Help with results guitar and vocal

  • Thread starter Thread starter gonso
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gonso

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My ears are driving crazy.
My equipment: Fast Track M-Audio. Mic AKG 220.
I recorded first guitar, and then vocals (spanish guitar, with AKG mic)
When I compare my song with songs I like the way they sound (for example Jason Mraz: Be Honest) I realize I am too far from that sound.
Do you think my problem is:
a) my voice
b) my guitar
c) my home recording
d) the song itself is boring
e) all of the above
If you could give a piece of advice I will appreciate it!
Thanks
 

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I think your voice is fine. Whether or not the song is boring is an individual opinion. I can't understanding the lyrics, but it didn't seem boring to me.

The guitar is a little cheap, or boxy sounding. There is also quite a bit of reverb on it. Much more reverb than the vocal.

To me the biggest area to focus on is the guitar recording. Maybe tell us about it. what kind of guitar? Mic? Where did you place the mic relative to the guitar?

The vocal level does change at times. I might suggest to do a volume fader ride. Or try to control your level during tracking. I will say that this wasn't a big problem though.
 
My guitar is a Spanish guitar. I think it sounds OK when I don't record it, but when I record it I don't get a natural sound. I record the guitar with the same mic I recorded the vocal (AKG 220, as I don't have another mic). I place the mic 20 cm away and close to the guitar neck.
Thank you for your advice. I'll try less reverb.
Could you solve the vocal level change with compression?
Sorry for my quiestion. I am new at this.
 
A common place to position the mic is at the 13th fret (about where the neck meets the body) and angle it toward the sound hole. Maybe try it there and try to get a little closer than 20 cm if you can. You might want to try recording it in a different room. Did you record the vocal and the guitar in the same room?

You can try compression on your vocal. But what I noticed was that whole sections were louder than others. In my experience, compression works better for inconsistent levels at shorter durations - like individual words or syllables. That's why I suggested a fader ride. Actually a little bit of both might work too.
 
A common place to position the mic is at the 13th fret (about where the neck meets the body) and angle it toward the sound hole. Maybe try it there and try to get a little closer than 20 cm if you can. You might want to try recording it in a different room. Did you record the vocal and the guitar in the same room?

You can try compression on your vocal. But what I noticed was that whole sections were louder than others. In my experience, compression works better for inconsistent levels at shorter durations - like individual words or syllables. That's why I suggested a fader ride. Actually a little bit of both might work too.
 
I felt so strongly about that advice, I posted it twice. :)
 
Short of re-recording, a low pass filter usually helps on acoustic guitar like this, where there is a lot of low end from 350Hz on down. I looked at the first chord on a plot spectrum, but I can hear it too.

Apply some compression in small doses. Come back the next day with fresh ears.

I think the song has a very nice groove.
 
Also wanted to comment on the difference between the sound when playing and after recording. When you play, your mind is only partially comprehending the sound because much of it is occupied with playing. You're hearing the natural sound with no electronic interference or processing and your ear is at a unique position. When you record and play it back everything changes. Your mind is different and the sound is coming from a different place. Acoustic guitar is difficult to record in a way that sounds as good when played back.

There is a sticky by WhiteStrat that is excellent on this subject. Find it here -- https://homerecording.com/bbs/gener...iques/acoustic-guitar-recording-101-a-290919/
 
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