M
MASTON
New member
Picking sounds OK, strumming sounds crap (classical guitar) Any solutions?
Using AKG C-1000, ART Pre, Soundblaster, Cakewalk.
cheers
Using AKG C-1000, ART Pre, Soundblaster, Cakewalk.
cheers
Hard2Hear
New member
man...that's pretty vague.
I use a C1000 through a TubeMP or a TubePac all the time, and I like it. Does your guitar sound good strummed when you're just playing it, and not recording? Strummed nylon strings, in general, have a quick attack and little sustain. Unless, that is, you have a very very nice classical guitar and really know how to use it. Have you tried a steel-stringed guitar through your setup and does it sound any better?
Maybe if youre a little more descriptive about what you're getting and what you want....
H2H
I use a C1000 through a TubeMP or a TubePac all the time, and I like it. Does your guitar sound good strummed when you're just playing it, and not recording? Strummed nylon strings, in general, have a quick attack and little sustain. Unless, that is, you have a very very nice classical guitar and really know how to use it. Have you tried a steel-stringed guitar through your setup and does it sound any better?
Maybe if youre a little more descriptive about what you're getting and what you want....
H2H
Prism
New member
I tend to think that you need to try a different mic technique...possibly even a different mic. I *really* find it hard to get any satisfactory sound from a guitar without either double-tracking it or maybe using 2 mics for stereo.
Another thing might be the room you're recording in... try playing and miking yourself in different parts of the room. Sometimes acoustics play a bigger role than we tend to think.. (...than I tend to think, anyway!)
How do you currently have it set up when you are recording? If it's too "boomy," a bass rolloff would be helpful.
Isaiah
Another thing might be the room you're recording in... try playing and miking yourself in different parts of the room. Sometimes acoustics play a bigger role than we tend to think.. (...than I tend to think, anyway!)
How do you currently have it set up when you are recording? If it's too "boomy," a bass rolloff would be helpful.
Isaiah
Fmmahoganyrush
Pleads the 5th...
I'm in the process of upgrading my soundcard. On advise of a lot of people cruising these forums, the general concensus was that the weak link in my recording setup (aside from considering myself self proclaimed OK musician but an inept recording engineer), was my Soundblaster - Live. Although I though that it was a fairly decent soundcard (and it is for certain applications), it is still a consumer product. I've been looking at (and will be purchasing within a couple of days) a Delta 66 sound card made by MIDIMAN / M Audio, They have a few soundcards available ranging in price from their Audiophile soundcard with I believe the same number of Ins/Outs as the soundblaster, to the Delta 44 with four Ins/Outs, the Delta 66 which is identical to the 44 with an additional S/PDIF In/Out., and they keep on going. Most of the comments I've read from people who went from a consumer soundcard to a Pro Audio soundcard stated that when they used the new card for the first time, the sound quality and reproduction was like night and day. Upon playback, it sounded like you were actually playing the track live, not just playing it back. For a sensitive application like reproducing a nylon stringed classical guitar with it's soft gentle tones (even when strumming, the brilliance of the initial strum is short lived with the nylon), you may need a different soundcard to do your playing justice. Check out the "Computers and Soundcards" thread. I've gotten a boat load of good advise over there. Also check out the post "Is this the clinic for me or do I need the MP3 Intensive Care Unit" in the MP3 Forum. Quite a ways down in the thread is where I finally discovered that my soundcard was the likely culprit for my poor recording/playback quality. Tom.
MONTE
New member
It all starts from the source. If you don't have one, get a good condenser.
M
MASTON
New member
Cheers everybody,
I'm getting a reasonable signal now. Pointing the mic at the bridge instead of the soundhole got rid of the muddiness, and strumming with my (especially grown) forefinger nail instead of the soft pad of my thumb really bumped up the definiton big time(I worked that bit out myself)
Hard2hear- Sorry I was vague, it was like 3 in the morning and my language circuits had gone into grunt mode. What do I want? - Hmmmm, well a good clean sound I guess. Love to know more about how you get good results seeing you're using some of the same equipment as me. Any tips for vocals?
Priam- What do you mean double-tracking. Recording it twice with the mic in different places?
Fmmahoganyrush - Yeah, I'll get a good Soundcard one day, but I only just started last week, so the SB'll do for now. My ears are just learning at the moment
cheers
Maston
I'm getting a reasonable signal now. Pointing the mic at the bridge instead of the soundhole got rid of the muddiness, and strumming with my (especially grown) forefinger nail instead of the soft pad of my thumb really bumped up the definiton big time(I worked that bit out myself)
Hard2hear- Sorry I was vague, it was like 3 in the morning and my language circuits had gone into grunt mode. What do I want? - Hmmmm, well a good clean sound I guess. Love to know more about how you get good results seeing you're using some of the same equipment as me. Any tips for vocals?
Priam- What do you mean double-tracking. Recording it twice with the mic in different places?
Fmmahoganyrush - Yeah, I'll get a good Soundcard one day, but I only just started last week, so the SB'll do for now. My ears are just learning at the moment
cheers
Maston
Prism
New member
When I say double tracking, I mean you record the same part twice and pan the first one in one direction and pan the 2nd recording in the other direction... it creates a really nifty stereo effect. It sounds neat on vocals, too. Mic placement can stay the same, but it wouldn't hurt to experiment.
Isaiah
Isaiah
L
LongWaveStudio
New member
try the C1000 at the 12th fret
M
MASTON
New member
Thanks, that's what I've been doing, I mean when I said bridge I meant 12th fret, got my terms all muddled up.
Buffalo Bob
New member
Get a book titled "Home Recording Techniques" by Peter McIan (he's the guy who engineered the first Men At Work album). It's a bit dated, but contains everything you need to know to get clean tracks, micing, mixing, everything. It's the most comprehensive book on the subject I've ever read. Hope this helps!
Hard2Hear
New member
Here is exactly what I have been doing:
Playing a Martin DM recorded usig a C1000 about 14-20" from the soundhole, through a TubeMP, no EQ. The second source I use is a Fishman Acoustic Matrix natural which I put into the guitar a few years ago. The blend of these two gives me full, and cutting acoustic sound. You can hear this in use here: http://www.nowhereradio.com/artists/rockpop/mikegossett/ .
H2H
Playing a Martin DM recorded usig a C1000 about 14-20" from the soundhole, through a TubeMP, no EQ. The second source I use is a Fishman Acoustic Matrix natural which I put into the guitar a few years ago. The blend of these two gives me full, and cutting acoustic sound. You can hear this in use here: http://www.nowhereradio.com/artists/rockpop/mikegossett/ .
H2H
Hard2Hear
New member
My stuff is all steel stringed. Sometimes im an idiot.
I will try to get my nylon string up on there soon with that setup.
H2H
I will try to get my nylon string up on there soon with that setup.
H2H
sjoko2
New member
Hey H2H,
You just metioned a unique problem ............ one called a MARTIN!!
A guitar like your Martin, while a beautiful and wonderful sounding instrument without any question, is notoriously difficult to record.
Whenever I see someone walk into the studio with a Martin, my first question is "got another one?" Followed by - if the answer is no "got enough $$ to go and buy a cheap Yamaha quickly?"
The problem is the huge resonance accross a very broad frequency range of the instrument, it simply sounds very very full and big.
Not an easy problem to solve, especially not without gear costing quite a bit of money.
Solution 1 - mic the martin in a good room from a good distance - requiring both a good acoustic environment as well as a very good microphone. The problem is ... it will sound big, which is OK as long as that is what you want. Cool for solo stuff, not so cool if it is a part of multiple tracks.
Solution 2 - use highly directional microphones aimed at certain places of the instrument, one aimed at the bridge, one aimed on the neck.
Solution 3 - use a good pick-up for direct sound - add a little microphone sound for ambiance.
Solution 4 - buy a different guitar just for recording.
Oh yes - nylon strings will make it more difficult / worse to record
You just metioned a unique problem ............ one called a MARTIN!!
A guitar like your Martin, while a beautiful and wonderful sounding instrument without any question, is notoriously difficult to record.
Whenever I see someone walk into the studio with a Martin, my first question is "got another one?" Followed by - if the answer is no "got enough $$ to go and buy a cheap Yamaha quickly?"
The problem is the huge resonance accross a very broad frequency range of the instrument, it simply sounds very very full and big.
Not an easy problem to solve, especially not without gear costing quite a bit of money.
Solution 1 - mic the martin in a good room from a good distance - requiring both a good acoustic environment as well as a very good microphone. The problem is ... it will sound big, which is OK as long as that is what you want. Cool for solo stuff, not so cool if it is a part of multiple tracks.
Solution 2 - use highly directional microphones aimed at certain places of the instrument, one aimed at the bridge, one aimed on the neck.
Solution 3 - use a good pick-up for direct sound - add a little microphone sound for ambiance.
Solution 4 - buy a different guitar just for recording.
Oh yes - nylon strings will make it more difficult / worse to record
sjoko2
New member
Oh yes - and then of cause I responded to the wrong person with the wrong thing who already used a pick-up etc. DUH!! hit me already!! My name is Dumass, Mr. F. Dumass