BLUE SPARK...first impressions

givempills · #1 12-30-2010, 05:24 PM

Hey,

Ive been asking a lot about mics lately in search of a good recording mic. I picked up the Spark by blue today and I'm really in love....Keep in mind, Im just a beginner, and I'm sure someone might call me an idiot or tell me to return it, but for being a first-timer, I'm really impressed. Also kudos to GC for helping me not really in choosing, but supporting my choice one I said what my intentions were....got a stand, a cable by monster, and humidipaks....

I'll update this when I play with this "FOCUS" switch they talk about...

Thanks to Mario too for his reccomendation, as well as others who chimed in....

Now if I can just get my neighbor to turn off him "christmas light show blaring outside christmas music extravaganza!" (I hope he doesnt play guitar!)

Bill

alohachris · #2 12-30-2010, 09:42 PM

Aloha Give'Em,

That's a very nice, affordable condenser mic for guitar & vocals, Bill. Especially for individual tracking. Excellent value & choice for an all in one.

What signal chain will you be using it through?

BTW, the focus switch on the Spark just changes the mic's internal EQ from more mid-rangey to more open sound. You can change the EQ of a track on your DAW. Therefore, I wouldn't turn the focus switch on for recording (live would be fine), unless you were playing a very boomy, larger guitar that needed to be evened out by the cut filter or pad - what the focus switch is really.

Your comments about the neighbors also brought up a thought I must share:

Please think about some kind of cheap, DIY portable room treatment for your recording space.

Even as a hobbyist, the only way to maximize your equipment is to get the "room" out of the recording equation - unless it's intended because it's such a great space - not normally the case for us home recordists.

Room Treatment is the most dynamic variable in all home recording rigs - at any level. 99% of all home youtube productions suck because players didn't think to hang some mover's blankets around their playing area or build some broadband absorbers & put a couple behind the vocal mic. MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE IN DEFINING THE FREQUENCIES & SOUNDSTAGING - even for just simple guitar & vocal tracks the we mostly do here.

Here's a couple of links to get you thinking about it:

http://www.homebrewedmusic.com/2009/...-on-the-cheap/

http://www.uline.com/BL_7900/Moving-...FQoBbAod1Bhyag

http://www.gikacoustics.com/education_sbir.html

Check out his home-made absorber panels about 30 sec. into this. Good info for one mic recording too:

http://www.gikacoustics.com/education_sbir.html

Or go to a local moving company, ask if they have some used, heavier duty mover's blankets as I did (got 20 for free!). Put some grommets in them along one edge so you can hang them. Hang them over windows about 4" out, two layers 4" apart is even better.

And hang some around you (more like a triangle rather than with parallel walls in your playing space, behind & in front of your mic). Can even do that with mic stands. A couple of absorbers in a V-behind your vocal mic offers a makeshift vocal booth that's much better than none!

The point is: to maximize your Blue Spark, define your vocals & minimize room reflection, you'll need some form of Room Treatment. Doesn't have to be permanent as I've said. Just think about it, Bill. Get creative with it. Check out Ethan Winer's site for more evidence & clues.

http://www.ethanwiner.com/acoustics.html

It's made all the difference to my simple recordings.

Great mic choice, Bill.

alohachris

givempills · #3 12-30-2010, 10:19 PM

Hey Chris,

Thanks so much. Room treatment has always been on my mind....the funniest part of today was recording and rerecording songs all day long, and saving none of it by the end of the day....that makes me laugh...

as far as my "chain" goes.....I have the spark connected through a monster mic cable I bought to the Apogee ONE into my Macbook pro....I have an Imac also, so I'll try setting up with that as well. my guitar is ES equipped, so i just ran that to the one also via old cable...I havent tried to mic the guitar yet...my headphones are cheapo seinhuser (whatever) but they seem ok to me...does the laptop vs the imac include grounding issues?

I was geting to the end of a great "take," and my wife called...I wanted to scream!

I have a feeling I wont be sleeping much anymore....haha..Today was one of my best guitar playing days...I really had a good time playing around with mic placement and futzing with garage band....

Thanks again Chris, for taking the time to advise...

Any good books anyone knows of for garage band tricks???

alohachris · #4 12-31-2010, 01:11 AM

Aloha Give 'Em,

Glad to help, Bill. You're all set with that rig for starting up with recording.

RE: Garageband tricks? Apple offers its "One-to-One" training program for $99. You can sign up for as many training sessions - group or individual at your local Apple store for a whole year - & then sign up again! Best $99 I ever spent.

Since you've got two Apple computers, you should inquire about that program. Usually, Apple let's you sign up for it when you buy a new computer. But I think they've changed that now. Anyway, it's a good way to learn GB - especially the individual training sessions with a Logic Trainer.

Check it out.

alohachris

GibsonGuy · #5 12-31-2010, 05:48 AM

All off the "room" advice is invaluable. As for the Spark, I purchased one also and am extremely pleased with the results. I have tried it out on my guitar (McIlroy A-30) with excellent results and also for my vocals (my original intention). All in all, for $ XXX, a great buy!!! Enjoy!

givempills · #6 12-31-2010, 06:16 AM

One on one training......my wife and I bought into that when we got our first Mac......we each went once and never went back! NY apple stores are just too busy.....very hard to get appointments.......a good program I think....but so tough for us to schedule!

mescobar · #7 12-31-2010, 06:39 AM

Glad to hear we could be of some help. Your first recording day sounds exactly like mine, except my wife turned on the surround sound upstairs above my music room.

Seriously, once you start playing with the Spark it will be hard to stop. Now we'll be waiting for soundclips.

givempills · #8 12-31-2010, 04:49 PM

Mario:

How do you guys post up clips.....just sound..no video..
???

bill

alohachris · #9 12-31-2010, 05:05 PM

Aloha Bill,

I don't share music online for many reasons, some of which are legal.

But I have linked up other friends who want to share clips.

Here's one workflow that's worked. Other more computer-akamai players may have a simpler approach to share.

First, go to SoundCloud, a free sharing service catering to self-recorded songs - & set up an account - it's free. The sound quality there seems slightly better to me. Could be my imagination though.

http://soundcloud.com/

Second, record & track your song in GB, then name, save & bounce it from Garageband into an mp3. file so that appears in iTunes as such. It needs to be saved as a playlist. FROM A PLAYLIST, YOU CAN BURN IT AS A CD!

Third, Go into your account at Soundcloud, follow the "Upload & Share" button's instructions, & choose your file to share from iTunes.

Fourth, Soundcloud allows you to send your clip to either everyone (not a great idea if it's copyrighted material) or to selected "private" URL & sites (recommended).

Hit the send button or paste the link into a post here. Voila!

Hope that helps.

Happy New Year Bill!

alohachris

PS: I know what you mean about Apple Stores. Same here in Honolulu. I had to use my disabled status to grab a quieter corner at the store for my one-to-one sessions last year. Plus, the trainers are all very young, amped up on technology, latte's, & pressure to sell. And don't they all speak a foreign language? That kind of rapid-fire, valley-girl speak that has been littering the airwaves for decades now? Sheesh! And you can't hear anything in those places. But it's still a good, cheap place to establish a basic workflow & receive a few training sessions each for tracking, editing, mixing & mastering.- alohachris (native Noo Yawkah & former West Side Kid)-

Joseph Hanna · #10 12-31-2010, 06:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alohachris

Plus, the trainers are all very young, amped up on technology, latte's, & pressure to sell. And don't they all speak a foreign language? That kind of rapid-fire, valley-girl speak that has been littering the airwaves for decades now? Sheesh!

Apple Instructors are under absolutely zero pressure to sell. They are, by and large, hired on their individual skill at which they excel. They are at the store to either teach or support. There is never an utterance by management about selling anything.......ever. That, by design.

alohachris · #11 12-31-2010, 06:33 PM

Aloha Joseph,

Technically, you're right. But selling is the whole point at Apple Stores, right? Stated by management to the contrary or not. Soft-pedalled or not.

For example, I've spend hundreds of hours in Apple Stores by now. Anytime, I've just sat for a moment & pondered what I've just looked at, another "salesperson/support-type" comes over & asks me something, to gauge my interest. That's salesmanship.

But it is quite obvious to people in their 60's that the "support" in Apple Stores is clearly not aimed at us. It's ironic, because you'd think that Apple would target the people with actual money, & who speak a little more clearly, articulately & slowly, than the kids who hang out there all day playing games. AND the decibel levels at Apple Stores defeat the whole purpose of "training." Especially the group sessions. I couldn't hear a thing.

It's but a minor peeve, Joseph. But that is salesmanship, plain & simple that's going on at Apple Stores. If the store doesn't sell, it's history.

alohachris

Bob1131 · #12 01-03-2011, 07:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by givempills

Mario:

How do you guys post up clips.....just sound..no video..
???

bill

Bill, there are dozens of music hosting sites on the internet, some are very easy and some are very complicated to use, in my opinion. If you want to upload a song for sharing, BoxNet is the easiest to use. If you want exposure and an active site to promote your music, ReverbNation is good. The most complex site, IMHO, is Mixposure. The following are links to my pages at some free sites, so you can see what a profile page looks like and you can hear what the music sounds like (note, the BoxNet link is just to the home page because it does not provide for a profile page):

BoxNet

ReverbNation

Mixposure

ShowcaseYourMusic

Somojo

SoundClick

YourMusicSpot

All of the sites listed are free and all have decent sound quality. Have fun!