Repeatability of setup?

[unimogbert]

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[rick-slo]

Repeatability of the same sound on every recording, versus repeatability of a good, but not the same sound, on every recording require different things. Anyway in general a guitar(s) that records well, good recording gear and good post recording software - these days "good" does not have to cost a whole lot.

Got a song where the reverb setting was just right then save that reverb setting, etc. I had less success trying to write down exact mike positions and using them on the next song.

[Rudy4]

Since you're going to be "buying a few pieces of gear" for your next project it would help to know what direction you're going. A few pieces of gear can be a multi-tracker and headphones, or it could be Pro-tools, interface, and a mic cabinet.

How you keep track of your project is more a matter of how you routinely handle personal organization. Some folks need a lot, some not so much.

It sounds like you aspire to my philosophy of low-maintenance / instant gratification for recording. You might think about a setup as simple as a Zoom H1 mounted on a mic stand and a set of headphones. That'll get you what you need and no need to document any settings. My "Simple Home-style Recording" page at my website is geared precisely towards that logic.

http://www.bluestemstrings.com/pageRecording1.html

[MikeBmusic]

If you use a DAW - in other words, using a computer and software - then all your settings in the DAW are saved in the project - eincluding EQ, reverb, etc.
As to your physical set up - if you need to make note of it in a notebook or Word file, do so. Most DAWs also have a text area that can be saved in each project.

If you are using a stand-alone recorder, then by all means use whatever notation method you need to recall the details.

[philjs]

Originally Posted by unimogbert

So my question- how do you achieve repeatability of a good setup? How do you keep track of what worked and what didn't? Since an inch makes a big difference in the results sometimes (so I've read), are you writing down the X,Y,Z coordinate measurements of mic placement? How about measuring angles from the guitar to ensure you're on the same lobe as last time?

I think that a digital camera, even a relatively poor phone camera, could be extremely useful. I'm going to assume you're going to close mic in a spaced pair setup (because if you've got a great room and are using omni mics then all of this becomes far less critical, no?). Once you've found the sound that you like for a particular guitar in a specific location, then take some photos of the setup, eg. relative positions of the stands legs, arm angles, mic positions on the stands, position in the room, surroundings etc. Take photos from your recording position as well, relative to the guitar, your leg and seating positions, etc. In conjunction with some basic notes (heights, mic spacing and orientation, neck/body position and distances from the mics, etc.) you should be able to get close enough.

Phil

[DanR]

Originally Posted by rick-slo

Repeatability of the same sound on every recording, versus repeatability of a good, but not the same sound, on every recording require different things.

In my recording endeavors, I tend to start from scratch with each project. There are a number of ways to do things (mic placement being one ingredient), and I find the journey each time part of the pleasure of the process sometimes discovering new sounds along the way.

Originally Posted by philjs

I think that a digital camera, even a relatively poor phone camera, could be extremely useful.

Considering what I wrote above, I once achieved a particularly nice drum sound and did take pictures of the setup, but it's hard to capture every facet of the chain and for whatever reason, following the pics didn't quite reproduce the previous results. The camera thing IS worth a shot, though IMHO.

[unimogbert]

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[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by unimogbert

…how do you achieve repeatability of a good setup?

Hi uni…

I don't know how others achieve repeatable results, but for me it's detailed notes, and a sewing tape measure to measure exactly how far mics are from guitar parts...

Also, great mics/preamps, simple setups, same room, same position in the room.

Same position in the mix for everyone/every instrument in an entire project (and I keep notes on the mix too).