|
Post by sparkey on Feb 22, 2024 15:57:33 GMT -6
is there any suggestions for recording an acoustic guitar as far as a solid state mic pre with a tube compressor for warmth and not to wooly sounding, or is a tube mic pre with tube compressor a good choice? or solid state mic pre with a solid state compressor just to hold it in place and give the track some mojo?
|
|
|
Post by andersmv on Feb 22, 2024 16:16:23 GMT -6
What mic are you starting with? What kind of guitar are you playing? Those two choices alone would determine like 90% of my choice to get that type of sound. After that, there's just WAY too many variables in the spectrum of sounds the preamp or compressor is going to impart. Regardless of what you choose, recording one of my Taylor guitars with a C12 style microphone is going to be totally different than a J45 with a ribbon mic. My API preamps are present but have a very slight "woolliness" to them on the top frequencies if you push the preamp hard. Right now, I'm demo'ing the new Heritage Grandchild tube compressor that's like a "fairchild lite". Since it's a 500 series unit, it's sitting in my API Console right now. I've done acoustic guitar a couple of time through the API Preamps and the Grandchild, it sounds really good. Present enough, it sounds glued together but not really over the top in any direction. The API preamps are fairly clean, and the Grandchild doesn't have a crazy amount of tube box tone. Not too much color from that combo overall, but it sounds nicely glued together with a present but polite top end. I could take an AEA TRP preamp that's super high impedance and pair it with a Manley Vair-Mu compressor and it would still sound quite colored even through the preamp is super clean. The Manley tube compressor is really colored and super mellow, things come out of that thing just sounding warm and different without applying any compression. Conversely, I could run into my Coil Audio CA-70 preamp that's tube and very large in the low end with a high end roll off, and run that into my API 527 compressor that's punchy and fast, but clean. That could theoretically get close to the TRP/Manley combination as you're going dark preamp/fast clean compressor as opposed to clean preamp/slow, grabby colored compressor. I think you catch my drift. There's just absolutely no way to give you an answer for that question in a generally way. I would guess that most of what you're trying to accomplish sound wise would start with instrument choice and mic pairing. Now, if you're stuck with just one specific guitar and one specific mic and you're looking for a preamp/compressor combo to shape that a certain way, you'll probably get a lot of great feedback from people. Be more specific, or I'm just going to tell you to buy a U87 and an Avalon channel strip
|
|
|
Post by sparkey on Feb 22, 2024 16:40:12 GMT -6
Using Schoeps cmc Mk4 pair or DPA 4011 Pair on a OM style guitar rosewood/Spruce top. Style is singer songwriter Music, Have the Coil 286's or CA70's, Buzz Ma2.2 or La chapell 992 EG, compressors Buzz DBC 20, Highland Dynamic BG2's or single Chandler Germanium Compressor. but prefer to record Dual Mono.
|
|
|
Post by bowie on Feb 22, 2024 16:45:55 GMT -6
Thinking about things as being solid state or tube is not something I recommend. You'll see online stores and content creators speaking in these terms for people new to the field because it's easy to digest. And, and there was a time, a few decades ago, where there was a distinct line between the two. With modern gear, there's no such thing. Some of the most colorful mic pres and mics I've ever owned have been solid state. The cleanest EQs and mic pres I've owned have been tube. You are much better off evaluating each piece of gear for what it is, in practice, not in theory. Hell, we even have accurate sounding ribbon mics these days so the stereotypes just don't work like they used to.
Also, I find a lot of new engineers try to figure it all out on paper. Adding a warm __ + a clean ___ = balanced tone. It really doesn't work as we're dealing in music and tastes vary wildly. Your ideal acoustic sound isn't the same as mine, or the next guy. I always recommend listening to your recordings and making decisions based on where you want to go from there. Do you need more overtones and "warmth"? Maybe a faster response and more top end detail? Knowing where you are at and where you want to go lets you make better gear choices rather than following rules that have no substance.
I hope that doesn't sound presumptuous or condescending. It's just a conversation I have a lot with people as much of the info out there can be confusing and conflicting.
|
|
|
Post by niklas1073 on Feb 22, 2024 16:46:45 GMT -6
My go to is 1073 into la2a. As late as today I tracked acoustics that way. Never gets wooly, but the sound depends usually on the mic choice for me, earlier this week I used a soyuz 1973 and today I tracked with some scd’s. Sometimes I go for ribbons. The sound varies from fairly bright with scd to fairly rolled off with a ribbon and everything in between, but never wooly. But I shure believe many would call the sound warm.
|
|
|
Post by notneeson on Feb 22, 2024 17:34:36 GMT -6
Thinking about things as being solid state or tube is not something I recommend. You'll see online stores and content creators speaking in these terms for people new to the field because it's easy to digest. And, and there was a time, a few decades ago, where there was a distinct line between the two. With modern gear, there's no such thing. Some of the most colorful mic pres and mics I've ever owned have been solid state. The cleanest EQs and mic pres I've owned have been tube. You are much better off evaluating each piece of gear for what it is, in practice, not in theory. Hell, we even have accurate sounding ribbon mics these days so the stereotypes just don't work like they used to. Also, I find a lot of new engineers try to figure it all out on paper. Adding a warm __ + a clean ___ = balanced tone. It really doesn't work as we're dealing in music and tastes vary wildly. Your ideal acoustic sound isn't the same as mine, or the next guy. I always recommend listening to your recordings and making decisions based on where you want to go from there. Do you need more overtones and "warmth"? Maybe a faster response and more top end detail? Knowing where you are at and where you want to go lets you make better gear choices rather than following rules that have no substance. I hope that doesn't sound presumptuous or condescending. It's just a conversation I have a lot with people as much of the info out there can be confusing and conflicting. I love this comment. Try stuff! Jettison the theoretical signal chain when (at least some of) it doesn't pan out. FWIW, not compressing acoustic guitar is a helluva good option. If you're asking, and it seems like you are, which compressor is good for acoustic: no compressor should be given equal weight as a choice.
|
|
|
Post by Shadowk on Feb 22, 2024 17:55:59 GMT -6
is there any suggestions for recording an acoustic guitar as far as a solid state mic pre with a tube compressor for warmth and not to wooly sounding, or is a tube mic pre with tube compressor a good choice? or solid state mic pre with a solid state compressor just to hold it in place and give the track some mojo? Just pick any decent mic amp with a transformer in it, API, SH, RND, GR and it will cover you for absolutely anything. Avoid tube preamps with tube mic's, too much of a good thing and for comps demo some, find out what pleases you.. That's all there is to it.
|
|
|
Post by bubblejackets on Feb 23, 2024 0:37:32 GMT -6
But I SHURE believe many would call the sound WARM. Well played haha?
|
|
|
Post by frans on Feb 23, 2024 4:42:42 GMT -6
Duh. For me, close up mics on an acoustic guitar can be tricky. Let's assume the guitar sounds perfect and the player is doing a good job. You have good mics. So what role does the instrument play in the song? (think theater) Lead? Support? Extra? That would guide my choice if i wanted it to sound big, bold, detailed, in-yer-face-5-inches-away... or less "icky", relaxed, maybe a little blurry for depth of field. I have a tube pre that can be clean and quiet if you don't tickle the needle too much. Gain staging into it is already a bit compression for the peaks if i want to. Otherwise i could use a slower slew rate old germanium transistor thingy, that one sounds a bit "harder" (less airbag for peaks) but still full and bright but without little "icks" that tape would just have swallowed but digital preserves. Or something transistor, still with a transformer input, because it's a close mic and close mics can sound unnatural because being to close and you just have to do mix things to counter it. or... or... Tube? Transistor? ICs? Shrug... it's art.
|
|
|
Post by sparkey on Feb 23, 2024 12:38:10 GMT -6
well i played around with so many combo's for strummed acoustic guitar. So far I think the Coil 286 mono with a schoeps Mk4 cardiod capsule, through the rupert neve 542 tape simulator in silk red, with a double tracked guitar, mic angled at the 12th fret is sounding best. the coil for some reason sounds very even and does not need a compressor to hold in place,what a great mic pre.
|
|
|
Post by thehightenor on Feb 23, 2024 13:28:40 GMT -6
is there any suggestions for recording an acoustic guitar as far as a solid state mic pre with a tube compressor for warmth and not to wooly sounding, or is a tube mic pre with tube compressor a good choice? or solid state mic pre with a solid state compressor just to hold it in place and give the track some mojo? I use my Shoeps MK4 with a Millennia STT-1 and it sounds really great with either the solid state or tube pre options. For a more R&R sound I'll use a BAE 1073. I don't tend to use my Coil CA-70 unless I wanted something a bit more blended and less defined. There's so many options and combinations of mic, pre, compressor and of course guitar!
|
|
|
Post by gravesnumber9 on Feb 23, 2024 13:37:24 GMT -6
Unpopular opinion coming up... the sound you're looking for is probably just a little LPF and then a transparent compressor. I hate the sound of over treated acoustic guitars and my guess is that if you're looking for a warmer sounding acoustic, you probably are in the same range of what I'm usually going for.
I've said it before though... I can hardly think of an instrument whose "sound" is more taste based than acoustic guitar. One person's "perfect" is another person's "oh my God, that's awful."
So a good place to start would be an example of what you like in acoustic guitars.
|
|
|
Post by ab101 on Feb 23, 2024 14:34:41 GMT -6
With a rosewood om, it might be nice and rich as is. I would start with the dpas and buzz pre.
You have great equipment, so you can experiment from there!
|
|