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Old 12-19-2012, 05:43 AM
frankhond frankhond is offline
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Default Lowden O23 recorded with Sony PCM-D50, honky sound?

I'm experimenting with recording fingerstyle guitar in my living room, using the Sony PCM-D50. The goal is to find the best possible situation, considering that I cannot "do" much to the living room (except possibly heavier curtains if wife allows it). Later, I plan to get some better mics and a Sound Devices USB Pre 2. But first, please help troubleshoot this recording.

To me, the guitar sounds "honky" (or maybe boxy... I'm not good at describing sound). I do hear some of that character when I play it, but on the recording it dominates the sound. I would like to get a bit more "open" tone.

The question is, where is the problem? I can think of a few things:

Mic placement (but where to move it).
Room resonance.
Guitar sounds like this up front but I hear it differently since I'm playing.
Eq (how).
Recorder sucks (not that likely, I think it can do better).
The guitar sounds fine, it's all in my head...(?)

Here is a high bitrate mp3: http://www.mateuszherczka.net/guitar/DonalOgg.mp3

Here is the original (only normalized) 24bit, 44100Hz wav file (10 megs): http://www.mateuszherczka.net/guitar...Norm121217.wav

Recorded at 24bit 44100Hz. I can do 96000Hz but that probably won't do much. I think I recorded a touch low (peaks around -12db), next time will shoot for -6db.

I'm sitting in a sofa about 1.5m from the wall on my left. There is a window in the wall with thin curtains. I'm at a sharp diagonal with the back agains the corner, "shooting" along the length of the room (it's a fairly long but not so wide living room). Wooden floor but a lush carpet underneath me. Recorder about 40cm in front of the guitar, mics in X position so one points towards head, the other towards the fat end of the guitar.

My playing, well, I clearly ain't Martin Simpson, still if you hear something I shouldn't do, let me know.

Strings are elixir PB nanos. I normally don't like them, but on this guitar they found a voice. But maybe these are the problem?

Any ideas welcome!

Last edited by frankhond; 12-19-2012 at 02:01 PM.
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