Please listen and let me know what you think!

  • Thread starter Thread starter BJW
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Hey Brian, I have some songs up on Acid Planet, too! I listened to a couple of your tunes. You have a nice easy to listen to style. Your voice has a lot of potential, very listenable. A good singing voice is a gift.

About the acoustic guitar, I don't like the way you recorded it. I'm pretty sure you used the pickup direct, it sure sounds that way. Honestly, that pickup is meant for live playing, not recording. If you use a mic on the guitar, you will get 200% better sound. You can record the pickup as well, but blend it in lower than the mic just to add some warmth and fullness.

Keep playing, make music!
 
Hey thanks!

Yeah, I did use the pickup direct and a mic on most stuff, but I turned the mic track way down in the recording. . .it just sounds so muddy. Any suggestions on how to mic the acoustic?

I used an sm57 about 3 inches away and 3 inches up from the sound hole pointing towards the sound hole. I've also got a cheap large diaphram condensor (superlux). Maybe my fault is in eqing the mic line.

Thanks!

-Brian
 
Never, ever point a mic at the sound hole... I know it seems like that would be the place to go, but you'll get boomy, muddy sound, which you found out already.

If you use one mic, place it about 8-12 inches from the guitar, aiming at the area where the neck joins the body, about fret 12-14. You can experiment by angling the mic to get the cleanest sound. Then mix the pickup sound lower than the mic and you can get a great sound. Try cutting below 100hz, small cut about 1000-1500hz, small boost about 5000-6000hz. A small dose of reverb really warms it up.

Use the condenser mic, not the dynamic mic
 
slkeen said:
Never, ever point a mic at the sound hole... I know it seems like that would be the place to go, but you'll get boomy, muddy sound, which you found out already.

If you use one mic, place it about 8-12 inches from the guitar, aiming at the area where the neck joins the body, about fret 12-14. You can experiment by angling the mic to get the cleanest sound. Then mix the pickup sound lower than the mic and you can get a great sound. Try cutting below 100hz, small cut about 1000-1500hz, small boost about 5000-6000hz. A small dose of reverb really warms it up.

Use the condenser mic, not the dynamic mic
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info!

I've got something to play with now. . .

-Brian
 
Hey Brian,

I think the major recording issues have already been covered. You might think about doing another rhythm guitar track to achieve a fuller sound, and possibly some accompanying riffs if it fits your style. Performance-wise I would focus on cleaning up the guitar strumming. Make sure your pressing down all the strings enough on all the fast chord changes (Better This Way). You have a good voice, and I like your song writing. Lyrically its not really my style, but the melody/arrangement/progression work well in all the songs. You definitely have potential, I'd like to hear these songs rerecorded.
 
Thanks for the advice, rhythm

I'm thinking about getting a djembe and learning to play it a bit to put it with the recordings. I'm in the process of building a little vocal/iso booth with pvc pipe and moving blankets and getting a new LD condenser mic (probably a studio projects sp1) and some decent monitors. I've also recently acquired a bass guitar, so I can record some of that.

I think the addition of a djembe (and maybe some rhythm egg) and bass along with a better mic and better recording environment, the songs will get way better sounding. We'll see what happens.

-Brian
 
In addition to the other comments, you've got heavy sibilance on the voice... too much EQ, or the wrong mic/placement.... I'm guessing you over-EQ'd.....
 
Yeah, I EQ'd the crap out of the vocal track. The sound I got from my mic was so thin and flat that it just needed something. Basically I boosted everything on the upper end of the spectrum, which is where all the sibilance is coming from. I think there might be some reverb on it, too. I really wonder if a better mic will allow me to tone down the eq and just get a better sounding vocal track. I'm using a superlux H8-a (something like that--it's their bottom line LD condenser mic). From what I've read maybe a studio projects b1 or c1 might be good for my voice. . .that mellow male voice. I've been told a AT 4040 might be good too, but i'd rather spend $80 than $300 if the difference won't be that substantial or noticeable.

Thanks for the advice.

-Brian
 
Any more thoughts?

The best song up there is probably either "Isn't She Wonderful" or "Better This Way"

-Brian
 
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