Testing my new mics

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Neeps

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I've recently got some new mics so this song was really just recorded to test them out...

The acoustic guitar, mandola and harmonica were recorded with my new pair of Studio Projects C4's using the x-y stereo technique... and the vocal was recorded with my Red5 Audio RV15 which I got last week... I was lazy and should have used the pop filter...

How does it sound?

I was quite pleased with my vocal cos it's sounding sooooOOOooo much smoother through the RV15 than it did through my AKG c3000b :)

The song is the classic Scottish folk number Wild Mountain Thyme... I'm sure many people have sung it better before me and will do so after...

Cheers
Al
 
sounds good to me, I dont no to much about folk.
But I`m into Jethro Tull and the chieftans.
and this sounds very sweet.
maybe some more reverb on the vox, thats just a suggestion though.
the vox are very fine.
and very nice playing and singing.

best of luck. :)
 
that's a beautiful tune. what were you using before you got the C4's?
 
Handsome indeed! Could maybe use a bit of highpass filter to tame the rumble. Not much, though.

Very beautiful tune, and an excellent recording.

Don
 
Hey Al, sounds very good. I like the new mic on your voice... rich and clear. Agree about the pop filter but even without it the pops and sibilance aren't bad.

The gtr and mandola have a pleasing midrange body to the tone and the parts are really well played re intonation, rhythm and feel. I think the harmonica sound isn't as dialed in as the other parts.

To get a better idea of what's shaping the guitar sound I've got a few questions. [picture a single bare bulb over a wooden chair on which sits a nervous suspect of whom the pacing detective demands...] :D
What kind of guitar?
What kind of strings and how new are they?
How do the raw files sound in comparison to how the instruments sounded in the room?
What was the pre?
Where was the XY mic pair in relation to the guitar? Same for the mandola?
What EQ or compression was used going in; what plugs and settings were used after?

Tim
 
Wow!

I listened to one of the old songs for comparison - this is WAY better recording wise. Your voice sounds so much fuller, and the guitars are richer and clearer. Not hat the old stuff was bad mind you......

Nice job!

:D
 
wow.. I really like this song..

A lot of feeling comes thru.. But I'm also very fond of this oldschool folk style, and an incarnated pogues/macgowan fan (even tho theyre not scottish but Irish I know..)

I think that it is a very good recording, very true to the style that you're playing.. Haven't heard any of your previous stuff though.

I'm gonna go check out your site now.. please give me some links if you have something in this style somewhere else on the www..

edit: I have heard some of the other stuff on your site, and I must agree, it was good before, but it has become much better now, the overall sound has improved alot, so much clearer.
A good example on the improvements you can make to your reecordings by upgrading your mic's.. I better start saving now..
 
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Drpfeffer.... don't go rushing out to buy new mics I think a fair bit of the improvement can be put down to changes in the way I recorded this time...

I'll explain...

TravisinFlorida: Before I recorded with my AKG c3000b... that was all I had...

This song was recorded using the C4's setup in an x-y configuration... I reasoned that the problem with earlier recording was that I was micing too close ... I was getting too much boom from my acoustic...

But i didn't want to mic too far away cos my room is a big square box...

so I set up in the middle of the room as far away from the walls as possible...

and for each instrument I recorded at a distance that was approximately equal to the length of the instrument... far enough out to pick up the whole instrument but close enough in to minimise the room sound...

So the mandola was recorded closer in than the acoustic... maybe 2 feet.. the acoustic could have been 3 to 4 feet

Tim:

What kind of guitar?

It was Gav's Yamaha folk fingerstyle type dreadnought

What kind of strings and how new are they?

The strings stay on until they break then they get replaced... those ones must have been on the Yamaha for at least 5 months... lol... I once read you were meant to replace them every 2 weeks! I think they might have been daddario strings probably 12's...

How do the raw files sound in comparison to how the instruments sounded in the room?

Pretty close... the mics were far enough out to capture the whole instrument

What was the pre?

A M-Audio DMP3

Where was the XY mic pair in relation to the guitar? Same for the mandola?

See above...

The harmonica was the exception... it was recorded at about a distance of 4 foot... and it's only a few inches long... again it ws x-y config... C4's

What EQ or compression was used going in; what plugs and settings were used after?

EQ... that's the boring part... I just hit wanna hit record and get results...

There's no EQ on the guitar or mandola or harmonica... there is a setting within the Waves audio track plugin called voiceover and that was applied to the vocal (which was recorded with the Red5 Audio RV15)... I think it is a combination of EQ and compression...

The cello is part of the East West orchestra thingy...

The whole thing took 30 minutes to record... and I'm annoyed that it had to be the cover tune that is getting the good sound! :mad:

Guess there has been a lesson learned though...

Cheers
Al
 
The strings stay on until they break then they get replaced... those ones must have been on the Yamaha for at least 5 months... lol... I once read you were meant to replace them every 2 weeks!
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heh-heh, that's what I guessed! :D If new strings are put on a few days before a session it makes a huge difference in clarity and liveness. It especially adds clarity to the wound strings, which get kind of thumpy and muted sounding when old. And a few days time gives them a bit to settle in, tuning-wise.

There's no EQ
Click to expand...
Smart approach for best sound IMO - get the sound you want in the room and don't pull it out of shape with plugs!

Tim
 
So are you saying you can hear the duff strings on this recording?

i actually hate the way new strings sound... they are much too bright... I prefer them about 1 week old...
 
So are you saying you can hear the duff strings on this recording?
Click to expand...
They sound like old strings to me - a little thumpy.

i actually hate the way new strings sound... they are much too bright... I prefer them about 1 week old...
Click to expand...
I know what you mean. With my guitars, depending on the particular guitar and strings, the optimal sound quality seems to be between 4 days and 2 weeks after the string change. They settle in tuning-wise, and lose that edgy zing to the sound but still sound lively. Dead strings tend to lose a lot of the sympathetic resonances between strings that make up so much of the guitar's character, IMO.

Tim
 
Timothy Lawler said:
They sound like old strings to me - a little thumpy.

I know what you mean. With my guitars, depending on the particular guitar and strings, the optimal sound quality seems to be between 4 days and 2 weeks after the string change. They settle in tuning-wise, and lose that edgy zing to the sound but still sound lively. Dead strings tend to lose a lot of the sympathetic resonances between strings that make up so much of the guitar's character, IMO.

Tim
Click to expand...

This is so true I put new strings on my martin, and didnt like the sound till a couple days later.BTW man I checked that Folk Tune, and Love it! haha Im an 19 yr old american boy, but Love all the folk thats coming from the UK and Ireland.I think the guitar sounds kinda low in the intro.Ihave used the XY technique for guitars before in the past but didnt realy like how it sounded, but it fits perfect for your style of music,:)I think maybe a bit more reverb might sound kool to give a sense of bigger space, just a thought, I liked it:)
 
Handsome Al said:
So are you saying you can hear the duff strings on this recording?

i actually hate the way new strings sound... they are much too bright... I prefer them about 1 week old...
Click to expand...

i completely agree, 1 week old is just the way i like em for acoustic guitar. for electric, a few days old seems to be best for me.
 
New stings every two or three weeks!... :mad:

Wishing I didn't have 7 guitars....

Thats gonna be more money into the bottomless pit!
 
I agree, LOL.

Hell, you might find out that you prefer the sound of old strings after a couple sessions with new ones, who knows? I bet you won't though. :D

There are several online string sellers that have very low prices and great service.

Tim
 
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