Dylan in your Living Room

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me beginner

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Ok, this is a 2 part question.

So you wake up and Dylan is standing in your living room and wants to lay down some tracks - no fuss.

First scenario:
Just him and his acoustic guitar - the acoustics in room are what they are - he wants both vocals and guit recorded together same time. No fuss.
What mic, gear, setup would you use? Let's say on a low-medium budget.

Second scenario:
He brought a guitarist - which can be elsewhere in the apartment - but they want to record together at same time as well.
What mic, gear, setup would you us? Same budget.

Many thanks to all for playing along!

"Allow myself to introduce....myself" :confused:
 
I would spend 2 hours asking him lots of questions !

An interesting beginning. Interesting first post.
Firstly, I'd want to know how the heck a 70 year old cat like Dylan got into my front room. And why his shoes aren't off. We remove footwear in this house, Bobby......
The reality is that I would use for him what I'd use for myself ~ cheap mics going into a cheap mixer or preamp going into my 12 track AKAI standalone DAW. And if he dared quibble, I'd tell him it was a case of the chickens coming home to roost seeing as how in the 60s and 70s when recording techniques were developing with almost frightening regularity, he eschewed all that and went for the basics, even down to not rehearsing the musicians, just suddenly starting a song and whatever they filled in was the take.
I'd use two T bone EM700 condenser mics on the guitar, one pointing around the 12th fret, the other angled up the body, towards the soundhole. I'd probably run them through my Behringer U200 preamp, either that or the UB1832 mixer preamps. With those as well as the on board AKAI DPS 12i preamps, there'd be sound....I'd chuck in an SM58, Superlux snare mic or Prologue for the voice because Bob's kind of got a rough voice and there's little point in trying to sweeten it at this stage of the game !
For different songs, I'd switch between condensers and dynamics for vocals and guitar, just to see how they all sounded. Even with the second guitarist I'd do that. I'd keep them in the same room but maybe 7 feet apart. Bleed would be an accepted part of the deal beforehand......
I don't think recording all those sources together is that much of a problem. I used to record guitar {DI and mic}, piano, percussion, the odd clarinet and 3~6 vocalists at a time, live.
If none of my gear was acceptable to Bob, I'd have him arrested for breaking and entering. That would net me more fame than a mere recording of some Bob Dylan songs !
For sheer chutzpah, I'd ask him if he'd lay down a few harmonica solos for me on some of my songs. I'd promise him that I'd credit the player as Dil Roberts....:D
 
me beginner said:
So you wake up and Dylan is standing in your living room
Click to expand...

The first thing that I'd do is dial 911, then I'd grab a baseball bat and tell that tonedeaf hack to get the hell out of my house unless he wants his head bashed in like a melon.
 
Have you heard his voice lately? Doesn't matter what technique you use, it'll sound bad!
 
grimtraveller said:
An interesting beginning. Interesting first post.
Firstly, I'd want to know how the heck a 70 year old cat like Dylan got into my front room. And why his shoes aren't off. We remove footwear in this house, Bobby......
The reality is that I would use for him what I'd use for myself ~ cheap mics going into a cheap mixer or preamp going into my 12 track AKAI standalone DAW. And if he dared quibble, I'd tell him it was a case of the chickens coming home to roost seeing as how in the 60s and 70s when recording techniques were developing with almost frightening regularity, he eschewed all that and went for the basics, even down to not rehearsing the musicians, just suddenly starting a song and whatever they filled in was the take.
I'd use two T bone EM700 condenser mics on the guitar, one pointing around the 12th fret, the other angled up the body, towards the soundhole. I'd probably run them through my Behringer U200 preamp, either that or the UB1832 mixer preamps. With those as well as the on board AKAI DPS 12i preamps, there'd be sound....I'd chuck in an SM58, Superlux snare mic or Prologue for the voice because Bob's kind of got a rough voice and there's little point in trying to sweeten it at this stage of the game !
For different songs, I'd switch between condensers and dynamics for vocals and guitar, just to see how they all sounded. Even with the second guitarist I'd do that. I'd keep them in the same room but maybe 7 feet apart. Bleed would be an accepted part of the deal beforehand......
I don't think recording all those sources together is that much of a problem. I used to record guitar {DI and mic}, piano, percussion, the odd clarinet and 3~6 vocalists at a time, live.
If none of my gear was acceptable to Bob, I'd have him arrested for breaking and entering. That would net me more fame than a mere recording of some Bob Dylan songs !
For sheer chutzpah, I'd ask him if he'd lay down a few harmonica solos for me on some of my songs. I'd promise him that I'd credit the player as Dil Roberts....:D
Click to expand...

Very cool. This really paints a picture - thanks. Taking notes.
 
I'm thinking older Dylan - but then or now - all in the eyes of the beholder I suppose.
 
I have nothing to add, but I love the original question, and I love GT's reply and then Ocnor's right after it. Too funny!
 
I don't care what he's doing in my living room, or how he got in! I'd be in too much shock and awe to actually record anything. I think I'd just offer him and drink and let him ramble.

If I could get over one of my favorites being in my home, for scenario 1 I'd grab a ribbon mic and throw it 3 feet in front of him and see how things sound and adjust to pick up a good balance of guitar, vocals, and harmonica (I'd force him to play the harmonica and we'd cover "North Country Girl"). I'd plug it into whatever pre I had (RNP?).

Second scenario is pretty easy just basic multi tracking SDCs or Ribbon on Acoustics, NTK tube mic for the Vocals, and we would cover two songs "stuck inside of mobile with the memphis blues", and "take a load off" (I know it's the band, but dylan made them who they are so we're doing their song). I'd also put some packing foam behind the vocal mic so the guitars don't bleed as badly.

Man, you got me excited, I really hope I wake up tomorrow and he's here! I'll let you all know how it goes when it happens!
 
hmm. I would hope he didn't wake me.

1st senerio_ Head set mic for the vox and an sm57 with the gain all the way up on my tube pre...just to get some white noise.

2nd. Same exact thing. Maybe an extra sm57 for the "room" if the old 828 will allow.

Either way I would expect him to pay through the nose for my top notch services.
 
I'd record Bob with a pair of mics in M/S configuration about 4 feet in front of him and hope for the best.

:D

BLUE Cactus in Figure-8 pattern through one channel of my Davisound TB-10, and a Rode NTV through the other. I'd put the Cactus into two channels of Sonar and reverse the phase of the second channel and the Rode into a third channel to complete the M/S setup. If the NTV was too muddy I'd swap it out for an NT2 in cardioid.
 
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