Thee Worst Signal Chain For Violin

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Mark7

Mark7

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From Mic to Medium, what' the worst you can think of, or have experienced?
 
Ummmm.... One of those digital recorders shaped like a large pen that you bring to record buisness meetings writing to a 96 kbps mp3 with a 11,000 khz sample rate? That's a pretty awful chain...
 
Are you a "the glass is half empty " kind of guy, or what?
 
No, I work as a part time volunteer member of the Secret Police.
 
Whatever David K is using.






























Just kidding Dave. luvya babe. :D
 
Let me put it another way. Which signal chain will produce the most teeth gratingly annoying sound?
 
Rode NT1 > Mackie board > BBE Sonic Maximizer > Soundblaster Card
 
Oh, I get it, you're trying to sabotage somebody, is that it?

Why do you want the worst sound possible?:confused:
 
I'm trying to sabotage somebody.




Or I'm trying to find out what to avoid.



Your call Sparky. ;)
 
chessrock said:
Rode NT1 > Mackie board > BBE Sonic Maximizer > Soundblaster Card
Click to expand...

Good start! I would go NT1 on bridge and ecm8000 on neck, each as close as you can get without blocking the fiddler.

Clip the ecm on the way in. That'll be your dirty grit. Keep the Nt1 clean. That'll be your clean grit.

Highpass both at 500Hz.

Boost 3, 5, and 7k 3-5db at narrow bandwidths on the NT1 track with a software eq (very important). Pan hard left.

Boost 15k 8-10 db at a wide bandwidth on the ecm track. Pan hard right.

Transfer to preferred software editor. Clip 2-bus 3-6db. Bounce to track. Run through L2 to 6-8 db gain reduction. Bounce again.

Export to mp3 at 96 kb/s. Import back into editor.
Export to mp3 at 64 kb/s. Turn off all equipment. Pray.

MP
 
Last edited:
Alright, I thought of one more . . .

Am I the only one having fun with this thread? Oh well.

. . . take the final result of that and re-amp it through a pair of NS-10s nearfields.
 
Here's the simple and sour method: record it through an AKG C1000 and a Behringer mixer with the gain really cranked until you get that near hair-on-the-back-of-the-neck-raising squelchy-hisssy thing going on. Then turn the Behringer "suck" knob (high EQ) all the way clockwise, thus applying greedy amounts of 12kHz+ boost.

Oh, and don't forget to have the violinist play in the highest key possible, with a very aggressive bow attach. Fuck it, use a kapo if you must--just get it high, and don't accept "no" for an answer.

Now...this is important...have a dog in the room while tracking if possible. If he goes fuckin' nuts--bouncing off the walls trying to crawl out of his skin--you have achieved your goal.
 
chessrock said:

. . . take the final result of that and re-amp it through a pair of NS-10s nearfields.
Click to expand...

. . . which you then track with another NT1 and the C1000 into tdukex's Behringer mixer. . .
 
The signal chain always starts with the player. Get a youngster that is just capable of fingering the notes in the right tempo. Make sure his intonation is not where it should be... That alone, in combination with his cheap violin will give you a good start.
 
As Roel says, always look at the signal chain from the beginning.
Start with an obnoxious tone deaf kid with a cheap student violin and a warped bow, slightly slacked. Then put a Radio Shack 4033 close on the body, so all you will pick up is bow scratch. Do this, if possible, in the stairwell of a parking garage for added ambience. Mic the back of the violin with another RS mic, and don't reverse the phase.
Now jack those puppies into your Bellari, and remember to crank the tube drive if you have it. Old used HOSA's are the only cables to use, except wherever you can, cheap speaker cables will give you the best RFI and noise. Jack your output into a Soundblaster and convert to an MP3 at the lowest possible resolution, and you're good to go.-Richie
PS- 2 or three hours of that through a cheap boom box, and I bet Baghdad Bob tells us where Sadaam is...
 
did anyone mention inserting an aural exciter into the chain?
 
littledog said:
did anyone mention inserting an aural exciter into the chain?
Click to expand...

I think chessrock mentioned the Sonic Minimizer, which will have pretty much the same ear-grating results as an Anal Excreter. Different flavors of the same steaming pile...
 
What would be the best amp and headphones for replaying these dulcet tones?






:D
 
For your listening pleasure, who needs amp? You've already got a Soundblaster. You can pick up the headphones for $3 on your next airline flight.-Richie
 
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