The Acoustic Guitar Forum

Go Back   The Acoustic Guitar Forum > General Acoustic Guitar and Amplification Discussion > RECORD

Reply
 
Thread Tools
  #1  
Old 07-15-2017, 10:31 AM
TBman's Avatar
TBman TBman is online now
Charter Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: New Jersey
Posts: 35,829
Default back to square 1, (keep it simple)

Well, I tried XY away from the sound hole and didn't notice as much of a difference as I should. I even put a pillow behind the mics and turned the mics away from the guitar. Same thing just about.

I was reading on the internet at a few places regarding acoustic guitar recording. One of them mentioned that if you are in a 8 foot room, it will be very tough to get a good recording. That's where I am.

So... I thought about my initial diagnosis about the mics I'm using, the AKG Perception 150 and Rodes NT5. Great mics, but I bet for someone else's room. I went back to the original mics I had ($100 for both), the MXL 990/991 pair. I put the large diaphram in front of the sound hole about a foot or more back (might move it later to the right) and the pen condenser to the right pointing at the lower bout about 14-18" back. The first thing I noticed after a recording is the room noise is practically gone. The better mics are just too sensitive. I just want a decent, full sound of the guitar, not cd quality, but not with a lot of "air", just guitar. And I also want something that doesn't pick up every fret and string noise - solution was to move the mics away from the fret board, put nothing north of the sound hole. Granted, the mic doesn't have a brain as I learned from my reading () so they don't know how to focus on just the music and ignore the other junk, but these two mics were overkill for what I want.

I may treat myself to a Zoom H5 and try recording in other rooms. If I get the same sensitivity issue, I'll just return it.

Here is my latest creation, Clip #3, compared to Clip 2. #3 has amplification, no compression, and lower bass through equalization.

Clip 3:


Clip 2:
__________________
Barry

Sad Moments {Marianne Vedral cover}:


My SoundCloud page

Some steel strings, some nylon.
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 07-15-2017, 10:39 AM
jim1960 jim1960 is offline
Charter Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2015
Posts: 5,961
Default

I'm not sure what you mean by having "amplification."

3 sounds much better than 2 but it could use some panning adjustment as the left channel is louder than the right.
__________________
Jim
2023 Iris ND-200 maple/adi
2017 Circle Strings 00 bastogne walnut/sinker redwood
2015 Circle Strings Parlor shedua/western red cedar
2009 Bamburg JSB Signature Baritone macassar ebony/carpathian spruce
2004 Taylor XXX-RS indian rosewood/sitka spruce
1988 Martin D-16 mahogany/sitka spruce

along with some electrics, zouks, dulcimers, and banjos.

YouTube
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 07-15-2017, 10:39 AM
rick-slo's Avatar
rick-slo rick-slo is offline
Charter Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: San Luis Obispo, CA
Posts: 17,172
Default

Room treatment by hanging 4" thick X 24" X 48" acoustic panels, possibly corner floor standing bass traps also.
__________________
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
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 07-15-2017, 11:09 AM
sdelsolray sdelsolray is offline
Charter Member
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Portland, OR
Posts: 6,951
Default

Yes, room treatment.
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 07-15-2017, 11:44 AM
TBman's Avatar
TBman TBman is online now
Charter Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: New Jersey
Posts: 35,829
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by jim1960 View Post
I'm not sure what you mean by having "amplification."

3 sounds much better than 2 but it could use some panning adjustment as the left channel is louder than the right.
Thanks, easy fix.


Quote:
Originally Posted by rick-slo View Post
Room treatment by hanging 4" thick X 24" X 48" acoustic panels, possibly corner floor standing bass traps also.


Quote:
Originally Posted by sdelsolray View Post
Yes, room treatment.
Probably not going happen soon , but maybe. Thanks for the feedback.
__________________
Barry

Sad Moments {Marianne Vedral cover}:


My SoundCloud page

Some steel strings, some nylon.
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 07-15-2017, 12:04 PM
Fairlight Fairlight is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Nov 2015
Posts: 225
Default

...or just some blankets up on mic stands. Doesn't need to be fancy. I have a thick quilt I hang up occasionally as a baffle. Something to tame the reflections a bit. Otherwise I actually like the room ambience. Gives it some character. Completely killing all room noise will sterilize the sound more than you should.

A little high end EQ and light compression (to smooth out the thumps) would really make the sound pop more as well. You could add some longer reverb to help the trails.
__________________
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 07-15-2017, 12:09 PM
TBman's Avatar
TBman TBman is online now
Charter Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: New Jersey
Posts: 35,829
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Fairlight View Post
...or just some blankets up on mic stands. Doesn't need to be fancy. I have a thick quilt I hang up occasionally as a baffle. Something to tame the reflections a bit. Otherwise I actually like the room ambience. Gives it some character. Completely killing all room noise will sterilize the sound more than you should.

A little high end EQ and light compression (to smooth out the thumps) would really make the sound pop more as well. You could add some longer reverb to help the trails.
Thanks! I had the "tube" feature on my preamp turned up too, I can turn that down a bit.
__________________
Barry

Sad Moments {Marianne Vedral cover}:


My SoundCloud page

Some steel strings, some nylon.
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 07-15-2017, 12:26 PM
Doug Young's Avatar
Doug Young Doug Young is offline
Charter Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Mountain View, CA
Posts: 9,879
Default

As I've probably said before, using the Zoom really simplifies things. You can stop worrying about mics, and studying polar and frequency plots, thinking about how sensitive the mics are or arent', wondering if your preamp is ok, or you need new converters, etc, etc, and just focus on the basics, like the performance and the sound in the room. Room acoustics definitely affect the performance, but with a portable recorder, it's easier to try different rooms. You might need room treatment - it never hurts - but you can often just find a place that sounds good, whether it's a different room in your house, or a friend's, a school, church, work, etc.

I don't want to highjack your thread, but I just did a little experiment inspired by your recent posts, and the comment about the 8 foot room. I'll post separately. (See http://www.acousticguitarforum.com/f....php?p=5408743)

Last edited by Doug Young; 07-15-2017 at 12:51 PM.
Reply With Quote
Reply

  The Acoustic Guitar Forum > General Acoustic Guitar and Amplification Discussion > RECORD

Thread Tools





All times are GMT -6. The time now is 07:25 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Copyright ©2000 - 2022, The Acoustic Guitar Forum
vB Ad Management by =RedTyger=