Recodring Horns

[Gringomonkee]

I've just started doing some rough mixes for my Ska band of new song ideas - starting with just a click-track and guitar and bass, which sounded fine.

I thought i'd try and see how the horns would sound on the mix, so i got the guys to come round and we recorded a couple.

Hearing the mix though, i'm not entirely satisfied with the overall sound, and wondered if anyone on the board has any tips for me to improve the sound of my horn section with minimal expense. Compression has been mentioned, but i'm not sure what i need to compress the sound with, and how comp shound be used.

Cheers in advance

 

[Digital Reason]

What kind of mics are you using to record horns and what mics do you have access to???????? Horns are kinda tricky because they naturally sound harsh and thats okay for live BUT when you hear them on tape it really stands out. I would fool with different mics and placement of said mics to reduce the "Harshness" sound of the horns.
How many horns are you recording and how did you record them??????

Jeff
Saunavation Audio

 

[DigitMus]

Without getting into specifics, the guidelines I use for horns are: make sure the room sounds good, don't put the mics too close, use ribbon mics if possible, gently compress the whole range of the instrument - don't peak limit. If you don't have ribbon mics available, try a large diaphragm dynamic (RE20, 421, SM7...). Try 'em about 2 feet away & don't aim straight up the bell. Swap mics, move 'em around, try things until it 'gels' ( and don't forget to take notes so you can repeat set-ups in the future).

Scott

 

[Gringomonkee]

Cheers for the replies guys.

I'm recording an alto sax and trombone through a regualer Peavey PV1 uni-direct mic. What would you recommend as far as ribbon and diaphragm mics go - remember - home budget here !

I was thinking about recording them together as well. Is this advisable, or it better to do them seperate?

Thanks again

 

[darnold]

I play in ska bands, and i play trombone, and own a studio. First of all, i doubt you could get a decent Ribbon mic for a budget, so you will have to stick with what you have. Probably your best bet is using a SM57. a SM57 is basically a standard and will work for just about anything. For trombone, i would keep the mic about 2 or 3 feet away directely infront of the bell. This however might be a bit to harsh or bright for the trombonists tastes (or yours), so to warm it up try bringing it down from the bell, maybe a half a foot to a foot, then pointing the mic towards the bell from there.

Also, i did a quick test a while ago with the ECM8000 on the trombone, with the same mic placement explained above. I was surprised at how good the sound was considering the mic is only $45. However, it tended to be bright and harsh so i dunno how well it would be suited for your tastes. But like i said, the test was quick and not very extensive. If you would like me to test the ECM8000 out a little more for you i could try and do it tomorrow before spending the $45 on it.

Either way, i recommend you get a SM57, it will be well worth your money.

Darnold