My first saxaphone recording...critique please!

[willpadgett]

I had my friend play his alto sax into my SM57 > Mackie 1208, and here's what I got out of it. It was my ABSOLUTE first recording ever, so I used what I know from Tweak's teachings and tried applying it...now it's time to fix the problems that I hope you guys can point out!

http://soundcloud.com/willpadgett/ethan-sax-1

I've compared it to some great saxophone recordings (Kind of Blue, etc), and in comparison, I've noted that mine has much more reed/wind noise and is just generally more "dead" sounding, which I can't pinpoint why. Here's how I recorded it.

SM57, pointing above the bell, saxophone about 16" away from mic, a little over the mic. Gain on my Mackie almost maxed out, at about 5 o'clock. Tape outputs go into macbook pro's line in (yes, i'm getting an audio interface soon), into Logic, added a touch of reverb. That's it.

Thanks so much everyone!

 

[mjbphotos]

I think its the room that is giving you that 'dead' sound. Bring the mic closer to the sax bell and add some more reverb - I couldn't hear any.
Does the recording sound like what you hear with your ears?

 

[tmix]

First off let me say it is a good sound..
It may not be what you were originally looking for but I think it is a good starting point.
You honestly need to hear it in context of a SONG before making a final judgement.

But having said that I could anticipate if you had any issues with it, it would be the puffing air sound.
Whether it is the mic catching it from the bell or the openings I don't know, but a little more distance may take care of that, or perhaps try moving the mi position below the bell or to one side.

I generally don't mic right over the bell because as a listener... that is not the way I usually hear it.

I would get more distance for the mic. I know you said you had the pre nearly maxed out, but it should be easy to bump up the volume after tracking if need be.

Get the sound you want first.

 

[TeyshaBlue]

Tim's advice is spot on.

A 57 is a pretty good instrument mic, but I've never liked it on sax...I've always prefered a decent condensor. But if you use the 57, generally you don't want to mic the bell. You can lose some of the overtone info as the bell presents alot of fundamentals and the pickup pattern of the 57 won't let you capture much of the sound from the body of the horn. Also, the crook of the bell sets up some weird standing waves that can cause some cancellation. Instead, mic that horn about 1 ft away, mid horn. Each key, when open, produces sound...not just the bell. Give that a shot and see if you like the sound a bit more. It should be a little brighter with some presence.