Rabs Posted September 2, 2014 Share Posted September 2, 2014 I did a quick demo today with my new setup of a Shure 57 going into a USB adapter (the Icicle)and recording direct to PC... And yeah I think it worked mostly apart from I reckon now that I had the mic too close to the speaker... Whats a good distance for the mic to be at? I did get a bunch of crackle that im sure wasn't there when I recorded it.. (which I mainly edited out anyway :)) I just tested that Marshall Amp I got at a boot sale.. Its not too bad for £20 :D I will do the Slash amp next (and practice more, im well rusty at the moment :() http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBnkcVSfo10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan H Posted September 2, 2014 Share Posted September 2, 2014 Here's some micing tips... - Most mics (including the SM57) have what's called a "proximity effect". The closer it is to the sound source (the speaker, the voice ect.), the more bass response. I generally back a 57 about 1-2" away from the grille cloth depending on what volume I'm at. - Mic positioning has a huge influence on recorded tone. It looked like you had the mic dead-center on the speaker. This can work sometimes, but generally the sound you get can be kind of harsh and "papery". The closer you get to the edge of the speaker, the warmer the recorded tone gets. Take a flashlight and hold it up against the grille cloth to find the dust cap of the speaker. Move the 57 about 1-2" from either side of the dust cap and then aim it at the point where the dust cap meets the cone (so the mic is at an angle to the speaker). That's my starting point. If it's too bright or harsh, aim it closer to the edge of the cone. And vice versa if it's too warm. These are just basic guidelines; experiment how you like. Also, if your camera mic isn't clipping, consider blending about 10-20% of that with the 57. Might add a bit of depth. There are post-EQ tips I could give you, but I'd try the things I listed above before you start messing with EQ. -Ryan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bender 4 Life Posted September 2, 2014 Share Posted September 2, 2014 that's a versatile head you have there.....and for L20??? that's a win/win for sure! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badbluesplayer Posted September 2, 2014 Share Posted September 2, 2014 Sounds great! [thumbup] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabs Posted September 2, 2014 Author Share Posted September 2, 2014 Here's some micing tips... - Most mics (including the SM57) have what's called a "proximity effect". The closer it is to the sound source (the speaker, the voice ect.), the more bass response. I generally back a 57 about 1-2" away from the grille cloth depending on what volume I'm at. - Mic positioning has a huge influence on recorded tone. It looked like you had the mic dead-center on the speaker. This can work sometimes, but generally the sound you get can be kind of harsh and "papery". The closer you get to the edge of the speaker, the warmer the recorded tone gets. Take a flashlight and hold it up against the grille cloth to find the dust cap of the speaker. Move the 57 about 1-2" from either side of the dust cap and then aim it at the point where the dust cap meets the cone (so the mic is at an angle to the speaker). That's my starting point. If it's too bright or harsh, aim it closer to the edge of the cone. And vice versa if it's too warm. These are just basic guidelines; experiment how you like. Also, if your camera mic isn't clipping, consider blending about 10-20% of that with the 57. Might add a bit of depth. There are post-EQ tips I could give you, but I'd try the things I listed above before you start messing with EQ. -Ryan Thanks for the tips man... always appreciated As for post EQ work, well I can do that pretty good but I was hoping to get the most "real" sound possible and not have to mess with it in an editor after.. Or am I expecting too much? Whats odd about the clip I made is that when I listen to it through the PC speakers (laptop) it sounds pretty flat to me, but when I listen to it through my headphones then it actually sound pretty good and you can hear all of the changes like when I change the input from Bright to Normal, you can REALLY hear it.. What gets me is when I hear nice demos of tube amps and stuff they sound great through my PC speakers.. I can hear the extra creaminess.. or is that all post production? What im interested in is that when im ready to start selling guitars I want to be able to demo them and for people to get a good idea of the sound... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan H Posted September 2, 2014 Share Posted September 2, 2014 Thanks for the tips man... always appreciated As for post EQ work, well I can do that pretty good but I was hoping to get the most "real" sound possible and not have to mess with it in an editor after.. Or am I expecting too much? Whats odd about the clip I made is that when I listen to it through the PC speakers (laptop) it sounds pretty flat to me, but when I listen to it through my headphones then it actually sound pretty good and you can hear all of the changes like when I change the input from Bright to Normal, you can REALLY hear it.. What gets me is when I hear nice demos of tube amps and stuff they sound great through my PC speakers.. I can hear the extra creaminess.. or is that all post production? What im interested in is that when im ready to start selling guitars I want to be able to demo them and for people to get a good idea of the sound... I don't use post-EQ to make a guitar sound "better". I use it to make the recording sound truer to the sound in the room. Cutting everything below 90hz (unneeded rumble or boom), a dip around 250hz (the "cloud frequency")...basically just cleaning it up so you get more of guitar/amp and less of the mic's color. Sometimes I'll add just a touch of reverb if I don't have a room mic, since close-micing can sound a little dry. Just my experience though... -Ryan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabs Posted September 2, 2014 Author Share Posted September 2, 2014 I don't use post-EQ to make a guitar sound "better". I use it to make the recording sound truer to the sound in the room. Cutting everything below 90hz (unneeded rumble or boom), a dip around 250hz (the "cloud frequency")...basically just cleaning it up so you get more of guitar/amp and less of the mic's color. Sometimes I'll add just a touch of reverb if I don't have a room mic, since close-micing can sound a little dry. Just my experience though... -Ryan Yeah cool.. I hear what you are saying.. What I really should have done though is listen back through my headphones to see what the computer was hearing.. which I will do next time, at least to make sure I got the levels right first... All part of the fun :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
'Scales Posted September 2, 2014 Share Posted September 2, 2014 What im interested in is that when im ready to start selling guitars I want to be able to demo them and for people to get a good idea of the sound... Interesting point Rabs - for your selling demos are you going to get a Fender or similarly clean/quality reverb amp to use to demonstrate clean tones? Marshalls are great but to some degree you're only gonna get Marshall's take on what = 'clean' which may vary from some buyers' perspectives. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabs Posted September 2, 2014 Author Share Posted September 2, 2014 Interesting point Rabs - for your selling demos are you going to get a Fender or similarly clean/quality reverb amp to use to demonstrate clean tones? Marshalls are great but to some degree you're only gonna get Marshall's take on what = 'clean' which may vary from some buyers' perspectives. Yeah well we will see.. The Slash amp I have (which is my only tube amp) has some nice clean sounds and some reverb.. So I will see what happens when I get to that stage.. Otherwise im going to need a decent "work" amp.. lol, never thought id be saying that :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
'Scales Posted September 2, 2014 Share Posted September 2, 2014 ...tax deductions Rabs, tax deductions... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabs Posted September 2, 2014 Author Share Posted September 2, 2014 ...tax deductions Rabs, tax deductions... Lol.. yes I was gonna say that... Being self employed I can claim tax on any work related costs ... I will have to get a Les Paul Custom for research purposes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfpup Posted September 3, 2014 Share Posted September 3, 2014 ...tax deductions Rabs, tax deductions... Yes! In fact I think I really need a JTM45 to fully test my pedals... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobF_ Posted September 3, 2014 Share Posted September 3, 2014 You got a pretty darn good deal by the sound of it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabs Posted September 3, 2014 Author Share Posted September 3, 2014 You got a pretty darn good deal by the sound of it I did have to buy the cab of course.. but even that was half price from Ebay (compared to a new one)... So yeah.. Not bad all in all :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Posted September 4, 2014 Share Posted September 4, 2014 I did a quick demo today with my new setup of a Shure 57 going into a USB adapter (the Icicle)and recording direct to PC... And yeah I think it worked mostly apart from I reckon now that I had the mic too close to the speaker... Whats a good distance for the mic to be at? I did get a bunch of crackle that im sure wasn't there when I recorded it.. (which I mainly edited out anyway :)) I just tested that Marshall Amp I got at a boot sale.. Its not too bad for £20 :D I will do the Slash amp next (and practice more, im well rusty at the moment :() http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBnkcVSfo10 Ya know those Sony Playstation Rock Star usb mics, they work direct usb into a pc and while they're not good mics, they do work, cheap too. I was looking for a usb splitter to try a couple together ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan H Posted September 4, 2014 Share Posted September 4, 2014 Ya know those Sony Playstation Rock Star usb mics, they work direct usb into a pc and while they're not good mics, they do work, cheap too. I was looking for a usb splitter to try a couple together ... He's using a proper XLR mic (the famous Shure SM57) and an XLR-USB interface. Much better than any Sony USB mic :P -Ryan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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