'Til There's Only You (original)

PajamasMusic · #1 01-06-2018, 09:06 AM

Wrote this last Fall. Experimenting w/ the new recording config...

PajamasMusic · #2 01-06-2018, 10:43 AM

Accompanying video. Yeah I know, I need to move the mics around. This was really just an experiment to see how if I could sync the video with the audio mixed through the laptop, both of which were recorded concurrently but separately.

Thanks again so very much to Glennwillow, KevWind and all the others who've been helping me get my bearings and get my recording chops kicked up a notch.

Glennwillow · #3 01-06-2018, 11:04 AM

Very nice, Mark! Well done! You are making advancements very rapidly! Good for you! Nice song and well sung, too!

You mentioned moving the mics around. I'm not sure what you intend. If I may offer my own experience, for video, I have tended to put the vocal mic a little to the side of my face so that people can see me in the video. I rotate the mic a little bit towards my mouth so it can do a better job of picking up my voice. I lose a little of the bass from my voice by doing this, but I don't like being hidden by the mic and pop filter.

Regarding your mix, I would bring the guitar sound up a little higher to fill out the overall sound, but as I have noted before, getting that mix right is very difficult, I think. Overall, I think you are getting a much improved sound!

It's good to see you being adventurous with this stuff!

- Glenn

PajamasMusic · #4 01-06-2018, 11:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Glennwillow

Very nice, Mark! Well done! You are making advancements very rapidly! Good for you! Nice song and well sung, too!

You mentioned moving the mics around. I'm not sure what you intend. If I may offer my own experience, for video, I have tended to put the vocal mic a little to the side of my face so that people can see me in the video. I rotate the mic a little bit towards my mouth so it can do a better job of picking up my voice. I lose a little of the bass from my voice by doing this, but I don't like being hidden by the mic and pop filter.

Regarding your mix, I would bring the guitar sound up a little higher to fill out the overall sound, but as I have noted before, getting that mix right is very difficult, I think. Overall, I think you are getting a much improved sound!

It's good to see you being adventurous with this stuff!

- Glenn

Thank you Glenn. Yes, that's exactly what I'm talking about re the mic placement - getting it out of the way from the face a bit. It's a pretty tight space and I need to be able to keep everything in reach as well as maintain function. The video was really just an afterthought just to see what I might manage to do with it. I should be able to nudge the vocal mic boom out of the way just enough to not diminish the mix too badly.

Glennwillow · #5 01-06-2018, 12:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PajamasMusic

Thank you Glenn. Yes, that's exactly what I'm talking about re the mic placement - getting it out of the way from the face a bit. It's a pretty tight space and I need to be able to keep everything in reach as well as maintain function. The video was really just an afterthought just to see what I might manage to do with it. I should be able to nudge the vocal mic boom out of the way just enough to not diminish the mix too badly.

Most vocal mics are cardioid pattern mics, and cardioid pattern mics all exhibit what's referred to as the "proximity effect," which is a bass boost of as much as 6 db when the mic is close to you. So by placing the mic a little off axis from your voice and a little farther away, out of the way of your (or my) face, this tends to reduce that proximity effect enough so that the recorded result sounds more natural, like your real voice.

Many people like the bass boost from the proximity effect because it sounds more like what they are hearing inside their heads, but it's not really accurate.

This is a recent video I made where you can see that the mic is well out of my way, off to the side. But as I noted early, I do twist the vocal mic in its holder to aim the condenser capsule more at my mouth.

Thanks,
Glenn

PajamasMusic · #6 01-06-2018, 01:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Glennwillow

Most vocal mics are cardioid pattern mics, and cardioid pattern mics all exhibit what's referred to as the "proximity effect," which is a bass boost of as much as 6 db when the mic is close to you. So by placing the mic a little off axis from your voice and a little farther away, out of the way of your (or my) face, this tends to reduce that proximity effect enough so that the recorded result sounds more natural, like your real voice.

Many people like the bass boost from the proximity effect because it sounds more like what they are hearing inside their heads, but it's not really accurate.

This is a recent video I made where you can see that the mic is well out of my way, off to the side. But as I noted early, I do twist the vocal mic in its holder to aim the condenser capsule more at my mouth.

Thanks,
Glenn

Glenn, the mic looks a good 12 inches away from your face. Is that accurate or is it just my angle?

Glennwillow · #7 01-06-2018, 07:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PajamasMusic

Glenn, the mic looks a good 12 inches away from your face. Is that accurate or is it just my angle?

You are quite accurate. The mic was probably about 12" from my face, maybe as much as 14", and of course somewhat over to the side. You have to be about 24" from a cardioid mic to totally negate the proximity effect, but by being off-axis of the mic, that also changes the sound a little and reduces bass slightly. So that 12-14" of distance is about right to even out the sound to make it sound much more like my real voice in a room.

Best Regards,
Glenn

KevWind · #8 01-07-2018, 10:31 AM

Hey PJM I absolutely love the song very very well done. Once the prosody is really nice..

Just to add a thought . You might try staying in the relative position you are in and simply try rotating both you and the mics (Keeping you and mic in the same relative position ) 20 to 40 degrees on center axis to your right (clock wise) and or moving the camera position a bit more to your left.

Mix wise, If it were me, Personally I love the vocal sound and would not change it . I might bring up the guitar just a few db. Particularly where you are soft picking as opposed to strumming

Again love the tune

PajamasMusic · #9 01-07-2018, 03:28 PM

Here's today's effort...

Glennwillow · #10 01-07-2018, 05:06 PM

Wow, Mark!

Another notch up in improvement! Your voice sounds very clear with just the right amount of reverb and your guitar sounds really nice. Your guitar could arguably be slightly louder, but it's very much in the right volume range now. Moving the vocal mic to your right helps the visual a great deal, and it sounds really good, very natural for your voice.

Is that a lamp in the foreground? It might be good to get that out of the way next time, just for looks. If you need a lamp for reading your music, you might try one of those small, clip-on battery powered book lights that you can get out of the way of the camera and also out of the way of your guitar.

This business of recording and making videos is a constant strand of incremental improvements. What's really cool is that you have actually listened to advice, evaluated, and made huge positive strides in a very short time. My hat is off to you!!

Awesome!

- Glenn

PajamasMusic · #11 01-07-2018, 05:10 PM

Thanks Glenn. Yes, It's one of those clip on LED lamps hooked over my music stand on which lie the lyrics to the song I'm singing lest I forget the words.

PajamasMusic · #12 01-07-2018, 05:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KevWind

Hey PJM I absolutely love the song very very well done. Once the prosody is really nice..

Just to add a thought . You might try staying in the relative position you are in and simply try rotating both you and the mics (Keeping you and mic in the same relative position ) 20 to 40 degrees on center axis to your right (clock wise) and or moving the camera position a bit more to your left.

Mix wise, If it were me, Personally I love the vocal sound and would not change it . I might bring up the guitar just a few db. Particularly where you are soft picking as opposed to strumming

Again love the tune

Thank you Kev. I appreciate it.

Glennwillow · #13 01-07-2018, 05:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PajamasMusic

Thanks Glenn. Yes, It's one of those clip on LED lamps hooked over my music stand on which lie the lyrics to the song I'm singing lest I forget the words.

Ah yes. I sometimes have to do that, too.

Maybe you can find a way to clip the lamp on where it can't be seen, maybe from below or from the side.

It's a small thing.

I think this is a great take just the way it is!

- Glenn

PajamasMusic · #14 01-07-2018, 05:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Glennwillow

Ah yes. I sometimes have to do that, too.

Maybe you can find a way to clip the lamp on where it can't be seen, maybe from below or from the side.

It's a small thing.

I think this is a great take just the way it is!

- Glenn

I used to have 2020 vision. Maybe I'll have it back in a couple of years.

Glennwillow · #15 01-07-2018, 05:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PajamasMusic

I used to have 2020 vision. Maybe I'll have it back in a couple of years.

When I am going to look at music during a video, I print it out in 24-point BOLD type so I can read it across the room without glasses. I put the music right below the camera with the music stand just low enough so that the camera does not see it. Then if I have to look at the words at some point, it's as if I am looking at or near the camera.

You may not have room for this... just a thought.

- Glenn