Lars68 Posted August 1, 2017 Share Posted August 1, 2017 I've been away traveling, without access to my beloved guitars for a while. So instead of playing I've been spending some time online searching for equipment to improve the sound quality and flexibility of my iPad / Garageband recordings. Before the iPad, I used to record with a cheap condenser mic on a laptop. The recording quality was better than I get now using the iPad with an Apogee mic, but it was too much hassle and too many technical issues. Also, getting everything up and running on a computer shared by four family members was not easy. Using an iPad and the Apogee mic, on the other hand, is outstanding for a simple, super fast, practice recording tool, but when I got them five years ago, I had to give up some flexibility and sound quality, compared to the condenser and laptop, that I hope to regain now that iPad recording gear has become incresingly popular and more options are available. I'm also looking to achieve simultaneous two track recording. I seem to be able to sing and play better when I do it at once. I've read from several sources online that the best combination for simultaneous recording of voice and guitar, is to combine a dynamic mic (like an sm-57 / 58) pointing up at the mouth, with a condenser mic pointing down at the guitar. This to get the least bleed possible. The voice, apparently, does not lose as much in quality by using a dynamic mic, as the guitar would. Unfortunately, I sold my cheap condenser mic when getting the iPad, because at the time it was not possible to connect it. I do have an old sm-57 lying around. So I set out to find a good condenser at a reasonable price, and a device to put between the two mics and the iPad as a preamp and xlr to lightning converter. After searching a while I have these two on order for a tryout: Aston Origin condenser mic. Aston is a new company designing and building mics out of England. Here is a very interesting blind test of the mic with other more expensive ones. By the way, this is an outstanding way to put together a blind test. Very well done. I wish guitar tests could be done in this fashion. Here is the preamp link between mics (and or guitar, keyboards etc) and iPad. Seems easy enough... I hope to give these things a test run sometime next week. Hopefully they will enable me to improve the sound quality of my recordings and be a good way to use "real mics", while maintainin most of the fantastic ease of use with iPad / Garageband. I guess I will find out how it works soon enough. If it works, there will for sure be nothing left to hide behind, it will be all up to my voice and guitar. Oh well... Does anyone have experience with either of these two products, or can give any pointers as how to best record voice and guitar at once, using two mics? Lars Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theflyingturtle Posted August 2, 2017 Share Posted August 2, 2017 Sorry Lars, I don't have anything to help you. I bought a simple handheld 4 track recorder and never could figure it out. I just bought my wife a new Apple laptop with Garage Band so maybe one day. I just wanted to say that I have been doing something similar. I have exhausted every possibility I know of to find a vintage Gibson with no luck so I decided to finish my pedal board instead. It has been good for me to take a break from the hunt. Lars, did you get the copy of To Live is to Fly I sent you? It was such a good song I have included into my own set list. Thanks for introducing me to that artist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
62burst Posted August 2, 2017 Share Posted August 2, 2017 Finally had a chance to get further into the mic test- for those wanting to jump to the section where they’re all a/b’ed in rapid succession, t = 8:23. The vocal test that followed was a bit reminiscent of Tenacious D. Relieved, however, to hear that my fave was not the ultra-spendy Neumann U 87. Biggest surprise was the disappointing tone of the guitar- maybe I’ve gotten hooked on the Gibson sound, or they’ve rescued the briny box from Jinder’s One Guitar Island thread. As Lars had said, it would also be interesting to see how a rapid-change test of guitars would work in a blind test, switching back and forth. . . short samplings of each in the test. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lars68 Posted August 2, 2017 Author Share Posted August 2, 2017 Sorry Lars, I don't have anything to help you. I bought a simple handheld 4 track recorder and never could figure it out. I just bought my wife a new Apple laptop with Garage Band so maybe one day. I just wanted to say that I have been doing something similar. I have exhausted every possibility I know of to find a vintage Gibson with no luck so I decided to finish my pedal board instead. It has been good for me to take a break from the hunt. Lars, did you get the copy of To Live is to Fly I sent you? It was such a good song I have included into my own set list. Thanks for introducing me to that artist. A vintage Gibson is worth waiting for. A good one will come to you eventually. I got the song, thanks! (Sent a reply to your e-mail, but it bounced back. Inbox full?). Townes van Zandt is indeed an exceptional artist, and I'll do my best to do his song justice. I have set up a goal for myself this coming fall. I will set out to make simple, yet clean, recordings of the twelve songs I've written, meaning the singing should be in tune all the way through, the guitar should be without mistakes, and the recording full and natural sounding. I hope this goal is within reach, but time will tell. I keep my fingers crossed for the gear I have coming in to be what I'm hoping for, and that the only weak link will be me... 62burst, yes that mic test should be the blueprint for guitar evaluation too. A little more complex to achieve, but doable for sure. Lars Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theflyingturtle Posted August 3, 2017 Share Posted August 3, 2017 A vintage Gibson is worth waiting for. A good one will come to you eventually. I got the song, thanks! (Sent a reply to your e-mail, but it bounced back. Inbox full?). Townes van Zandt is indeed an exceptional artist, and I'll do my best to do his song justice. I have set up a goal for myself this coming fall. I will set out to make simple, yet clean, recordings of the twelve songs I've written, meaning the singing should be in tune all the way through, the guitar should be without mistakes, and the recording full and natural sounding. I hope this goal is within reach, but time will tell. I keep my fingers crossed for the gear I have coming in to be what I'm hoping for, and that the only weak link will be me... 62burst, yes that mic test should be the blueprint for guitar evaluation too. A little more complex to achieve, but doable for sure. Lars Great! I like your plan. I'm in if you need me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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