Is this sound normal for a dry signal?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Benja
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Benja

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Hey all!

I have a setup here at home of a Rode NTK, which is connected to a Presonus studio channel mic preamp, thats connected to a Toneport UX2 interface and I record with Studio One. Based on the quality of the gear that I purchased, I should be getting a fairly nice sound out of the Rode NTK. But I'm afraid the opposite is true. Since I bought the mic I've always been struggling to get a nice sound out of it. Maybe it's because I'm still a beginner, but I'm wondering if the dry signal shouldn't sound a lot nicer on itself. Even my voicememo recorder (which cost me around 40 euros) sounds better when I record with it.

So I've added an example of a recording. It's completely dry. I only routed it through my preamp with the EQ and compressor bypassed and with normal settings for the tube preamp. Can anyone tell me if this quality is normal for this setup? And if not, any idea what I'm doing wrong?

EDIT: Please click the link below the soundcloud player to hear the audio, the player itself doesn't seem to work.



I really hope to get this resolved before monday evening. A buddy of mine is coming over to record a few songs..

Thanks in advance!

God bless,
Benjamin
 
Sounds okay but a little muddy. Where is the mic placed? It sounds like it's in front of the sound hole. If that's the case try moving the mic around. Off the 12th fret is fairly typical, but use your ear. It can be helpful to put headphones on and listen while moving the mic.
 
Thanks for the suggestion. I followed your advice, and it´s a little bit better now. I´ve also added quite some EQ and this is what I got:

(Make sure you click the link if you want to listen):



So now my next question is: how do I get the fullness, clarity and warmth in this recording that I'm looking for? For example, listen to this song on youtube:

Keb' Mo' - More For Your Money

(I would've posted a link but I'm not allowed yet). :)

I realize that the answer to that question might be a complicated process, but still.. That's the quality that I'm searching for in the end.
 
The sound you get will be majorly influenced by the space you record IN. Try different bedrooms/living room/bathroom, whatever you have. Set up some tents, buy some room treatment...
Am I hearing birds in the background? The best room to record guitar in is not necessarily the deadest, but most of the time it helps. What you get through the mike is what you have. You can always add to the signal if you want reverb or eq, but it's hard to take it away...
 
A beautiful mic, but unless you have a well-treated recording room (as Broken H suggests), it may not be the best mic for you to use recording acoustic guitar. Read the thread HERE about acoustic guitar recording. I found that recording in a medium sized room with no treatment using two dynamics (one pointed at 12th fret, one at lower bout) gave me a better sound because I was picking up more room sound with an LDC.
 
Thanks for the helpful reactions. Yes those are birds. :) I left the window open because it was just a test recording.
Unfortunately I don't have any dynamics, only my beautiful Rode NTK. But I followed your advice and have rebuild my room. I moved my gear and placed two huge mattresses against each other in a v-shape. Beside that I also tweaked EQ and compressor settings and I got a pretty nice result! Thanks a lot for helping me out.
 
My wife says the birds make it sound nice, like an outdoorsy Spanish courtyard and a young lover serenading his beloved on guitar. :eek:
 
I'll join the chorus and say that I think it's the room acoustics working against you.

Obviously the best bet is to treat your room or find a better one--but, until that happens, a few things to try:

-Get the mic closer to the guitar.

-Experiement with the placement and aiming--as was said, above the 12th fret is a good starting point but small moves can make a big difference.

-Play with where you sit in the room. Distance from walls and the coverings on the walls can also make a big difference.

As always, the advice is to get the raw recording as good as possible but, once you've done all you can:

-EQ for some subtle boost in the upper mids to add crispness and clarity.

-Subtle reverb works well with guitar.

-In your case, I might try a bit of low cut EQ as well.
 
Thanks for all the helpful replies! The two huge mattresses that I've used have helped out. I recorded a song last Wednesday and it sounds good! Unfortunately I can't post a sample (yet), because it's not my song. But still, thanks everyone!
 
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