Please help me with recording electric violin!

  • Thread starter Thread starter lati
  • Start date Start date
L

lati

New member
Dear community,

I am new here and I seek a solution for my everlasting problem.
I am 19 and I come from Poland. I play violin for 13 years now.
Few months ago I finally gathered money to buy electric violin - Yamaha SV255 (5strings).
Since then, I could not find any adequate gear to bind it with.
I bought my electric violin mainly for classical sounds like soundtracks, minimalistic music, classical covers but I also want to create rock and electronic music.
Few years before that electric violin I had Barcus Berry pickup and recorded with my acoustic violin,
but as you can suspect, the quality wasn't satisfying: (here are my recordings with old piezzo pickup + toneport gx) (URL) youtube.com/PeterTheViolinist

Now, there comes my question. What should I buy to be able to freely record my compositions? I have not as bad computer.
Some people told me to buy some music interface, record pure signal and then change it in Guitar Rigs.
Others told me that it is pointless to pursue classical tone with electric violin so I should buy microphone and mixer and use my old acoustic violin.
In music shop I was told to buy some Boss processors (ME or AC) and then record it on PC.

I do not have much money for it. I am ready to spend around 300-400$ for it since the violin itself cost me around 2,300$.
I shall be considered the happiest guy on the world if you guys decide to help me.

If the thread is on the wrong board please forgive me, I just happened to register here.

Cheers
Piotr
 
LOL @ the music shop being affiliated with boss. :p

Your two main options are to:
1: Buy a small audio interface and plug your e.violin into the D.I/inst input
2: Buy a small interface and a microphone to record your acoustic violin.

Look out for a something like a small tascam usb interface.
 
Well, I am fully aware of these two options but the second one is out of question since I spent more than 2k on violin itself.
I was kinda hoping for some specific models of audio interfaces that some1 mazbe used with eviolin?
 
Last edited:
Most interfaces will have both inputs for DI from your e violin and mic inputs if you choose to mic the acoustic violin later.

Sorry I don't know brands, I have been out of the loop for years as to what's available.
 
Brands don't matter. There's nothing in an interface that is going to make that electric violin sound like an acoustic. All the interface does is (maybe) amplify the signal a bit, digitize it, and pump it into the computer.

I don't actually haven any first hand experience recording violin of any sort, but I'd imagine it's a lot like the difference between a piezo-equipped solid body guitar and a microphone in front of a good acoustic. You're likely missing the resonance from the sound chamber. You're probably getting a disproportionate amount of the high harmonics off the strings in comparison to the fundamentals. You definitely don't get any room sound.

If you can't or won't mic up the acoustic, then you just have to fuck around trying to fake it. I would start with a fairly gradual lowpass filter, probably starting pretty low in the spectrum, to sort of undo picking up the vibrations at the bridge. Then maybe an allpass or two in parallel to sort get some of the complex harmonic filtering that you get from the wood and sound chamber. Then probably some reverb. I might try a shorter, less dense, darker verb mixed in very subtly before the all-pass to give some actual "hang time" to the timbre itself, and then whatever you need after to put it in something like an actual acoustic space. Then I'd probably realize that it still sounds nothing like an acoustic violin, and run it through some raging tube amp sim. If you can't make it sound real, the make it sound cool!
 
Check out Jean Luc Ponty and see what kind of a set up he had. I don't know much about electric violins, but give me a second-hand interface off EBay, Guitar Rig, and REAPER as a DAW, and I'm dead certain I could get you some beautiful tones! And the point is this: with some work, experimentation, and practice, so could you my Polish friend! Good luck!
 
ashcat_lt said:
I don't actually haven any first hand experience recording violin of any sort, but I'd imagine it's a lot like the difference between a piezo-equipped solid body guitar and a microphone in front of a good acoustic.
Click to expand...

Actually, not quite. The difference between an electric violin and acoustic violin is the same difference between an electric guitar and an acoustic guitar. I would treat an electric violin like an electric guitar. Don't even try making it sound like an acoustic, just do what you want with it to give it cool sounds. Put it in a Marshall and see what you get!
 
Seafroggys said:
Actually, not quite. The difference between an electric violin and acoustic violin is the same difference between an electric guitar and an acoustic guitar. I would treat an electric violin like an electric guitar. Don't even try making it sound like an acoustic, just do what you want with it to give it cool sounds. Put it in a Marshall and see what you get!
Click to expand...
Does it have a magnetic pickup?
 
lati said:
Well, I am fully aware of these two options but the second one is out of question since I spent more than 2k on violin itself.
I was kinda hoping for some specific models of audio interfaces that some1 mazbe used with eviolin?
Click to expand...

For direct input, brand names don't really matter.
Any interface with DI/inst input will do fine for your electric violin.

It will always sound like an electric violin though; If you want it to sound like an acoustic violin you'll have to get a mic and play an acoustic violin.

If you're fully aware of the options, I'd recommend assessing them and choosing the best one.
 
Can't beat the sound of a mic'd acoustic instrument as far as recording acoustics. You just won't get that sound from any DI no matter the quality. Save up, get a decent one or two channel interface and a mic, preferably a ribbon for violin. Used mics can be found quite cheap. If you happen to get a 2 channel interface with a mic, perhaps try experimenting with mixing the mic signal with the DI.
 
ashcat_lt said:
Does it have a magnetic pickup?
Click to expand...

Yep. An electric violin is not like an acoustic guitar with a built-in pickup, its like an electric guitar with a magnetic pickup. I'm sure they make acoustic violins with built in piezo pick-ups, sure. But an electric violin is electronically mostly identical to an electric guitar.

Electric violins get such a bad rap, but I'm sure employed in the right fashion they could be totally awesome.
 
Is the violin this one?
http://download.yamaha.com/api/asset/file/?language=en&site=uk.yamaha.com&asset_id=14545

If so that instrument comes with a pretty sophisticated control box that can be phantom powered and thus the violin can go straight into the mic input of an interface(yes, this is a must and I suggest the Steinberg UR22)

I would avoid high Z instrument inputs on AIs because some of them are "voiced" for guitar, not at ALL what you want! Then many have quite high distortion due to the use of a "naked" FET. Again, not conducive to sweet string tones. BTW. the inputs on AIs are at best 1meg Ohm, often a lot less and are therefore not even suitable for passive, peizo acoustic guitars either! You need at least 5meg, better 10.

Like most folks that have contributed to this thread, I have no experience of fiddle recording, DI or live but since the instrument occupies an acoustic band very different from the guitar I would think it should be treated very differently. My gut feeling is that an electric violin has more chance of sounding like the acoustic version than does the guitar. At least you will have very many fewer "expert" critics!

BTW the violin in the link above does use piezo pickups.

Dave.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top