Method of Recording Acoustic Guitar with only one good channel strip

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joe1871

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Hey folks,

I just grabbed a used KM 184 that I plan on teaming up with a new C414 that I have to record some fingerstyle acoustic guitar. I have a Presonus 2442 that I use as my audio IF into either Studio One or PT 10 as my DAW. I have one tube channel strip that I bought - a DBX 376 that I can run one of the Mics through. Which would you run through the 376?

OK - so say I was a tad motivated to buy a 2nd channel strip for just this issue - what would you suggest for $500 - $750? I want to record Acoustic and Electric Guitars and Vocals.

Thanks folks. First post - great to be here!

Joe
 
Personally, I would skip the 376. I would simply run both mikes into the Presonus, then do any sound manipulation afterwards. So that means, from my point of view, you can toss a coin and just use whichever mike comes up with the 376.
 
Good advice.
gecko zzed said:
Personally, I would skip the 376. I would simply run both mikes into the Presonus, then do any sound manipulation afterwards. So that means, from my point of view, you can toss a coin and just use whichever mike comes up with the 376.
Click to expand...
 
gecko zzed said:
Personally, I would skip the 376. I would simply run both mikes into the Presonus, then do any sound manipulation afterwards. So that means, from my point of view, you can toss a coin and just use whichever mike comes up with the 376.
Click to expand...

Not the "Zed is dead honey Zed is dead" Zed is it? Never mind...

So I am sensing a little disdain for the 376. Not the first time I have heard that. Is it really that bad a strip? I don't know, honestly, and don't have any loyalty to it. If it is junk please tell me. I have no basis for comparison. It's hard to A/B channel strips. Especially when bought on the web. Should I just bag the 376 and buy something better? Any suggestions under a grand or so?

Thx

Joe
 
joe1871 said:
So I am sensing a little disdain for the 376.
Click to expand...

Not disdain really. The 376 is probably a handy little device.

It's a philosophical difference more than anything else.

At a basic home recording level, I have some thoughts:

1 There are so many ways of getting unwanted noise and distortion, and by keeping the path from mike to interface as simple as possible, you minimise a few chances of introducing these things.

2 There are benefits in getting a high quality channel strip. But to realise those benefits, everything else has to be high quality as well.

3 Whatever you do to the signal before it gets into the system you can't undo. I prefer to keep the signal as clean and unadulterated as possible. When it's in the system, you can mess around, try different things, and always get back to the original.
 
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The DBX is a decent enough unit. The thing I'm not crazy about is EQ on the way in. I prefere simple gain and no more.
 
gecko zzed said:
Not disdain really. The 376 is probably a handy little device.

It's a philosophical difference more than anything else.

At a basic home recording level, I have some thoughts:

1 There are so many ways of getting unwanted noise and distortion, and by keeping the path from mike to interface as simple as possible, you minimise a few chances of introducing these things.

2 There are benefits in getting a high quality channel strip. But to realise those benefits, everything else has to be high quality as well.

3 Whatever you do to the signal before it gets into the system you can't undo. I prefer to keep the signal as clean and unadulterated as possible. When it's in the system, you can mess around, try different things, and always get back to the original.
Click to expand...

That advice has to be straight out of the audio bible... nice one Geck
 
gecko zzed said:
Not disdain really. The 376 is probably a handy little device.

It's a philosophical difference more than anything else.

At a basic home recording level, I have some thoughts:

1 There are so many ways of getting unwanted noise and distortion, and by keeping the path from mike to interface as simple as possible, you minimise a few chances of introducing these things.

2 There are benefits in getting a high quality channel strip. But to realise those benefits, everything else has to be high quality as well.

3 Whatever you do to the signal before it gets into the system you can't undo. I prefer to keep the signal as clean and unadulterated as possible. When it's in the system, you can mess around, try different things, and always get back to the original.
Click to expand...

Good advice. But to play devils advocate.....

If you understand gain staging and signal flow and assuming your house just doesn't have really bad electrical with all kind of grounding problems then adding a channel strip on the front end won't add any more noise to your finished product than adding VSTs after recording (especially emulaton VSTs)
The reason most of the time using FX during tracking is advised against is because you are stuck with the sound you have recorded and can't change it afterwards. If you know what sound you want and can use hardware FX to get it successfully then this really isn't a problem and it's one less decision that you have to deal with during the mix.
Also a lot of channel strips allow you to patch into the fx separately so you can use them as mix hardware too which is a bonus.

On the lower budget end the ART Pro Channel isn't bad or the voice channel although in the Voice channel you may be paying for converters you don't need) the comp and EQ on those are pretty decent with acoustics
On the high end a universal audia 6176 is nice although an 1176 type compressor may not be great with acoustics but the LA-610 might be more like it.

Anything in between is also totally usable, it's more about knowing what you want and how to get it than the name on the box (although the UA stuff is really nice)
 
Record dry into the interface then reamp both tracks through the DBX.
 
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