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  #1  
Old 05-22-2022, 07:55 PM
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Default 1st basement recording demo

Our basement is a work in progress, but we made a lot of headway this year. We renovated our other bath this past month and I took use of the dumpster the builder provided! I actually have most of one side free of unused household items, toys and decorations that we had zero use for! So now I have room for my 2 ATS panels, mic and music stands and a bunch of other music gear. Here's my first recording. The mics are about 2-3 feet from the guitar, left and right side.

WA 14 on the treble side and WA 47Jr on the bass side.

No eq, just a fade at the end. Recorded with the Pellerin SJ CW.

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Old 05-22-2022, 08:45 PM
jim1960 jim1960 is offline
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That sounds much better although I expect you were a sweaty mess by the time you were finished. It was hot here in the northeast today.
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Old 05-23-2022, 08:10 AM
E-OM E-OM is offline
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Nice clear recording... nice sounding guitar, too...
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Old 05-23-2022, 08:19 AM
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Originally Posted by jim1960 View Post
That sounds much better although I expect you were a sweaty mess by the time you were finished. It was hot here in the northeast today.
Thanks Jim. Actually my basement is always the coolest place in the house. Best place to be on those 90+ degree days!

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Nice clear recording... nice sounding guitar, too...
Thanks !
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Old 05-23-2022, 08:53 AM
jpmist jpmist is offline
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The mics are about 2-3 feet from the guitar, left and right side.

WA 14 on the treble side and WA 47Jr on the bass side.

I think that's an improvement on your previous demo. Your treble notes are ringing out a bit louder now.
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Old 05-23-2022, 11:44 AM
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Better than your last recording with the air running for sure. But 2-3 feet is pretty tough to get way with in less than ideal acoustics. I'd try 8-10 inches, I think you'll like it better.

A short little clip like this is great for experimenting. Try 6 inches, 8, 10, 12, 16, 24, 32 and so on. Normalize the volume on all of them so you're not fooled by Fletcher-Munson and then see which you like the best. My money'd be on 8-10 inches as your sweet spot, but it all depends on the guitar, the other aspects of mic placement, the room, and so on.

I'd save 2-3 feet for when you're recording in a totally pro studio, and even then, most people recording the kinds of stuff you are doing use very close micing.
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Old 05-23-2022, 12:11 PM
runamuck runamuck is offline
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... The mics are about 2-3 feet from the guitar, left and right side.
I'd like to hear more presence and less room sound. The way to get that is to get closer to the mics.
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Old 05-23-2022, 01:39 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jpmist View Post
I think that's an improvement on your previous demo. Your treble notes are ringing out a bit louder now.
Thanks!

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Originally Posted by Doug Young View Post
Better than your last recording with the air running for sure. But 2-3 feet is pretty tough to get way with in less than ideal acoustics. I'd try 8-10 inches, I think you'll like it better.

A short little clip like this is great for experimenting. Try 6 inches, 8, 10, 12, 16, 24, 32 and so on. Normalize the volume on all of them so you're not fooled by Fletcher-Munson and then see which you like the best. My money'd be on 8-10 inches as your sweet spot, but it all depends on the guitar, the other aspects of mic placement, the room, and so on.

I'd save 2-3 feet for when you're recording in a totally pro studio, and even then, most people recording the kinds of stuff you are doing use very close micing.
I'll move it in some, thanks Doug. I like not hearing my breathing and clothes rustling though,

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I'd like to hear more presence and less room sound. The way to get that is to get closer to the mics.
Thanks for the feedback!
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  #9  
Old 05-23-2022, 02:24 PM
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I'll move it in some, thanks Doug. I like not hearing my breathing and clothes rustling though,
I actually don't think further out helps much with that - or to the extent it does, the price (in sound quality of the guitar) isn't worth it. If the mic can pick up the details of your guitar, it's going to pick up any other noises that are happening at the same spot. If the mic is far enough away or not sensitive enough to not to pick up those things, then it's also not really going to capture your guitar well.

I'd work on breathing regularly, find clothes that don't rustle, chairs that don't squeak, etc. The other solution is to be sure to play louder than the extraneous noises you make. If the guitar is projecting well, the other noises may seem quieter in comparison.
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Old 05-23-2022, 05:25 PM
jim1960 jim1960 is offline
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Comping could be a big help also. There's no rule that says you have to play a piece all the way through from start to finish. You can play it in segments and then create a track from the best parts. That way you can discard any parts of the song where you go full rhino with the breathing.
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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
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  #11  
Old 05-23-2022, 11:43 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Doug Young View Post
Better than your last recording with the air running for sure. But 2-3 feet is pretty tough to get way with in less than ideal acoustics. I'd try 8-10 inches, I think you'll like it better.

A short little clip like this is great for experimenting. Try 6 inches, 8, 10, 12, 16, 24, 32 and so on. Normalize the volume on all of them so you're not fooled by Fletcher-Munson and then see which you like the best. My money'd be on 8-10 inches as your sweet spot, but it all depends on the guitar, the other aspects of mic placement, the room, and so on.

I'd save 2-3 feet for when you're recording in a totally pro studio, and even then, most people recording the kinds of stuff you are doing use very close micing.
I have really taken Doug's advice to heart. At the moment I like XY setup about 8 or 9 inches from the sound hole. Because of the XY right angle, one mic is aimed at the 14th fret and the other just beyond the bridge (about 12 to 14" between the two bullseyes). But rather than having mics spaced that far apart, I don't have any phase issues to contend with. I try to get the plane of the guitar top at 45º to each mic so the sound reaches both mics at the same instant. Volume is pretty closely matched as well, although that can be easily easily managed in the mix.

My recordings are really starting to pop for the first time! Great stereo image and a wide, fat sound when I pan hard L and R. And my room certainly leaves a lot to be desired (plenty of reflections), so the close mic method helps with that. I can mix in an appropriate "room reverb" once I have the other tracks, but I prefer to start with as dry a track as possible to avoid amplifying anything unwanted in compression or EQ.

Thanks, Doug!
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Last edited by b1j; 05-24-2022 at 11:16 AM.
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Old 05-29-2022, 11:29 AM
Glennwillow Glennwillow is offline
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Hi Barry!

I think the recording sounds good. I do notice a fair amount of background hiss, telling me that you're having to turn up the gain quite a bit to get enough volume.

As others have commented, having the mics closer will probably help with that. I pretty much find that placing the mcis 8-10" away from the guitar works about the best.

Enjoy your new recording space, Barry!

- Glenn
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  #13  
Old 05-29-2022, 12:02 PM
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Originally Posted by Glennwillow View Post
Hi Barry!

I think the recording sounds good. I do notice a fair amount of background hiss, telling me that you're having to turn up the gain quite a bit to get enough volume.

As others have commented, having the mics closer will probably help with that. I pretty much find that placing the mcis 8-10" away from the guitar works about the best.

Enjoy your new recording space, Barry!

- Glenn
I'll try that, thanks Glenn!
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