#1
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Need some tips for recording solo guitar.
Hello everybody, I have been playing around with some home recording for fun. I don't need anything pro quality of course but I would like to make my recordings as good as I can for the equipment and room that I have. So, if you guys could listen to my video and then give me some tips if you see some ways I could easily improve it.
https://youtu.be/YgP-6i5xqnU Here is exactly what I have and have done. Zoom Q8n video/audio recorder. Rode NT4 stereo condenser mic. Audio edited with audacity. I placed my mic 1' in front of the 14fret, the first input is panned left, the second input panned right, and the zoom built in mic is locked in L&R. So three mic channels in all. I edited each channel separately in audacity by touching the bass/treble control just a little, ran the high and low pass filters just knocking back the extreme frequencies, added a touch of reverb and the ran the compresser at default setting something like threshold -12, ratio 2:1, added an extra .2 of gain under amplify just to have it almost clipping. Then mixed the video and audio tracks in NCH videopad editor. So, my main questions are how can I improve the overall quality. It sounds just a little distant and unfocused. I have experimented with mic placement. Is this probably just the best my living room can be. (it is the most sound dead room in the house). Is there an easy to use editing program that is a lot better than audacity. Would using a full band equalizer or adding more compression improve it. Lastly, how is it so quiet? After using compression and adjusting the gain when mastering to a minimal clipping level it is still quiet. Any info and tips would be appreciated. |
#2
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I prefer to record acoustic guitar in a small to medium room with a wood floor and ceiling, and with a combination of absorption and diffusion. When you record an acoustic guitar the room has to be a good one or you're pretty much wasting your time.
It sounds like you're getting a lot of room ambience in your recording. If you want to make better sounding recordings you'll want to find a better place to record. Try making test recordings in every room of the house. You'll probably find a better sounding location. |
#3
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Sounds fine to me, I'm not hearing the room issue you mention. And not too quiet at all. Don't try to compare your stuff to commercial recordings, they'll generally have their levels cranked and you don't need to do that.
Audacity works fine but doesn't allow real-time adjustment of effects, or at least it didn't last time I checked. Especially if you're concerned about room effects, more mics are probably not better than fewer. Fran
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#4
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Thanks! I clicked on your youtube links under your status and your recordings sound good! It is also louder than mine. What if I turned the gain up when mastering to where is says its to high on the meters, like hitting the 0 and turning red a lot of the time? What would be the negative result of that. I can't hear any distortion coming through on my monitors. What does digital clipping sound like?
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#5
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I have done some experimenting with very little noticeable change. can you elaborate more on the absorbtion/diffusion? What about a room with hard floor and a foam mattress pad against the walls front and back and sitting in between them? I have to keep it cheap and kind of a knock down setup. Don't have a extra room to really keep anything permanant setup.
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#6
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If a distant unfocused sound due to bad recording locations is the problem what about blending with a better pickup? I tried blending with the Taylor ES2 and it doesn't sound very good in recording. There is more focus...but the pickup also sounds a lot like a dry undersaddle pickup. And it will be hard to remove to add a complete new system because of the transducer mounted on the bridge plate. But I have thought about adding a miniflex mic pickup to the guitar with a seperate end jack. I could then blend the pickups with an external mic. What do yall think? I just don't want to add the mini flex and it not be good for recording because I do very little live playing using pickup and amp.
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#7
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Sound absorbing blankets like these or these or even some regular moving blankets can be used to good effect as a temporary sound treatment for a room. Duvets work also. Foam mattresses may be less effective. Maybe you could start with a couple of inexpensive sound blankets and see where it leads. Experiment with them and trust your ears to tell you what's working. Last edited by Al Acuff; 10-08-2017 at 01:56 PM. |
#8
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The way this is usually addressed is with compression and limiting. A very transparent brick wall limiter is commonly used to raise average levels in highly dynamic material. Digital clipping of very brief peaks may be inaudible, or it might give a sense of harshness or edginess to the track. The number one rule is "if it sounds good it is good" so if the clipping doesn't make itself evident to you I'd say you're good to go. You might try cranking things until you _do_ hear distortion, then backing down until you don't, as a way of determining the threshold of annoyance. Fran
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E ho`okani pila kakou ma Kaleponi Slack Key in California - www.kaleponi.com My YouTube clips The Homebrewed Music Blog |
#9
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Fairly clean sound but a bit phasey and thus distant sounding.
Suggestion is to use two separate microphones in spaced pair configuration. Also, as suggested earlier, some degree of use of room reflection sound absorbing panels is helpful.
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Derek Coombs Youtube -> Website -> Music -> Tabs Guitars by Mark Blanchard, Albert&Mueller, Paul Woolson, Collings, Composite Acoustics, and Derek Coombs "Reality is that which when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away." Woods hands pick by eye and ear
Made to one with pride and love To be that we hold so dear A voice from heavens above |
#10
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Check out this short article from the Neumann folks called WHAT ARE THE ACOUSTIC REQUIREMENTS FOR RECORDING AND MIXING?
They explain it better than I do. I hope it helps. Last edited by Al Acuff; 10-09-2017 at 08:46 AM. |
#11
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I suspect the Zoom's built-in mic causing some of the problems - try eliminating it from the mix, and panning the (current) left and right mics in about 25%.
But, if that mic is truly pointing LEFT and RIGHT from it's position, rather than AT the guitar could be a problem, in which case using two separate mics is the answer.
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Mike My music: https://mikebirchmusic.bandcamp.com 2020 Taylor 324ceBE 2017 Taylor 114ce-N 2012 Taylor 310ce 2011 Fender CD140SCE Ibanez 12 string a/e 73(?) Epiphone 6830E 6 string 72 Fender Telecaster Epiphone Dot Studio Epiphone LP Jr Chinese Strat clone Kala baritone ukulele Seagull 'Merlin' Washburn Mandolin Luna 'tatoo' a/e ukulele antique banjolin Squire J bass |
#12
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No help with your questions, just wanted to say that was a great cover of Tobias!!
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#13
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hmm, that is good thinking. thanks!
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#14
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Have you tried using that mic a little further away? I also use a Rode mic but with the Sony MV1. For me, using the stereo mic was always better sounding about arms length away from the guitar and not 1' like most non-stereo mic's. Might want to give it a quick try and see what the raw tone is like. Up close, I got too much boominess but it really cleaned up with a little distance.
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#15
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Thanks, I'll give it a try
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