Tech: Some recording help suggestion - olddude

Subject: RE: Tech: Some recording help suggestion - olddude
From: olddude
Date: 06 Jan 10 - 12:48 PM

Nuts is the right word Jerry, I am going to let it sit for a bit cause I am getting a headache trying to work out the details. I don't know why I am doing it actually since I give away any cd I do make and mainly they are for my kids. Your handful of songs really hit home to me. After I am gone I want my grand kids to know the songs of the family so I work at getting them right.

Thanks so much my friends
DAn

Subject: RE: Tech: Some recording help suggestion - olddude
From: GUEST,matt milton
Date: 06 Jan 10 - 12:55 PM

"All of us are guilty on occasion of fluctuating volume and attack when we sing. Last time I checked, we were all human. Recordings aren't human. There's the rub. You have to be completely consistent in your attack and phrasing for two and a half or three minutes. It's amazing how hard that can be sometimes. :-)"

well, yes, but if you're playing solo you can afford to be a fair bit inconsistent. I mean, consistency of phrasing never bothered the majority of the great bluesmen. And of course there's always compression that can be used to iron out any wild leaps in volume.

It's definitely worth trying to be ultra-consistent if you're going to be overdubbing a harmony vocal. Or if other people are harmonizing with you.

Regarding the vocals generally, one thing you might like to try, Dan, is duplicating the vocal part in your software, and panning each vocal part hard left and right. Then try adding a very small delay (between 20 and 70ms, say) to one of them. The two duplicates have to be panned quite severely, or they will start to phase (being identical). But the ear should hear them as being in the centre.

On headphones, the effect might sound slightly artificial, but on speakers it may well make the vocals sound smooth and thick. You don't "need" to do this - I think the vocals sound good - but it's a trick worth knowing about.

Subject: RE: Tech: Some recording help suggestion - olddude
From: olddude
Date: 06 Jan 10 - 01:01 PM

Holy Cow Matt never thought of that, ahhhhh great Idea thank you thank you ....

Subject: RE: Tech: Some recording help suggestion - olddude
From: Ebbie
Date: 06 Jan 10 - 01:18 PM

I like your Katie's Song very much, old dude.

Subject: RE: Tech: Some recording help suggestion - olddude
From: olddude
Date: 06 Jan 10 - 01:28 PM

thank you Ebbie, now if I can balance it better ... trying to get a new CD for the kids. Wrote some new songs just trying to record better it is a very hard task to do for me ... When I get it done I will give everyone a copy like before, hopefully it will be a better sounding CD

I appreciate your kindness my dear friend

Dan

Subject: RE: Tech: Some recording help suggestion - olddude
From: olddude
Date: 06 Jan 10 - 02:45 PM

Last one St. James Infirmary had the guitar blasting and the vocals low so I did this as a test, trying to balance the guitar and the voice without overdoing either ... I am no singer . I tried Matts suggestion with the panning ... cool idea Matt thank you

St. James Infirmary

thanks for all the kind help, you folks really put me on the right track, now I gotta work on my phrasing ... this dang Pittsburgh accent of mine gets in the way of lyrics all the time LOL

Dan

Subject: RE: Tech: Some recording help suggestion - olddude
From: JohnB
Date: 06 Jan 10 - 07:03 PM

St James is definitely getting closer.
It still has a bit of a boomy sound to the guitar. If you can get hold of a dynamic instrument mike, a Shure SM57 would be great, anything half decent anyhow, aim it at the twelth fret, angled towards the top of the guitar (not at the soundhole) and move the condenser mike at least three feet away and use a blend of the two. Or just angle the condenser away from the soundhole as much as you can.
The vocals still need to be closer for me, place the mike no more than about 10 inches from your mouth with a pop screen about 2 inches away (someone mentioned this earlier) and stay right on it.
If you don't have a pop screen make one from an old pair of tights and a coat hanger, embroidery frame or such.
If you are bothered about change in vocal levels you need a "compressor" they ALL use one, just don't overdo it or you may end up sounding like Cher when you get into the vocoder and pitch correction machines/software.
Most of all keep it up it's well worth it.
Heck when we all get your CD sounding great, we may get the urge ourselves to do something half as good.
JohnB.

Subject: RE: Tech: Some recording help suggestion - olddude
From: olddude
Date: 06 Jan 10 - 07:25 PM

John
thank you my friend, great suggestions. i been placing the mike right over the hole, never thought about it, thank you i will give it a try what you suggested. i got the windscreen about 8 inches away and i am about a foot or more from the mike so this info is a big help

thank you
Dan

Subject: RE: Tech: Some recording help suggestion - olddude
From: olddude
Date: 06 Jan 10 - 08:56 PM

John
changed the position of the guitar on the mike and moved close to the mike for voice

Jelly Jelly Jelly

Subject: RE: Tech: Some recording help suggestion - olddude
From: olddude
Date: 18 Jan 10 - 12:19 PM

My friends is this one better balanced, still working on it, I think I tamed down the geetar. gotta smooth out the picking on this, Just testing my setting on the recorder

In the Jailhouse Now

Thanks much
Dan

Subject: RE: Tech: Some recording help suggestion - olddude
From: GUEST,JohnB
Date: 19 Jan 10 - 09:59 AM

Now you are getting there, with the recording stuff that is.
The voice and guitar always had the potential, nice relaxed sound.
So now you have to get nit-picky.
Watch your endings on the recording, your guitar has a lovely looong decay that you don't want to clip the end off, count to 5 or even longer and then turn off the machine. If you still have lost a bit do a short fadeout over the last second or two.
IF you want more perfection, try working with a "click track" it's like a metronome and would keep you bang on the timing (that is unless you ignore it sometimes, which I know I do)
Keep it up, JohnB.

Subject: RE: Tech: Some recording help suggestion - olddude
From: olddude
Date: 19 Jan 10 - 10:07 AM

THANK YOU JOHN!!

Subject: RE: Tech: Some recording help suggestion - olddude
From: olddude
Date: 16 Feb 10 - 08:56 PM

My friends,
Maybe just maybe I finally figured it out, is this recording ok for the press yet? Is it in balance now my friends. Just re-recorded "Chasing the Wind"

Chasing the Wind

Subject: RE: Tech: Some recording help suggestion - olddude
From: olddude
Date: 17 Feb 10 - 04:45 PM

I pushed the vocals way ahead on "Gonna see my baby tonight" also

I am going to get this recording stuff down if it kills me ... probably will LOL

Gonna See my Baby Tonight