First attemp at bluegrass (help)!

S

Solafide

New member
I Just finnished recording and mixing a cd for a local bluegrass group.

I just started working on the mastering stage (I recommended they get it mastered elseware as I have never done bluegrass before, but for they want me to do it).

I will be getting some reference cds next week, but I started messing around with it, and would like some input.

Here is what they told me:

- They don't want it to be bright.

- They want lots of bass

- warm in the lower mids


So here is a couple examples from the cd.

http://www.nowhereradio.com/artists/album.php?aid=3510&alid=-1

Am I going in the right direction? Any obvious mistakes?


Thanks.
 
I have issues getting audio streams across the firewall here at work, so I don't know what you've got.

But check out The Company We Keep by The Del McCoury Band for an idea of where to head.. They're kinda contemporary, but still have that "high lonesome" sound that's the roots of Bluegrass.. If you don't wanna spring for the CD, go to http://www.delmccouryband.com and listen to some of the samples under releases... Just keep clicking the album cover until you get there.. Another good source would be Dan Tyminski... For something more traditional, just about any Bill Monroe recording is it...
 
Thanks for the info. I'll definitely need some good referance matterial.

I'm having a tough time keeping the tracks warm without being muddy.
Once I get a little closer to the sound I'm looking for I might post for some more imput.

Thanks.
 
I changed the preferences on the songs at nowhereradio so you can download them if you want instead of trying to use windows media player.

Thanks for taking the time.
 
Nice instrumentation and vocals there, cool dobro playing. Great example of classic bluegrass. Good sounding mix too - full and clean with good separation and levels. Can you let us know what you used to record this.....(instruments/mics/pre's)..Thanks man!
 
Can you let us know what you used to record this.....(instruments/mics/pre's)
Click to expand...


As far as instruments go, I have no idea, this was my first exposure to bluegrass. I didn't even know what a chop was!
Oh, I do remember that the dobro player made his own dobro! (didn't look great but sounded good)
As far as mics and pre's go I'll do my best

For I saw the master . . .

mandolin - They wanted a dark rolled off sound on the mandolin so I tried my talkback mic (ev 635a) and it worked perfect.

Pre was the voicemaster pro (added to the un-hyped sound (and was the last track recorded with it before being sold)).

Mandolin 2 (chop) - This was the oddest mic usage of the whole cd. Every mic I tried on this paticular song just didn't seem to fit into the vibe, so I tried an atm 25, and it just seemed to work.


Dobro - I think I used a kel audio hm1 for this. I usually only use these for overhead mics, or on toms etc, but for bluegrass they seemed to work well on a lot of things.

The preamp was a grace 101 through an art pro vla to get rid of some of the harshness.

Violin - sure ksm44 (I can't rember which preamp)

Accustic - mxl 603s into rnp and rnc.

bass - rode ntk and senheiser 421 mixed into a demeter hm1 pre (a very underrated preamp)

main vocals - I think was an adk hamburg into the grace 101 with a little dbx 160x compression (nothing drastic)


For I'll fly away, I don't remember as well, but here are the things I do know for sure:

bass - two 603's blended. Demeter preamp (this was my favorite combo for most of the songs)

main vocal - adk hamburg into grace 101 and art pro vla.

guitar - 603s into rnp into rnc. I used this combo most of the time, but sometimes used the adk hamburg.

Mandolin - pair of hm1's into demeter pre.

Banjo - it was either the ksm44 or an ev re15.
 
I liked the guitar sound. Just two things that bothered me. First, there was nothing panned to the far right. I'm hearing the guitar on the far left. OK. Several things a little right and a little left of center, but nothing on the far right. Maybe that's what you wanted. The mandolin chop is supposed to be a very woody kind of sound. On this cut, it sounds like scratching plastic. The full ringing-string mandolin parts are OK. I suggest you find something else for that chop part. IMHO
 
Listened to the first track. Nicely done and good balance re levels. Some off the cuff ideas: I'd try bringing the ac gtr to about 10 o'clock and roll it off a little over3 kHz - it's a little thin. Then I'd move the dobro more to the left. Really nice sound on first mandolin, 2nd mand. needs less in the high mids. Fiddle could come up.

Tim
 
Thanks for the input everyone.

I made a few changes with eq and panning. Does it sound better?

Thanks again.
 
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Very nice. I like the panning. Did you double the guitar? Does the guitar have a high-pass filter to remove the lows? I think there's a little space between the low end of the guitar that's coming through and the frequency of the bass where perhaps some more of the lows in the guitar (around 150-250 Hz maybe) could come through to fill it in.

Tim
 
Yes. The masterpanninig version is more spread out than the masterfinal version. The mandolin "chunk" is better "tamed" now. More in the back. More subtle. Like Tomothy said, there's some room for a bit more bass from something. Bass or guitar. That's a good sounding guitar. I'd use it. But, I always tend to favor the guitar, since I'm a guitar player. ;)

The only other thing that sticks out is the timing. Sure, that's more a performer thing than an engineer thing, but if you have the equipment, you could "nudge" things around a bit to get things better timed.
 
Way to much reverb on the fiddle on the I'll fly Away track. Bluegrass fiddle should be in your face and very little reverb. Compression is the correct effect for a bluegrass fiddle to give it that airy sound of the hair striking the strings.
 
Way to much reverb on the fiddle on the I'll fly Away track.
Click to expand...

Good input there. Again I've never listened to bluegrass, so I was just guessing, and the group said they liked it. I'll try without as much reverb and see if they like it better.

Thanks.
 
I just updated things (the guitar and bass on "I Saw the Master" and fiddle on "I'll fly away").

Let me know if you think it is an improvement (or not).

Thanks.
 
I think it lacks some brightness. Nothing seems quite brittle enough.
That said I think the track, the playing & the song are REALLY ACE.
I like the old timey bass thud & the harmony vox. I was hankering for a third voice though - again a bright, high one.
The fiddle is just a little too down in the mix as well.
Sorry to be a dag nag.
Cheers
rayC
 
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