Recording Critique / Help Please

RedJoker · #1 12-20-2014, 08:33 AM

I was wondering if anyone could share some suggestions. I've been playing around with mic positions and a couple of "mixing" techniques. I think the recordings are getting better but they aren't there yet and I wonder if anyone has any other ideas that they might suggest. I have cheap equipment but I've heard far better recordings here with cheap equipment.

For this song, I had a Behringer C2 SDC pointed at the 12th fret about 8 inches away and angled more towards the sound hole to get a little more of the bass. The vocals were done with a Samson C1 which is shaped like a large diameter condenser but I think has more of a medium sized capsule.

Once I recorded, I took the guitar track and duplicated it. I pushed one all the way to the left, added a 30ms delay to the second and pushed it to the right. I then added a bit of reverb to the vocal.

I left the EQ flat on all of it as I don't really know what I want.

One issue I have is that I don't have monitors, just computer speakers and some cheap sennheiser headphones.

Anyway, any suggestions of things I might try would be greatly appreciated!

KevWind · #2 12-20-2014, 09:29 AM

Just gave a quick listen on my laptop and ear buds I am headed out this morning but will listen in my studio this afternoon.
One problem with headphones/earbuds is it hard to get a handle on exact panning.

Over all I think it is a very good start. It seems to have good balance (voc to git) and very decent track levels. Also (and this just personal aesthetic) I don't hear reverb on the vocal so if that is what you were after, then that was successful, particularly if you can hear it not being there, when bypassed.

Couple quick questions
What is the DAW you are using ? ( to get an Idea about what exact tools you might have available to work with)

Is the level showing the "raw unprocessed" track level, or have you run it through some kind of limiting or normalizing?

RedJoker · #3 12-20-2014, 09:33 AM

This is the raw levels. Normally, I "normalize" the levels but didn't have to here. In keeping with the low budget, I'm using Audacity on pc. My interface is a scarlet 2i2.

I really appreciate your help. Thank you!

vts · #4 12-20-2014, 09:44 AM

Sounds nice overall. One thing I can point out is that if you want to do double-track, you need to record the guitar part twice, not duplicate it.

RedJoker · #5 12-20-2014, 10:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vts

Sounds nice overall. One thing I can point out is that if you want to do double-track, you need to record the guitar part twice, not duplicate it.

What I'd REALLY like to do is record the guitar in stereo and my singing in mono, all at once. Alas, my 2i2 won't allow it.

I've never done double-tracking, I'll give it a try. I had heard about the duplicate and offset method as a way to provide an artificial stereo effect from a mono track.

hehehe... I just read your signature. I hate that I'm part of someones hell but as a musical amateur, here I am and I'm trying to get better!

vts · #6 12-20-2014, 10:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RedJoker

What I'd REALLY like to do is record the guitar in stereo and my singing in mono, all at once. Alas, my 2i2 won't allow it.

I've never done double-tracking, I'll give it a try. I had heard about the duplicate and offset method as a way to provide an artificial stereo effect from a mono track.

Duplicating may work, but usually it sounds like a single-track with bad phasing issues...

Quote:

Originally Posted by RedJoker

hehehe... I just read your signature. I hate that I'm part of someones hell but as a musical amateur, here I am and I'm trying to get better!

Don't worry, this quote applies to me as much as to you.

Doug Young · #7 12-20-2014, 11:13 AM

This isn't quite my style, so I could be way off, but I'd mix the vocal lower, or the guitar louder. I also think the guitar could have more body - more bass and warmth, even tho it's a rhythm track. It might sound fine as-is if you added bass and drums, but right now, it's the entire musical bed, and I think you need a bigger, warmer sound to support your voice. But, that's if your trying to get a professional polish going. As a home recording/demo for getting a gig, or just sharing a song, it's a clean recording and seems like you're off to a good start.

If you want to get a bigger guitar sound, mess with mic placement and EQ for starters. There are other things you can do in the software, but I'd start by trying to use mic placement, which can make huge differences. We have run into challenges with people trying to use the Behringer mics in the past. Not suggesting something pricier, but a different choice might be worth trying - try recording just a guitar track with the Samson, for example, and see if that sounds better (might, might not)

RedJoker · #8 12-20-2014, 03:32 PM

Thanks for the suggestions, Doug. That's exactly the feedback I was looking for.

MikeBmusic · #9 12-22-2014, 10:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RedJoker

What I'd REALLY like to do is record the guitar in stereo and my singing in mono, all at once. Alas, my 2i2 won't allow it.

Record your guitar with the 2 mics, then do your vocals after. If you find it hard to play wihtout singing (tempo, etc), first record your scratch tracks (guitar + vocal) as a guideline, then track the guitar again wiht 2 mics, then the vocals after.