First real sdc/pair - for acoustic guitar

[b1j]

Originally Posted by Doug Young

Recording in stereo or mono is always an artistic choice, and depends on what you want. For solo fingerstyle guitar, virtually everything out there (recorded recently, anyway) is stereo, but the choice is less clear as soon as other instruments are involved. My bias would be that if the guitar is strongly featured - the key instrument, I'd make it stereo. I go with Segovia's idea that a guitar is a "small orchestra", and I want it to fill the sound stage. But if the guitar isn't the orchestra, and is just another instrument among many, then mono probably makes more sense, so you can place each instrument in the stereo space.

I don't think close micing means you can't have dynamic nuances, that's in how you play. I assume you're talking about the Guitarune Matre video. Very nice indeed, but notice where he's recording. Looks like his kitchen, not an acoustically treated studio. What I mostly hear is quite a lot of reverb, and a player with a very sensitive touch, good phrasing, nice dynamics, great tone. He says his mics are around his knees, just out of the camera view. That can still be pretty close, I've used that approach as well for videos in an untreated room. Micing close will really pick up what you're playing, so put those nuances in, and the mic will hear them. 90% of what we hear in videos like this is a really good player, it's not so much the gear, tho I'm sure it helps to have good stuff. It helps that he's getting a nice visual look, too!

OK, I’ll try to stop blaming the room, listen closer, and play with greater sensitivity. Usually I record the acoustic first, but most recently I was retracting the acoustic because I had made a hash of the setup the first time. Don’t ask. So I was playing the track after all the other tracks had been mixed in. Even with a headphone mix heavy on the guitar, I had a hard time bringing subtlety to it this time, but I got a much better technical recording. Life’s a journey. I’ll bring this experience with me next time.

As you say, the stereo/mono choice depends on the role of the track in the song. For the main rhythm track I played the J-45 in unpanned stereo (pan on C). I assume that track has the left mic full L and the right mic full R, is that right? To that I added a lead acoustic track of riffs/fills/obligados on the HD-28. For that supporting part, I still recorded in stereo*** (but only because I was already set up for it), but I mixed it to about L65, so it sounds “close” to mono, but with a touch more width. It certainly comes from the left region of the stereo field, while the J-45 is spread wide across the field.

*** Feb 6 edit: I went back and noticed that I had recorded the HD-28 lead part in mono after all! I sent it to L55, and I sent its reverb send to L70 to give it a bit more width, but not too much width.

[olidward]

I agree, that video is an example of a fantastic player influencing the sound as much as other factors. Not so much the mic; although I did find his mic choice (for that playstyle) interesting, so I wanted to ask about those very soft single notes not getting lost in the aether, but rather jumping forward.

Maybe he applied compression to get them there.The reverb and the processing in general probably does play a big part in that, as you guys were kind enough to point out-thanks.

Edit: always nice to hear a Beatles song's harmonic secrets translated to solo guitar. Great renditions Doug.

[rick-slo]

Originally Posted by olidward

so I wanted to ask about those very soft single notes not getting lost in the aether, but rather jumping forward.

Maybe he applied compression to get them there.The reverb and the processing in general probably does play a big part in that, as you guys were kind enough to point out-thanks.

No, not compression, rather the nomal dynamic range clarity of a good recording. I could give many examples of recordings of mine where individual
notes of different initial volumes stand out clearly as do those notes as they fade away over time. No compression used. Just for one example of a
composition and recording of mine:
http://dcoombsguitar.com/Guitar%20Mu...stain%20Me.wav

[b1j]

Listening to the Matre video again, I'm struck by how quiet his noise floor is in that room. Not just background sounds, but also a seeming absence of flutter echo or comb filtering.

[olidward]

Originally Posted by rick-slo

No, not compression, rather the nomal dynamic range clarity of a good recording. I could give many examples of recordings of mine where individual
notes of different initial volumes stand out clearly as do those notes as they fade away over time. No compression used. Just for one example
http://dcoombsguitar.com/Guitar%20Mu...stain%20Me.wav

Gotcha. Nice recording. The soft notes don't lose protagonism at all, and some are pretty soft. I'll have to work on getting better dynamic range with what I have. Can I ask what polar pattern you used for the sample?

[olidward]

Originally Posted by b1j

Listening to the Matre video again, I'm struck by how quiet his noise floor is in that room. Not just background sounds, but also a seeming absence of flutter echo or comb filtering.

That's true. Very pleasant listening experience. As someone else mentioned, even the visuals are on point (good lighting, composition and so on).

Edit: another recording I like with the MK41(s)

Can't embed now. I don't know why - https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Zm43YscnRZ8

[rick-slo]

Originally Posted by olidward

Gotcha. Nice recording. The soft notes don't lose protagonism at all, and some are pretty soft. I'll have to work on getting better dynamic range with what I have. Can I ask what polar pattern you used for the sample?

I recorded with a spaced pair of cardiod Gefell M295s mikes.
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also regarding embedding youtubes as you tried to do in your prior see how I encoded it:

PHP Code:

[YOUTUBE]Zm43YscnRZ8[/YOUTUBE] 


This recording is not the best though IMO (congested and proximity effect)

[AcousticDreams]

Originally Posted by rick-slo

I recorded with a spaced pair of cardiod Gefell M295s mikes.
-
-
-
also regarding embedding youtubes as you tried to do in your prior see how I encoded it:

PHP Code:

[YOUTUBE]Zm43YscnRZ8[/YOUTUBE] 


This recording is not the best though IMO (congested and proximity effect)

Lovely playing, lovely tune rick-Slo!

Those 295's really capture the high end. I had a pair for a brief while. Great Mics! Nickle capsules just like the KM54's.

[rick-slo]

Originally Posted by Knives&Guitars

Lovely playing, lovely tune rick-Slo!

Those 295's really capture the high end. I had a pair for a brief while. Great Mics! Nickle capsules just like the KM54's.

That 2018 Martin D-18 D18 Dreadnought Guitar recording was not mine. My recording was earlier in the thread in post #33.

[Doug Young]

Originally Posted by olidward

That's true. Very pleasant listening experience. As someone else mentioned, even the visuals are on point (good lighting, composition and so on).

Edit: another recording I like with the MK41(s)

Can't embed now. I don't know why -

Nice playing, but a very thin sound. What processing did you do? There's something distant sounding about it. Or is this not you? I'm unclear on what's being posted here...

With one mic, for this kind of thing, I'd suggest placing the mic on the body, above the soundhole, about even with the waist of the guitar. Everyone tells you to put the mic on the neck/body joint, and that works great for a thin, stringy sound that you might want on a rhythm guitar track in a band mix. For a guitar alone like this, I at least, prefer more body, less strings. I'd suggest experimenting with more mic placements.

[rick-slo]

Ping pong post replies are getting mixed up.

[olidward]

Originally Posted by rick-slo

I recorded with a spaced pair of cardiod Gefell M295s mikes.
-
-
-
also regarding embedding youtubes as you tried to do in your prior see how I encoded it:

PHP Code:

[YOUTUBE]Zm43YscnRZ8[/YOUTUBE] 


This recording is not the best though IMO (congested and proximity effect)

Ah, thank you.

My wording seems to have triggered some confusing albeit informative discussion.

It's someone else's video, yeah. I was getting frustrated with my apparent incompetence with all things embedded and ended my comment prematurely.

[KevWind]

Originally Posted by olidward

I agree, that video is an example of a fantastic player influencing the sound as much as other factors. Not so much the mic; although I did find his mic choice (for that playstyle) interesting, so I wanted to ask about those very soft single notes not getting lost in the aether, but rather jumping forward.

Maybe he applied compression to get them there.The reverb and the processing in general probably does play a big part in that, as you guys were kind enough to point out-thanks.

Edit: always nice to hear a Beatles song's harmonic secrets translated to solo guitar. Great renditions Doug.

I am not sure which specific video you are referring to----- but be aware that "in general" it is as likely as not , that in most professionally produced recordings and videos (even of solo acoustic guitar) that compression was used in either mixing or mastering or both .

[Doug Young]

Originally Posted by olidward

Ah, thank you.

My wording seems to have triggered some confusing albeit informative discussion.

It's someone else's video, yeah. I was getting frustrated with my apparent incompetence with all things embedded and ended my comment prematurely.

Got it, yes, you definitely confused me :-). to embed a video, you just put in the code, the part after the = sign in the url, then surround it with YOUTUBE tags, or select the text and click the you tube button.

[olidward]

Originally Posted by Doug Young

Got it, yes, you definitely confused me :-). to embed a video, you just put in the code, the part after the = sign in the url, then surround it with YOUTUBE tags, or select the text and click the you tube button.

Thanks, I was able to embed old Mason Williams in a thread for the youngin's.

Thank you everyone. Sort of an update: a forum member that is willing to part with a set of MK41's has contacted me offering presumably an understanding price; that made my day. He turned out to be quite an interesting fellow and we blew past the mics and talked story. That made my day too.