Lively mandolin sound

  • Thread starter Thread starter nbiehl
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nbiehl

nbiehl

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I'm mixing a waltz today where the main theme is carried by a mandolin, with layered violin and viola behind it.

Anyone got any tips for getting a lively sound out of an instrumental lead like that?

How about tips for getting a smooth blend out of the background pad?

All tracking was done with an AT 4040 LDC -> Soundcraft 200 -> M Audio Delta 66.

I'm satisfied with the cuts, and some light compression and reverb nudge the lead in the right direction, but it seems like the mando could jump up and grab me a just a little more.

Thanks in advance for lending me some of your experience.
 
Hey man,

I love to track mando with a ribbon mic for almost exactly this purpose. Ribbons have a wide dynamic range and super fast transient response, which is a pretty good definition of "lively" in my opinion.

Since you have already recorded the track, stick that ribbon thing in your back pocket for later, and try an expander. I cant recommend a good place to start for the settings because, honestly, I just play with them until I like it when it comes to expanders. Still, look towards fast attack and release times, and ratios of around 3/1, maybe more depending on the track.

Cheers!
 
If you are satisfied with the performance but need to bring the mando more forward try a slight bump at ...like 3kHz nice and wide, maybe 3 db but not much more than that. Dont forget that you have to bring the channel down a little to compensate for the eq bump. Forget the compressor , it will blur the sound of the mando, especially if the player is "fanning".


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It sounds like simple EQ to bring out some brightness is all you really need. If the dynamics are wildly out of control, I would compress first and EQ second.

I'll give you a great professional light checklist to help you in the future:

(in this order...you can do this with anything)

1) *Really* listen to the mandolin first with your own ears. If there's more than one mandolin around, listen to those and determine which has got more of the "lively" you want. Hint: new strings make a huge difference.

2) If you have different mics laying around, setup a few mics of your choice, if you have them(what you think would work best on a mandolin) and do a quick comparison recording between them. You'll never know which one is best until you actually hear it recorded.

3) If you have the option of different preamps, also do a quick comparison between them. Certain preamps actually naturally sound bright, so this can save you EQing later on.

4) EQ as a last resource.
 
Well the best thing to do is of course record the track with a lively mandolin :)

Nah cut the bass out of the mandolin as best you can and keep the highs intact while avoiding letting things getting harsh.
 
I recorded some local bluegrass musicians.
I added a tight stereo delay to the mandolin track.
Awesome.

Scott.
 
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