Is this comb filtering, and is it effecting my tone?

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Fiddlermatt

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Hello. I've recently been trying to get a decent recording of my fiddle. You can hear my first attempts here: https://homerecording.com/bbs/general-discussions/mp3-mixing-clinic/why-does-mix-sound-bad-358084/
I've been trying new mic placements all day, and I've found one that really gives me the tone I want--almost. The low notes and double stops sound WONDERFUL. They have depth, clarity, and warmth. However, once I get around A440, everything turns into a screeching mess. I've included a frequency analysis of A440. Is this comb filtering? I'm recording in a room with untreated wood paneled walls, carpet, and drywall ceiling. I've got a wall of superchunk bass traps installed, and the other three corners will get theirs shortly. Does the shrilless have something to do with this? If it does, how can I fix it?
 

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No, it's not comb filtering.

The graph is just showing the natural harmonics associated with playing that A
 
You will notice the peaks are at 440hz, 880 hz(an octave up), 1760 hz(2 octaves up), 3520 hz and so on. These are the harmonics of the note you are playing. It would do this same thing on every note you play.

Any shrillness will be coming from the combination of the instrument, the room and the microphone. You just have to find the shrillness and EQ it out as gently as possible, without ruining what you like about the lower notes. It's completely do-able with EQ.
 
The shrill part of the violin is around 3khz. Try pulling that area back a bit if that's your main concern.
 
gecko zzed said:
snip...
However, it does sound very dry, and dryness sucks the life out of many melody instruments.

The sound of a violin does not rest solely with the instrument. It's also developed inside the acoustic space in which the instrument is played, i.e. the room is part of the instrument. If the room is dead, then so is the fiddle.

Try adding depth, space and sparkle with some reverb.
Click to expand...
To almost quote our Gecko here from the other thread ;)
When I last listened to me the thing sounded at once harsh', with notes jumping out, and sounding 'too close yet with room effects that were not complimentary -and possibly contributing to the problem as in short hard sounding reflections.

What to advise..? 'Back off the mic - maybe better for the 'too close effect, but then more 'boxy sound?
Interesting about the bass traps- but what we're dealing with here is mid and high tones in the room.
Also, what mic? I suspect maybe something flatter with less of a presence boost could be half of it too.
And to follow Gecko again- I would also try some decent ambiance' verb (VahallaRoom's 'Wood Room or what ever it's called comes to mind. Works great here on my acoustic band.
That tack is to get everything to set back' a bit into a cushy space- might do wonders :)

BTW, combing? Yes. Can't tell with a picture per say, but that and peaky resonances are the exactly the bane and nature of mid/high tones in small rooms. (..well, bass too
A last add.. Depending on the room size.. Your closest hardest refection could be the ceiling
 
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Sorry I haven't replied in a little while, I've been having to help make funeral arrangements for my grandfather. I'm running a Audio Technica AT-2020 into a TASCAM US-200. The AT-2020 appeared to have the flattest frequency of any the low-end condenser mics (Having a tight budget, stinks.) It does have a small peak in the high registers. I have found a fairly workable solution; however, miking the bottom the fiddle. It's really giving me the warm, woody tone I'm looking for. I'm also go to throw a mic up top and mix it so it has a little more top end. I'm also taking steps to deaden some of the flutter echoes as well. Thank you all for so much for helping, and again, sorry for taking so long to reply.
 
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