Studio Projects B1 Vocal EQ Tweaking?

[Robertt8]

Studio Projects B1 Vocal EQ Tweaking?

Hey there...I've been doing a bunch of recording with the Studio Project B1 lately, and it appears that it's lacking some bass to the recordings (mostly captures mids to highs). Has anyone else notice this? If so, is there any standard EQ tweaking you've found that will balance that out?

Oh, and an example (if you care) can be heard at... http://bob.birdsallinteractive.com/ and the tune's called "TALKIN SMACK". Both guitars, vocals and shaker are all recorded with the B1.

Thanks!

 

[BobOC]

Hi Robert....

Listening to "Talkin' Smack" now. Terrific! Really like the acoustic sound.

Doesn't really sound as if it's lacking in bass, although I have a B1 and I know what you mean. I usually just tweak the EQ a little bit...subtract a litttle high, add a little low.

I'm really happy with my B1 and, judging by your song, you should be, too!

 

[chessrock]

I've been doing a bunch of recording with the Studio Project B1 lately, and it appears that it's lacking some bass to the recordings (mostly captures mids to highs). Has anyone else notice this? If so, is there any standard EQ tweaking you've found that will balance that out?

This is just a wild, crazy stab in the dark, but you might want to try boosting the bass.

 

[pundit]

Studio Projects B1 Vocal EQ Tweaking?

Hey there...I've been doing a bunch of recording with the Studio Project B1 lately, and it appears that it's lacking some bass to the recordings (mostly captures mids to highs)...
http://bob.birdsallinteractive.com/ and the tune's called "TALKIN SMACK". Both guitars, vocals and shaker are all recorded with the B1.

Thanks!

If you are recording in cardioid mode the proximity effect (bass lift) will reduce as you increase the distance from the source.
This will drop off quite rapidly at twelve inches or so inches from the mic until the bass response is actually below a that of a flat response.

Alternately an omni mic up close will not give you the same bass lift as in cardioid mode, but omni mode will provide better bass response for distance micing at the expense of more room sound.

If you are using cardioid mode for distance micing then you will require some additional bass boost to restore your low end.

Cheers

PS... Classical recordings are generally done with omnis as the main mics as they don't suffer bass rolloff at a distance and of course capture the ambience of great sounding concert halls.

 

[ozraves]

I tried out the B series mics this weekend. The B1 is an incredibly impressive mic. I love it on acoustic guitar.

Steve, Mojo Pie
www.piemusic.com

 

[pundit]

Doh!! The B1 is cardioid ONLY... it's the B3 that's the multipattern!

 

[Rossi]

I have a SP B1 and I don't think at all it lacks in the bass department. On the other hand, I don't like it on acoustic guitar. I mean it's okay, but my Superlux Tube LD sounds way better. But mostly I don't use an LD but old Radio Shack PZMs. Those small capsules have incredible transient response, which is great on strummed acoustic guitar, they will always cut through the mix, even at very low volumes. Anyway, I think the B1 has excellent bass response, at least the one I own.

 

[Dan DA]

Robert,

I can't get your tune out of my head - very catchy. And well performed.

On my system, it doesn't seem to be lacking bass. But it does seem to be lacking space around the different elements. It sounds like everything is right up against the surface, with no depth.

 

[Pier Calacino]

Hi Robertt8,

Great tune!

What effects did you use for your vocals and how did you do it ?
Sounds like some chorus and delay?

Am I even close ?

Thanks
Pier

 

[MrGrooves666]

Yeah, pretty cool tune....reminds me of another acoustic artist who's name I suddenly forgot...(great...)
Would you mind If I keep the song for listening?
Keep up the good work

 

[Robertt8]

Oh, I re-posted the song with some of the previous feedback at... http://bob.birdsallinteractive.com/ it's the 2nd "Talkin' Smack" song. Let me know if that sounds any better or worse than the first. I think I might have gone overboard with the EQing... Also, does my voice sound a little to loud and maybe too harsh?

BobOC: Thanks for the kind words. It just seems that next to professional tunes mine sounds really fat in the mids and highs but practically nothing in the lows. maybe my ears are shot.

Chessrock: obvious, but helpful

Pundit: thanks for the help. I see you discovered I don't have the option to switch the pattern.

Ozraves: Ya, I dig the B1 on just about everything, but I'm just getting mixes that feel too much mids and highs when I've been recording with it.

Rossi: Thanks...

Dan DA: Thanks for the positive feedback! Just out of curiosity, what would you do to separate the elements of the song more? Hopefully my new mix helps...but then again, I might have killed it. I can't tell anymore...

Pier Calacino: Thanks again for the complement! I actually didn't use any effect on the voice. It's actually 2 voices with one much softer and panned a bit to one side.

MrGrooves666: If you think of it, you'll have to tell me who it is you think I sound like. I always feel like I don't sound enough like anyone who's popular now. Maybe I'm nuts but I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not.

Thanks everyone!

 

[Dan DA]

Robert,

Check out this thread on the Mixing forum. It may help you get some seperation.

https://homerecording.com/bbs/showthread.php?threadid=19596

 

[Flatpicker]

I tried out the B series mics this weekend. The B1 is an incredibly impressive mic. I love it on acoustic guitar.

Steve, Mojo Pie
www.piemusic.com

If you ever end up in a decent sounding room with a B3, try it on the acoustic guitar in omni mode. Mama Mia!

 

[Dan DA]

Robert,
I think your new mix shows more separation than the first, but still some clashing of frequencies between the different elements.

 

[dzee4]

The song sounds great!

How many B1's did you use? Was it recorded in stereo? I listened to it on my laptop so I couldn't really tell. I need a large condenser, and you might have sold me. I just don't know if I should get 2 or just start with one and maybe get a different large condenser for the second one.

Thanks

 

[Christine K]

Robert. Please excuse any of the comments below that might sound like I'm a real novice in the recording end of this game. Because I am! I've just started out myself, but I'd like to chime in with some opinions if that's OK? Maybe the perspective from a less-than-professional observation would help you? I am strictlly an acoustic guitar player, mostly fingerstyle, crossing over from bluegrass banjo.

1. Don't sell youself short. This is a dynamite song. You need to get this into a studio and have someone take a look at this. I've heard stuff on the radio that comes nowhere near to the originality of both the lyrics and the drive of this tune. Congratulations on a fine composition!

2. I wrote out the lyrics to read along as I listened (don't laugh, I've played this song perhaps 40 times so far!). There were a couple of lyrical phrases I would have done differently, but it only amounted to a word or two here and there. But I don't feel it's my place to tell you that! You surely have your reasons behind the lyrical message, perhaps I see different reasons, that's all.

3. I listened several times to both versions, back to back. I liked the first one better. I think the separation of the guitars is better. Did you do something different there? The second version sounds like the guitars are directly behind your voice, and I think it clashes a bit. And I find myself hearing and concentrating more on the guitar and less on your voice that way. The first version with the guitars left and right and the vocal in the middle sounds better. Your voice dominates more and seems a more pleasing mix. And during a vocal break, the guitar doesn't seem to leap out at me so much.

4. Your voice sounds harsher in the 2nd version. Not so much too loud, but definitely harsher. I like the way it sounds much better in #1. I like the effect of the way you added your voice a second time, though it seems more noticeable in some places than others.

5. Did you boost bass frequencies in #2? It sounds like it, and almost sounds to be a bit too over-driven. Regarding your original concern that you needed more on the low end in #1, I would respectfully disagree. I think there is no lack of sufficient bass in the original version. Especially in places where you hit a bass note and it rings for several seconds. Sounds just a bit too boomy to me. On phrases like "Concluded that the times ahead were gone instead" for example, that's where I hear the harsher bass that I didn't notice in the first version.

I wish there was more I could add to help. Please take all this with a grain of salt, and pleae excuse me if maybe I sound like I don't know what I'm talking about. That's very possible! All I can do is listen with my ears and make a novice's judgment. BTW, I am also doing all my own recording with the B-1 as well, and I like the way things are coming out. No vocals yet, but my guitar sounds good through this mic. I have to watch mic placement carefully, since it does really seem to accentuate the bass a lot if I mic too close to the lower bout of the guitar. Half way up the neck is better for me on my Martin. Then I don't lose the highs. My other guitar is not so fussy (Lowden). I was wondering what guitars you were using?

In any case, I still feel you have written a dynamite song, with potential for serious air play. Don't sit on this one! Do you mind if I keep the download for my personal use, for listening on the computer. I will respect your wishes and delete it if you would rather I do so. BTW, I listened to all your other stuff as well, very nice. But this song is heads above everything else. I hope you can find a way to get it to a market. It deserves to be heard.

Regards....Christine Kaye

 

[Dan DA]

I agree with Christine on the marketability of the song. If I were still producing, I'd snap it up before someone else does.

 

[Robertt8]

Thanks Everyone!

Thanks to all that have replied!!! I actually redid the song last night and changed the arrangement a bit. Nothing drastic, but I think it sounds better. I'm not peaking on the voice, so it's clear even when I'm getting loud. I'll try and post that puppy tomorrow if I get the time.

Now for some replies...

Dan DA:
First & Second Post: Thanks a lot for the link to that that mixing thread! It passed the time on the old treadmill last night. It also had some great ideas. There are a couple problems with me mixing. 1...I have no idea what I'm doing. 2...I'm broke as hell right now and have no monitors (mixing in a questionable pair of headphones)...I'm sure there are many other reasons why I suck at mixing, but I can't think of them now. But Some of that may help. I never know when I've added the right amount of EQ when I've got no way to monitor it properly. I've recently found that the less I do to the mix the better is sounds (less EQing or effects). I'm constantly striving for that elusive professional sound and I end up butchering my less than professional takes as a result.

Third Post: Thanks for the remarkable complement! What would I do if I wanted to somehow market this tune...or others for that matter? I especially curious what could be done with practically no money to spend.

Flatpicker: I've never tried the B3. It would be fun try the B3 other pattern. I'm actually pretty new to condenser mics, but I like what I hear.

dzee4: Thanks for the thumbs up! I only used one B1, and have two different guitar parts recorded separately (granted, they're not that different)...one in each speaker. As for getting 2 or one B1...I guess it depends on how you need to use them. I only have one. If you were doing something with stereo simultaneous recording, I'd maybe get two, but then again it might be more interesting to get a different decent condenser to try for contrast. I've got a MXL990, that I've tried some stereo recording with the B1, and they sound pretty good together...especially if you're just doing a vocal and a stereo guitar with nothing else.

Christine K:
1. Again, thanks for the praise and the feedback! I like the song too, I just get sick of hearing it over and over during mixing. Also, it's always kind of annoying that I can't seem to come close to that "professional sound".
2. Thanks for the digging the lyrics as well. They basically write themselves when I sit down, or it ends up with some little twist at the end as I write...This one, I didn't really kill myself over with the lyrics. I don't think they're the best I've done, but they're certainly not the worst. I'd love for you to keep the song! It's great to hear you like it!
3. With the second mix, I basically just jacked up the bass, and screwed with the EQ on the guitars, added some drums and turned down the background vocal. Thanks for the feedback!
4. It's the same voice as the first, it's just more or less by itself, so i think it comes off a bit more "ragged"
5. I redid the song last night and actually changed the arrangement a bit. I'll try and post tomorrow if I get the time tonight.
6. I'm actually recording with the Big Baby Taylor, which is probably why I constantly think it's not getting enough bass, but it keeps it from getting too boomy...that's for sure.
7. Thanks so much for the help and complements!!!

Thanks everyone!

 

[Dan DA]

Robert,
Concerning marketing your music. First rule is get it in front of as many people as possible. People need to know you exist and what you do. Second, network with other musicians, songwriters, producers, etc. Hang out in studios or music stores, let people know what you do. Third, don't be afraid to contact people through record companies or agencies. They are always on the lookout for something new and fresh.
Above all, don't get discouraged. Eventually someone will recognize your talent.

 

[Dan DA]

Here's another article on mixing that might be of help.

http://www.johnvestman.com/secrets_of_mixing.htm