blindboygrunt Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 I posted an example of what me and the j45 sound like with my new toy ,a USB interface, at the weekend just past. Little thing works well and is a lot of fun . the piezo I find ,well, piezoish , so I have ordered a cable to enable (im a poet) me to do more but with the guitar miked. Just wondering, for a headstart, what effects make a nice guitar sound more nice. Maybe no effects should be the answer? I'm just sitting in a dining room so just a little tweaking to help with warmth in the guitar sound.... what do you guys add in the mix? I'm a total beginner at these DAW programmes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
62burst Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 A vote here for no reverb/processing. Change or modify the room, or play into something; acoustical, a corner.. experiment a bit. The naturally intimate sound of the J-45 is one of its more endearing qualities. Plus, we' re all fans of the acoustic sound here- give it to us straight up. In giving your initial recording a re-listen... what's not to like? Yes, looking forward to hearing v2 with a nice mic. No reverb is also more fitting the song, too. Flatbaroque has a nice sounding room he records in. Just a nice natural reverb sound. It's enjoyable to picture the room where the song was recorded. Not so much with the effects chain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MorrisrownSal Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 I find the mic makes a big difference. I am someone who likes it as simple as possible. I have always been using an Apogee MiC, and recently got a Blue Yeti. I find that the Yeti can't touch the quality of the MiC. I was surprised at the difference. Maybe I just have to learn how to use it more, but right now I am thinking of just selling it. I don't want to "learn more" about that side of the hobby. At least not now. Of course, its even better (and more complicated) to get those real non-USB acoustic mics like those used by Big Thumb, and use an interface into a computer, but for my simple needs I have found the Apogee Mic is quite good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tpbiii Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 I am an acoustic freak. I work really hard to get faithful sound reproduction. In my case, it is a bit odd because I am now considered (at my advanced age) one of the pioneers of DSP, and I am well aware people often prefer modified sound. For me acoustic music is for fun and stress relief, and sound processing is the work from which I need stress relief. Let's pick, -Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blindboygrunt Posted January 14, 2015 Author Share Posted January 14, 2015 I'm finding the opposite Tom. It may wane in time, but I'm enjoying messing around with the recording software. I have close to no clue what I'm doing though. Sal , I thought the apogee thing was an interface that enabled mics to be connected..... While not a yeti mic , i was using a Samson usb mic previously , and while it was better than the phone mic I used previous to that, it doesn't come close to the interface and my shure mic I can use now. And that's with a cheapo interface. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fretplay Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 The mic position is important. Set it eight inches of the bridge (not off the sound hole) and if you can, record directly into the interface as well. This will give you two tracks which you can mix with the mic as the lead sound. A little chorus and reverb to taste is nice too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blindboygrunt Posted January 14, 2015 Author Share Posted January 14, 2015 The mic position is important. Set it eight inches of the bridge (not off the sound hole) and if you can, record directly into the interface as well. This will give you two tracks which you can mix with the mic as the lead sound. A little chorus and reverb to taste is nice too. I'll try that ... The most common place is about 8 inches off the twelfth fret. Never heard about putting it near the bridge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littlejohnny Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 Don't know what software you are using, but guess most of them will have some kind of compressor plug-in. Most acoustic guitars you hear on professional productions most certainly are compressed more or less. Recordings from the good old days even have the typical compression produced by the recording device (tape compression). Though its useful to understand how a compressor works, look if your compressor plug-in has presets, choose an acoustic guitar or vocal preset and work your way from there. And yeah, to much compression really sucks, but I guess you'll hear that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MorrisrownSal Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 This is the one Grunt... http://www.apogeedigital.com/products/mic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blindboygrunt Posted January 14, 2015 Author Share Posted January 14, 2015 Ah ! I had wrongly assumed that you used an interface for your recordings. Youre getting Much better quality than the Samson USB mic I had with that apogee. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin 1940D28 Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 tpbiii, You must remember, many of these folks have never been without a television or electricity. Not many remember kerosine lamps or candles for lighting, after the sun had set, or a windup "victrola". I really don't know if'n they are the lucky ones. I do know We, meaning ourselves, can survive without television, as a means of entertainment, or most of the other so called necessities. By the way, I do have several "electric" guitars and played them in my younger days. Sorry for the rant, guess they are the lucky ones. DJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drathbun Posted January 15, 2015 Share Posted January 15, 2015 This is my current acoustic guitar recording setup: Rode M5 Stereo matched pair cardioid condensers Rode Stereo bar spaced at 20cm Rode pivot adapter Mics placed about 8" away from the guitar Mic 1 pointed at the 14th fret Mic 2 pointed at the 4th fret Resulting stereo mix panned 60 degrees (30d left and 30d right) Here is the video from Rode that I used as a guide: http://www.rodemic.com/tv/jU72s7UvRIw Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayyj Posted January 15, 2015 Share Posted January 15, 2015 With acoustic instruments I try as much as possible to avoid using eq until I'm mixing - if it doesn't sound right I'll always change a mic position before touching the eq. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blindboygrunt Posted January 15, 2015 Author Share Posted January 15, 2015 With acoustic instruments I try as much as possible to avoid using eq until I'm mixing - if it doesn't sound right I'll always change a mic position before touching the eq. Until mixing ? I can only do anything with effects after the fact anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rustystrings Posted January 15, 2015 Share Posted January 15, 2015 I have been really happy with the recorded sound I get by placing a large condenser mic about 10-12 inches from the soundboard, aimed for the area below the bridge. I've been using this method with my J-45 and my Kremona classical and getting really nice, rich sounds that work well as the only accompaniment for a voice. If I was doing a lot of overdubs, I might prefer the canonical "aim at the 12th fret" position for more string sound and cut. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blindboygrunt Posted January 15, 2015 Author Share Posted January 15, 2015 I have been really happy with the recorded sound I get by placing a large condenser mic about 10-12 inches from the soundboard, aimed for the area below the bridge. I've been using this method with my J-45 and my Kremona classical and getting really nice, rich sounds that work well as the only accompaniment for a voice. If I was doing a lot of overdubs, I might prefer the canonical "aim at the 12th fret" position for more string sound and cut. Any examples available from you guys ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drathbun Posted January 15, 2015 Share Posted January 15, 2015 Any examples available from you guys ? Here is my Martin 000-17sm recorded with the Rode M5 match pair with the setup as mentioned above. I did pan the L/R hard right and left for the mix though. Scarborough Fair Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayyj Posted January 16, 2015 Share Posted January 16, 2015 Until mixing ? I can only do anything with effects after the fact anyway. Yeah - my reasoning is the mic's job to capture the sound of an instrument, so if a guitar sounds good to your ears when you play it but lacking or unbalanced when you hear it back on a recording then there's a problem in how you're using the mic. A few minutes changing the position is more likely to get the result I want than trying to artificially fix the sound on the desk. I used to do a yearly session where I'd spend the week with a group of music students learning to record acoustic instruments - the tutor would give them a dozen different mics - U87s, C414s, generally good quality stuff - but he had a 'no eq under any circumstances' rule for them, so everything was down to picking the best mic then finding the best location for it. It was a bit hard for me because the college had a beautiful old Neve desk that I was always dying to put through its paces! But the students always got good results and it was a helpful lesson for me to learn as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blindboygrunt Posted January 16, 2015 Author Share Posted January 16, 2015 Thanks jay. I wouldn't be a huge fan of processed music , its not whatvim interested in. I'll mess around with mic placements first and foremost. I don't have fancy mics but I'll work with what I've got and see what happens. I'm sure you've seen it , but when you mentioned the neve desk makes me want to be sure you've seen the Dave grohl documentary about the one he now owns and his journey of acquiring it. Brilliant film. Anyone else with an interest in music through the years should give it a whirl too. Thanks for the words of wisdom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fsharp Posted January 16, 2015 Share Posted January 16, 2015 Has anyone had any experience with recording from an amp? I have Fender Acoustasonic Jr. with a line out. I've got a computer with a soundblaster card that will take either digital or analog in and save it. I've used the audio card to make digital recordings of my vinyl records and those have come out very well, but I've never figured out any way to record my guitar. I've read somewhere that most people stick a mic in front of the amp rather than directly taking the signal. I'm not looking to make professional level recordings and I really don't want to spend much money - just hoping for a reasonably simple way to do it. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drathbun Posted January 16, 2015 Share Posted January 16, 2015 Has anyone had any experience with recording from an amp? I have Fender Acoustasonic Jr. with a line out. I've got a computer with a soundblaster card that will take either digital or analog in and save it. I've used the audio card to make digital recordings of my vinyl records and those have come out very well, but I've never figured out any way to record my guitar. I've read somewhere that most people stick a mic in front of the amp rather than directly taking the signal. I'm not looking to make professional level recordings and I really don't want to spend much money - just hoping for a reasonably simple way to do it. Thanks. You'll get better results from sticking the mic in front of the acoustic rather than mic'ing an Acoustasonic amp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fsharp Posted January 16, 2015 Share Posted January 16, 2015 Doug- I was really hoping to be able to run a line from the amp line out directly into the sound card line in (and avoid buying a mic at all). Probably not reasonable. By the way - I really liked the sound you got on your recording. If you don't mind me asking, how do get the signal from your mic's onto (I assume) a hard drive somewhere? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayyj Posted January 16, 2015 Share Posted January 16, 2015 Thanks jay. I wouldn't be a huge fan of processed music , its not whatvim interested in. I'll mess around with mic placements first and foremost. I don't have fancy mics but I'll work with what I've got and see what happens. I'm sure you've seen it , but when you mentioned the neve desk makes me want to be sure you've seen the Dave grohl documentary about the one he now owns and his journey of acquiring it. Brilliant film. Anyone else with an interest in music through the years should give it a whirl too. Thanks for the words of wisdom. I've not yet, no, but it's on the list! There was a fantastic Sound on Sound interview with Dave and Butch Vig a couple of years back about producing a Foo Fighters album using purely vintage technology - can't say the Foo Fighters have ever been a favourite of mine but reading that left me with a lot of respect for the guy. He clearly has a passion for recording. I loved that Butch wanted to back up everything to Protools for fear of anything going wrong with the elderly tape reels they had and Dave decided it wouldn't be in the spirit of the recording ànd banned any computers from the studio until they'd finished. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blindboygrunt Posted January 16, 2015 Author Share Posted January 16, 2015 I'm no big fan of foo fighters either. It's just a great film. I'm now a big fan of his. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fretplay Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 I'll try that ... The most common place is about 8 inches off the twelfth fret. Never heard about putting it near the bridge. Yes give it a try. I was advised on it from one of the guys in a guitar shop and I've been pleased with the result. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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