problems recording a djembe

[bennym1219]

Hey all

im trying to record a djembe and im having problems with the levels.

im using a sm58 and a behringer b1 condenser mic (i know they are not ideal but they do the trick). Im running these through a tascam us122 into cubase. Each mic goes onto its own track.

I have tried placing the shure at the top of the drum, and the behringer underneath at a few feet, and vice versa.

the problem is that if i record it with about 2db headroom (like every other track in the song), when i play it back in the mix it is really quiet.

i have to turn the tracks to about +6db to get it to a decent volume in the mix

any suggestions as to whats going wrong, or what im missing. thanks

 

[KamikazeKyle]

Well you can make it louder by printing it to two, three or four tracks but phasing can get tricky when doing so.

 

[bennym1219]

ok thanks

im assuming that 'printing' is just copying the audio file into another separate track?

would reversing the phase on one of the tracks stop the phasing?

 

[bennym1219]

tried printing the tracks, i works better but the master track is still clipping at about +4db???

 

[orksnork]

well...either everything else is running too hot (turn it down, leave the djembe up) or the eq of the track is just muddying in with everythign else

experiment with eq and try to find a resonant frequency for it to live in that's both flattering and helps it cut better

 

[NYMorningstar]

You need to flip the phase on one of them. Also, if you are recording digitally you are recording way too hot. If you are using 24bit then you need only peak at about -18dbfs.

And you need to stop cross posting your problems.

 

[xstatic]

It sounds to me like the rest of your tracks are too hot. Like NYMorningstar said, it sounds like you are also recording way too hot whether it be analog or digital. However, I would record your average signal at -18, not the peak of each channel. If you do things this way your preamps will probably also sound better and you will probably get a more even frequency response and a lot more clarity and depth.