First time using a condenser mic

[lurgan liar]

Hey guys, this is a very simple acoustic piece i literally made it up in 2 minutes ...i just wanted to try out my friends new mxl 990 and see what it would sound like ... i placed it about 2 feet away from the 12th fret ....

MXL990 Test

I intend to write lyrics for it ...does this sound ok? or am i using the mic wrong? i added a limiter and a touch of reverb ...its a very crappy acoustic guitar by the way lol ...i also have a MXL991 and i intend to try some stereo micing tomorrow ...

Thanks in advance

Also some suggestions on how i might use the 990 and 991 together to stereo mic an acoustic guitar would be helpful...for example would i mic the 12th fret with the 990 and the bridge with the 991 and pan each hard left and hard right ..... then put the vocalist dead centre ?

 

[Dogman]

Lurgan, very good sounds. I like the tune. Very pretty. I think the tone is very good. Sounds clean to me.
Ed

 

[Supercreep]

Sounds really clean and full bodied to me. Good stuff.

 

[metalj]

for some reason this reminded me of John Denver.

sounds great to me. stereo will not neccessarily make you sound better. id really consider keeping this just in its simplicity. Maybe run your vocals in hard stereo around the guitar right up the middle?

just a thought.

 

[lurgan liar]

thanks guys i tried the stereo micing idea ...but 2 condenesers in my room was picing up way too much background noise ...so i think i will stick to the single mic approach in future ....interesting that u said i should try putting the guitar dead centre and the vocals in hard stereo ...

i'll give this a try ...what exactly does hard stereo mean ...i'm guessing it means put the vocals very hard left and hard right? ....

 

[XLR]

Nice playing Lurgan Liar.

Hey, turn off that clock! Condensers pick up everything, huh? I'd suggest also not using limiting or reverb on a test like this, but to just raise the gain manually on the file after tracking. Makes it easier to tell what's happening with the sound.

My experience with the 990 is that it can sound very good but it tends to over emphasize any kind of scratchiness or high frequency roughness in the source. WAY over emphasizes it. So if you can get the instrument to sound very smooth in the highs you're home free with the 990... new strings, smooth edged flatpick, smooth nails or fingertips for fingerpicking.

The 990 like many mic's can be very touchy about placement IME. Often by moving the mic an inch or two to one side or the other, or by angling a little in various ways, the sound can completely change for the better or worse. Hard to believe until you hear it. And find a place in the room that doesn't tend to get uneven resonances (bass boom) or high reflections. Re highs...clap your hands and listen... if there's a harsh slapback that's a bad spot. Moving a few feet can completely change it. Also saying ssss sounds can tell you something similar. Finding just the right spot can clear up a lot of problems before they're recorded.

The particular guitar here comes through pretty well when you're fingerpicking. That first string is sounding just a little scratchy leaving the fingertip sometimes but it's still good. There’s a little lower mid boom like the room is adding something there unevenly but it’s not excessive. The tone gets a lot scratchier in the flatpicked sections though. Sounds like maybe the pick has a rough leading edge.

I think the mic can work well for you. Just get the source very sweet and smooth sounding.

The 14th fret/bridge A-B mic'ing can sound really nice. Makes a very complex wide sound. You'd want to pan them hard left and right or it can turn into phasey mush. That's dual mic'ing but not technically stereo mic'ing. For a solo instrument, stereo mic'ing is good for picking up the room as a part of the instrument's sound when the room adds something good. Most rooms in homes don't, and you're generally better getting the instrument with as little room as possible. In stereo recording the mic's are put far enough away and in an orientation to balance the instrument and room like a listener would hear it. Hope this helps.

Tim

 

[lurgan liar]

hey tim, when you do post again will you listen to my new version that i made today with the 2 mics....

MXL with stereo micing

its not as good as the first effort in my opinion ..... my bedroom is too noisy....doors being shut downstairs / next door / cars going past my house / dogs barking .... i think the moral of the story for me using these mics is that i really need some kind of sound proof room ...or else i should record in the middle of the night when everyone is asleep ...(which isn't always very convenient)

 

[lurgan liar]

Nice playing Lurgan Liar.

Hey, turn off that clock! Condensers pick up everything, huh? I'd suggest also not using limiting or reverb on a test like this, but to just raise the gain manually on the file after tracking. Makes it easier to tell what's happening with the sound.

My experience with the 990 is that it can sound very good but it tends to over emphasize any kind of scratchiness or high frequency roughness in the source. WAY over emphasizes it. So if you can get the instrument to sound very smooth in the highs you're home free with the 990... new strings, smooth edged flatpick, smooth nails or fingertips for fingerpicking.

The 990 like many mic's can be very touchy about placement IME. Often by moving the mic an inch or two to one side or the other, or by angling a little in various ways, the sound can completely change for the better or worse. Hard to believe until you hear it. And find a place in the room that doesn't tend to get uneven resonances (bass boom) or high reflections. Re highs...clap your hands and listen... if there's a harsh slapback that's a bad spot. Moving a few feet can completely change it. Also saying ssss sounds can tell you something similar. Finding just the right spot can clear up a lot of problems before they're recorded.

The particular guitar here comes through pretty well when you're fingerpicking. That first string is sounding just a little scratchy leaving the fingertip sometimes but it's still good. There’s a little lower mid boom like the room is adding something there unevenly but it’s not excessive. The tone gets a lot scratchier in the flatpicked sections though. Sounds like maybe the pick has a rough leading edge.

I think the mic can work well for you. Just get the source very sweet and smooth sounding.

The 14th fret/bridge A-B mic'ing can sound really nice. Makes a very complex wide sound. You'd want to pan them hard left and right or it can turn into phasey mush. That's dual mic'ing but not technically stereo mic'ing. For a solo instrument, stereo mic'ing is good for picking up the room as a part of the instrument's sound when the room adds something good. Most rooms in homes don't, and you're generally better getting the instrument with as little room as possible. In stereo recording the mic's are put far enough away and in an orientation to balance the instrument and room like a listener would hear it. Hope this helps.

Tim

Wow, thanks for the response tim, much appreciated... yeah i don't have any finger nails so i use the tips of my fingers...i was thinking perhaps i played the bass strings too hard and thats how i got the boomy effect.....

but i see what you say, it has a lot to do with the room and the mic position ...so i guess it will just have to be an experimental process...

lol and by the way ...that isn't a clock! lol ..its the sound my roland workstation makes when i record... don't worry i have since discovered that i need to cover it with blankets to hide the sound from the mic ...very annoying

 

[XLR]

i was thinking perhaps i played the bass strings too hard and thats how i got the boomy effect.....

If it's a room thing, as you're playing it feels like it's coming from the guitar, but if you took that same guitar into an open field and mic'd it the same way I bet it wouldn't boom much. - and of course it gets emphasized when you play harder and vice versa. For me, if the room acoustics are good for the low end most guitars won't tend to boom unless the mic's too close. Staying away from corners and walls helps.

EDIT: re room reflections, if you're interested I put up a thread in the Mic forum that has a describtion of a setup I used to minimize high freq reflections (harshness) in a bad room, with a sound sample.

Tim

 

[lurgan liar]

If it's a room thing, as you're playing it feels like it's coming from the guitar, but if you took that same guitar into an open field and mic'd it the same way I bet it wouldn't boom much. - and of course it gets emphasized when you play harder and vice versa. For me, if the room acoustics are good for the low end most guitars won't tend to boom unless the mic's too close. Staying away from corners and walls helps.

Tim

hey tim, that leaves me thinking that it must be something to do with how close i positioned the mic / how hard i plucked the bass strings because i recorded in the centre of my bedroom and its a pretty big room ... i honestly do believe that i placed the mic about 2 feet away ...

because when i placed it any closer it got really boomy ....and if i moved it too far away i had to turn the gain way up in the mixer and it resulted in a not so clean sound ...a lot of hissing + that clock sound lol

 

[XLR]

what are the room dimensions, including ceiling ht? What are the surfaces made of? What large furniture is there?

Tim

 

[lurgan liar]

what are the room dimensions, including ceiling ht? What are the surfaces made of? What large furniture is there?

Tim

mmm thats a tricky one ....let me see i'd say 14 x 10 feet ceiling 8 feet ...bedroom ....a lot of furniture thus making the room very small lol .... a lot of musical instruments / wardrobes / bed computer .....

i do see your point about micing the guitar in an open field ...

i have an idea! ...my friend has a very very large living room area where i could record my guitar ...i'll try that ....very high ceilings also.... and i will get a half decent sounding acoustic because this one isn't in great shape...

thanks for all your help Tim

 

[XLR]

14 x 10 feet ceiling 8 feet

Looks like you're going to be wrestling with all the classic small room acoustics issues. Well, bass problems get lessened by arranging large objects in corners as much as possible. Partially covering walls, floor, ceiling with rugs, drapes, etc helps reduce high freq reflections. And hanging blankets around the spot you play in -using mic booms and the like as supports cuts down high end problems well too. You can do very good recordings in a small room if you know the limitations and adapt to them. Bigger rooms and high ceilings especially are almost always better though. Churches are often ideal.

Tim

 

[lurgan liar]

If it's a room thing, as you're playing it feels like it's coming from the guitar, but if you took that same guitar into an open field and mic'd it the same way I bet it wouldn't boom much. - and of course it gets emphasized when you play harder and vice versa. For me, if the room acoustics are good for the low end most guitars won't tend to boom unless the mic's too close. Staying away from corners and walls helps.

EDIT: re room reflections, if you're interested I put up a thread in the Mic forum that has a describtion of a setup I used to minimize high freq reflections (harshness) in a bad room, with a sound sample.

Tim

Yeah Tim i am very interested in this... but i must go to bed now because it is 5 am and i am about to fall asleep...i will check this tomorrow ..thanks a lot Tim

 

[true-eurt]

Hey guys, this is a very simple acoustic piece i literally made it up in 2 minutes ...i just wanted to try out my friends new mxl 990 and see what it would sound like ... i placed it about 2 feet away from the 12th fret ....

MXL990 Test

I intend to write lyrics for it ...does this sound ok? or am i using the mic wrong? i added a limiter and a touch of reverb ...its a very crappy acoustic guitar by the way lol ...i also have a MXL991 and i intend to try some stereo micing tomorrow ...

Thanks in advance

Also some suggestions on how i might use the 990 and 991 together to stereo mic an acoustic guitar would be helpful...for example would i mic the 12th fret with the 990 and the bridge with the 991 and pan each hard left and hard right ..... then put the vocalist dead centre ?

I know I was supposed to listen to your mic test, but I didn't. I listened to the Dave Matthews tune, Crash into Me, instead. Yes, I am naughty,but what ya gonna do? Spank me or somethin"?
I must say Eamon, you are quite talented there. You stated that you aren't a singer, and if you just don't like to, that is your choice. But I hope you choose to sing!!! You have a very good voice! It should be showcased. Such a smoothness, and soothing quality to it. Wow.

 

[metalj]

thanks guys i tried the stereo micing idea ...but 2 condenesers in my room was picing up way too much background noise ...so i think i will stick to the single mic approach in future ....interesting that u said i should try putting the guitar dead centre and the vocals in hard stereo ...

i'll give this a try ...what exactly does hard stereo mean ...i'm guessing it means put the vocals very hard left and hard right? ....

yeah, pan them all the way left and right when mixing down. maybe you can record one time in stereo on two tracks, or maybe you'd have to sing two tracks recorded seperately then pan them, one left and one right. either way it may work for you.

good luck, and again nice recording.

 

[lurgan liar]

THANKS FOR THE RESPONSES...this weekend i will hopefully have something with lyrics