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Old 12-13-2009, 02:21 AM
Alexrkstr Alexrkstr is offline
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Default Recording: Frustrating!!

I tune my guitar, I set up.... spend an hour getting the flat picking with delay perfect.... I get it after that hour and I go to record the bass and I find out the @$%##!!! capo sharpened my notes and now I can't continue....

Anyone with good suggestions on how to record with a capo and not mess up the tuning matching for the rest of the instruments??
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Old 12-13-2009, 04:43 AM
dweezil dweezil is offline
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Originally Posted by Alexrkstr View Post
I tune my guitar, I set up.... spend an hour getting the flat picking with delay perfect.... I get it after that hour and I go to record the bass and I find out the @$%##!!! capo sharpened my notes and now I can't continue....

Anyone with good suggestions on how to record with a capo and not mess up the tuning matching for the rest of the instruments??
Tune up, put the capo on then tune up again. If the final take is still out because the strings slipped or some such then you have three options:

1. Retune and re-record
2. Use a wave editor and pitch shift a few cents
3. Tune the other instruments to the guitar

I'm recording solo acoustic guitar and so don't care whether I'm in concert pitch or not. In fact my guitars are typically detuned a semitone despite whatever particular tuning they're in, so it's not so much DADGAD as DbAbDbGbAbDb but that's not as easy to say
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Old 12-13-2009, 07:06 AM
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It's frustrating to get into the project and discover a flaw. Been there, done that. Try to decide if the flaw is bad enough to over-rule the quality of the performance.

Bob
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Old 12-13-2009, 07:18 AM
FingerPlucked FingerPlucked is offline
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I agree with both of the above, especially Bob's comment.

Recording is a lot of work. To get something good, you have to immerse yourself. At that point you might be hearing things that no one else ever will. If you can*, let it sit for a day or two then go back and listen again and decide if the "problem" really needs fixing.


* I can't. Once I start on a project I can't stop until I'm done. I usually won't even try to record unless I have a full weekend to work on it. If I'm not done by Sunday night, there's a pretty good chance I'll have to call in sick on Monday morning.
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Old 12-13-2009, 09:45 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Alexrkstr View Post
I tune my guitar, I set up.... spend an hour getting the flat picking with delay perfect.... I get it after that hour and I go to record the bass and I find out the @$%##!!! capo sharpened my notes and now I can't continue....

Anyone with good suggestions on how to record with a capo and not mess up the tuning matching for the rest of the instruments??
Hi Alex…
I always tune after the capo is on whether recording or not...and I have everyone tune with the same tuner.

In fact after all the messing around I do to get ready to record, the last step is to recheck and tweek intonation. After operating a small production studio for 8 years, this became part of our ''ritual''.

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Old 12-13-2009, 09:46 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Alexrkstr View Post
I tune my guitar, I set up.... spend an hour getting the flat picking with delay perfect.... I get it after that hour and I go to record the bass and I find out the @$%##!!! capo sharpened my notes and now I can't continue....

Anyone with good suggestions on how to record with a capo and not mess up the tuning matching for the rest of the instruments??
The above suggestions being excellent, I'll just add:

1) Make sure the capo is a bit on the fret, not just behind it. That will take you a long way toward it sharping notes. Also make sure it's not too tight. ...your mileage may vary, however, depending on the height of your frets (taller frets sharping notes more than dinky, vintage style etc.).

2) Check yer frets for serious fretwear; you'll hear it when you capo at that fret and may need a fret dressing.

fwiw, one of the things I love about my Larrivee is that I seldom have to retune after capo-ing (which was not the case before her last fret dressing).

td
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Old 12-13-2009, 10:07 AM
Alexrkstr Alexrkstr is offline
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Thanks guys... I'll take into consideration all the suggestions. I think the capo was too high too - 6th fret on a Les Paul.

td - same here with my Larrivee, I love it.
bobW - yeah, I do have to re-record... I'm somewhere between Ab and B... I need to be at Ab
Larry - I thought about that after the fact, it does seem logical, ugh, my guitar was in perfect tune before the capo though
Fingerplucked - tell me about it! I was recording from 2am to 3am! (that's when I felt song come together, sadly to discover I was in special* tuning when I tried to add the bass)
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Old 12-13-2009, 11:45 AM
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One tip: With medium jumbo or jumbo frets, it doesn't pay to place the capo right behind the fret. Given the height of the frets, the break angle down to a closely-fit capo will bend the strings sharp the same way that fretting too hard will. Contrary to popular wisdom, this is one application where it pays to set the capo back a bit. Fiddle with it a bit and see where it works best.

Bob
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Old 12-13-2009, 12:01 PM
Alexrkstr Alexrkstr is offline
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I hate guitars.... lol just kidding... I hate capos, I'm sticking to a delayed piano
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Old 12-13-2009, 12:10 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bob Womack View Post
One tip: With medium jumbo or jumbo frets, it doesn't pay to place the capo right behind the fret. Given the height of the frets, the break angle down to a closely-fit capo will bend the strings sharp the same way that fretting too hard will. Contrary to popular wisdom, this is one application where it pays to set the capo back a bit. Fiddle with it a bit and see where it works best.

Bob
yep, that and many times the capo doesn't have to be adjusted to "death grip" proportions.
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Old 12-13-2009, 06:06 PM
meredith meredith is offline
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Recording is fraught with pitfalls and landmines any way you look at it. I'm sure I have at least a few gray hairs from it.
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Old 12-14-2009, 01:25 PM
Sombras Sombras is offline
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Originally Posted by Alexrkstr View Post
Fingerplucked - tell me about it! I was recording from 2am to 3am! (that's when I felt song come together, sadly to discover I was in special* tuning when I tried to add the bass)
Oh man, that strikes a chord with me (pun intended). I record late at night and, after all the sweat and tears to get something usable down, I HATE the thought of having to throw it away.

I just finished a stint of home recording using capo'ed alternate tunings, with my dread being the foundation instrument.

Out of desperation I finally began tuning my bass and strat to my bizarrely flat or sharp dread, and things got a little easier--though my jazz bass gets grouchy when I down-tune it.

Between the wandering intonation and exhaustion, I am surprised I got anything done!
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Old 12-15-2009, 12:36 AM
Alexrkstr Alexrkstr is offline
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Originally Posted by Sombras View Post
Oh man, that strikes a chord with me (pun intended). I record late at night and, after all the sweat and tears to get something usable down, I HATE the thought of having to throw it away.

I just finished a stint of home recording using capo'ed alternate tunings, with my dread being the foundation instrument.

Out of desperation I finally began tuning my bass and strat to my bizarrely flat or sharp dread, and things got a little easier--though my jazz bass gets grouchy when I down-tune it.

Between the wandering intonation and exhaustion, I am surprised I got anything done!
Impressive... I would not be able to tune to a non-perfect pitch
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Old 12-21-2009, 08:09 PM
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I remember Martin Simpson saying quite rightly, that if you see a live performer attach a capo and then not retune, cover your ears. My guitars are set up with perfect action and I've tried evry capo going - I still have to tweak the bottom string when I use one. I've settled on a G7 - I like Shubbs but tend to apply the death grip as someone referred to it to avoid buzzes.
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Old 12-21-2009, 10:05 PM
Alexrkstr Alexrkstr is offline
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Before leaving on my vacation I re-recorded it... I tuned with the capo on. What a difference! I'll let you guys now when its done.
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