General 'newbie' Questions.

[Vicarious]

Alright, to start I've been lurking around here looking for tips and some things are just too specific in other directions that I honestly need to resort to asking for help to really learn. (I'd rather read first and ask questions)

So to start I'm going to have a few questions (Even if you can only answer one that'll be grand)

First off my gear. Now I know I don't have the most expensive stuff. It's best to have good quality gear I'm aware. But I'm a student and funding only prohibits me from doing with what I can unfortunately.

My set up consists of:

A Behringer C-1 Condenser Microphone (I also have an unidirection instrumental microphone)
This feeds into my Xenyx 802 model preamp (Mixing desk)
To my HD Realtek Sound card.
I use (or I'm familliar with) Adobe Audition

Let me clear things up; I know before you tell me that I should have a proper sound card (and I'm not talking about Soundblasters) but at the moment this will have to do.

Before I ask questions; I would use Cakewalk sonar but the last time I tried (on my older computer) I was getting to much resonation from my computer running.


First up. Mixing board settings for;

Vocals

Then, for recording acoustics should I use the condenser or unidirectional? If so what settings do you suggest for the;

Acoustic guitar

When mixing it, is there any advice I should want to know? (i.e doubling tracks and delaying them to make it sound louder/give it the effect of two guitars playing)

What would be the proper routine to mix vocals and acoustic guitar, basically?

Thanks, any help would be wildy appreciated. And once again, sorry for so many questions.

 

[Massive Master]

You're asking questions that are impossible to answer.

First off - The most important piece in the entire chain is going to be your monitoring chain and how well you know what you're hearing. Everything else - EVERYTHING else, is secondary by a long, long, long shot.

The settings are the settings that work for what you're recording. There's no starting point, there are no presets.

I'd suggesting starting here: http://www.tweakheadz.com/guide.htm And keeping in mind that it normally takes years (sometimes YEARS and years) of practical experience before you really develop the skills and listening skills it takes to make the most of your gear.

 

[Farview]

Here is how this all works.

1. Stick a mic in front of something that you want to record and plug it into the mic preamp. Plug the mic pre into the interface/recorder.

2. Look at the recording level. Adjust the gain on the preamp until you see the desired level. Quieter sources will need more gain, louder sources less gain.

3. Listen to the sound you are getting through the mic. Does it have too much low end, mids, highs?

4. Imagine the sound you want from the instrument.

5. Figure out the difference between the sound you have and the sound you want.

6. Dial those settings into the EQ, compressor, etc...

7. Lather, rinse, repeat.


Engineering is just taking what you have, assessing it, and changing it to what you want. There are no real starting points because your guitar, in your room, with your mic, and your preamps are pretty unique. Once you take into account the fact that your idea of a good guitar sound might be different than someone else's, you can see how impossible it is to answer this question with any accuracy.

I could easily tell you what I did to my guitars on a certain project. But it won't be very useful because those setting will really only work in that song with that guitar mic'd the way I mic'd it.

 

[Dani Pace]

First off, don't feel intimidated by not having a mass of high end gear, good recordings can be made with limited gear. Get everything (guitar, bass, voice, whatever) to sound as good as possible in the room you intend to use for recording. Set up a mic and hit record. Listen carefully to the playback, decent monitors make this part much easier. If it sounds good then proceede to the next track. If it sounds bad then fix it or scrap it. There are a lot of variables to consider when trying to get a "certain sound." Sometimes a little adjustment (mic position, EQ, compression, etc..) will make a big difference. Feel free to experiment, what works in one situation may not work in another. Try different mics and in different positions, this takes practice and esperimentation to find what works best for you. Sorry I can't be more specific, it's a little different for everyone, you just have to try things and find what works for you.

 

[guitar zero]

Many people on this board have asked over and over again how to record acoustic guitar, and the correct answer is... whatever sounds the best. I'm not being a smart ass either. Some people will tell you to put a LDC mic 12 inches from the 12th fret and that's it. Some will tell you to double mic with one at the 12th fret and one over your left shoulder. Some will say two small disc condenser mics in an XY pattern at 110 degrees out front. The truth is you have to try everything, and then you pick the best. Set up your mics, start playing with the headphones on and have someone else move the mics around. In, out, up down until you find the sweet spot. You will find it, it's amazing how much moving the mic 6 inches will change the sound.

We are currently recording a Taylor 410 ce and the sweet spot for the two condenser mics we're using seems to be almost 2 feet from the 12th fret for one and 2 feet from the bridge and slightly higher for the second. We tried over the shoulder, too dull. We tried 12 inches, too much bass. Just move everything around until you find the sound you want.