not recording loud enough using shure58

  • Thread starter Thread starter flyinjam
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flyinjam

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Hey,

I'm just starting out recording and wondered if anyone could help me? I'm currently using a shure58 mic going into a preamp then mac to record acoustic guitar using protools. However when recording the guitar its never very loud, even with the settings on the preamp at the highest. Would this be the range of the mic or the preamps fault? would you recommend getting a condensor mic and would this make everything louder so it sits just before it hits the red for optimum sound quality?

thanks.
 
Well, before you dash out and spend lots of money, can you quantify "not very loud" in terms of dB on your DAW meters or scale on the graphic display? If you're just comparing the sound of your tracks to fully mixed and mastered commercial recordings, those will always sound much louder...usually because they're compressed to within an inch of their lives.

That said, the SM58 wouldn't be my mic of choice for recording guitar. Really, it's a live vocal mic, designed to be happier with close up singers who swallow the mic and scream a lot!

Bob
 
so how are you going from the preamp to your computer?
 
flyinjam said:
would this make everything louder so it sits just before it hits the red for optimum sound quality ?
Click to expand...
My guess is that it's not recording too low at all. You don't want it to "sit just before the red for optimum sound quality". You want to be WAY lower than anywhere near the red. Try to average down in the -18 to -12 range and don't peak any higher than -6.
 
thanks for the input everyone. I'm using and edirol audio capture which uses usb to go from mic, to edirol, to computer. would this set up be causing any problem or less sound quality?
 
Your electric guitar needs a preamp designed for the very low level signal from pickups. The Edirol does not have that. Best choice for better sound is to mic up your amp.

Never mind, I see you are using the mic to record an acoustic guitar.
What DAW (Software) are you using?
 
A 58 is not ideal but should still do the job... how far away is the mic? what are you pointing it at?
 
the software i'm using is protools on an imac. for the question about mic position, i'm using it pretty close to the guitar, about 10 cm away and to the left of the hole
 
That's What She Said said:
about 10 cm away and to the left of the hole
Click to expand...

Have you tried normalizing the track after you recorded it? Low volume is only a problem if your noise floor is too high - if you normalize it and have a clean sound you are fine.
 
Dynamic mics need a bit more gain (ribbons even more so.)
Most consumer interfaces dont have very strong preamps.

You can:
A) Get a stronger preamp or
B) Spend $100 on a Triton Fethead and get another 20db of clean gain
 
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