.
Click to expand...

Yep I'd second that. The day I realised that the reason something sounded crap was because the musician was crap or the instrument was crap not because of my mic or technique, was a happy day and I didn't get as stressed on session. Of course, i wasn't always their fault, I have had the mic pointing the wrong way once... or twice.

Have a look at this for choosing instruments. You don't always need to spend loads of money to get the right sound.MixTips: Choosing Instruments For The Job and this for knowing you stuff. Performance is everything....MixTips: Know Your Stuff
 
I don't know about compensating for sub-par equipment with equally subpar EQ and Compression, but you can definitely compensate for sub-par equipment with superb performances and songs.
 
All true.
I'm recording a band tonight at rehearsal. Just a stereo pair.

I explained to them that if they sound crap or the room sounds crap, the recording will sound crap. Full Stop.

I think this should be said at the start of any recording session, Not just live ones.
 
I don't want to buy into a market idea that more expensive = better if i can just edit it to sound good.
Click to expand...

nope.

why do you think the pro recordings sound so much better?
mics alone, don't answer the question... tons of classics used sm57's all over the place, drums, vox, guitars, etc...

how good at editing do you think you can be?


here's what your describing:

turdpprobox.jpg



this will make short work of it! :D
 
Steenamaroo said:
All true.
I'm recording a band tonight at rehearsal. Just a stereo pair.

I explained to them that if they sound crap or the room sounds crap, the recording will sound crap. Full Stop.

I think this should be said at the start of any recording session, Not just live ones.
Click to expand...

:laughings: oh I wish I could say that.
 
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