Members Funkwave Posted May 17, 2015 Members Share Posted May 17, 2015 Hey Guys, Need some advice. I'm going to be recording a song with violin and acoustic guitar. The mics currently at my disposal are a Rode NT1-A, Audix ADX-51, Sure 57 and 58... What would be the best way to go about it? Thanks in advance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members WRGKMC Posted May 18, 2015 Members Share Posted May 18, 2015 Acoustic violin is a tough one to record. I don't think a dynamic mic would work very well because it looses allot of low end as you move away and playing the instrument close enough to one to get the bass response is really tough playing that instrument. Plus it tends to pick up too much bow scratch with a close mic. I have a really dead studio with practically no reflection and I wasn't able to get what I wanted using a bunch of different mics, positions etc. I was having to EQ the hell out of it to cut down the bow scratch and in turn that made it sound scooped in weird ways. I eventually installed a piezo bridge and got much better results. Then I bought one of those $100 electric violin with the built in preamp voiced for violin and it sounded really good, much better then anything I was getting from a mic. I think If I had used a condenser mic in a better room, keeping the mic farther away where it picked up both direct and some room reflection I think the timber would be much better and require less EQ. A dry room like I have doesn't work out so hot. Maybe a ribbon mic with a strong preamp might work better because it natural high end roll off would work better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 Violin can sound really nice when recorded with a ribbon mic. I like the Beyer M160 a lot for that. It's such a great mic. But going with what you have, and assuming you're planning on using the Audix on the acoustic, that leaves the Rode for the violin. A LDC can work, but it's going to be brighter and somewhat less forgiving than a ribbon. The key is - get it sounding good to you in the room - then work on capturing that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 I'm assuming you're planning on recording both players simultaneously... is that correct? Where will you be tracking it at? Do you have a decent sounding room to work with? Just as important - how are the players? Are they pretty decent? Will you have any opportunities for pre-recording session run-throughs / tests / rehearsals? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Funkwave Posted May 19, 2015 Author Members Share Posted May 19, 2015 Yes, I plan on recording the players simulaneously and they are very polished performers. I will certainly have some pre-test and run through time. If it is imperative that I use a certaim mic for certain instruments, I can always use 1 player as a scratch track and re-do the take with the proper mic but that will kill the emotion of the live performance experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Funkwave Posted May 19, 2015 Author Members Share Posted May 19, 2015 BTW. The room does not have any particular harsh sounding spots. My GIK panels pretty much absorb any reflections or tonal problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 Yeah, on a duet or something that intimate, I'd be very hesitant to do it separately - far better to record the two of them simultaneously if you can. As you said, you'll get the musical interaction between the musicians that way. Do you have a couple of gobos? I'm not sure if the acoustic is going to be played fingerstyle or not, but even strummed, an acoustic can have a hard time keeping up with a violin at full throttle, and you may need to use some good baffling between the two to help increase isolation a bit... although isolation is never going to be all that great no matter what you do short of moving them to different rooms, which runs contrary to the whole idea of tracking them together unless you've got lots of glass and great sight lines in between those rooms so they can see each other as they record... If you don't have any gobos, but you have a few extra boom mic stands you won't be needing at the session, run down to Harbor Freight and buy a few moving blankets. They usually sell them for under ten bucks a piece. Position the boom stand so it forms a "T" shape, and drape the moving blanket over the horizontal boom arm. Place around the acoustic guitarist and his/her mic to help isolate it a bit and lower the level of the violin bleed. I'd go for the typical 1 foot (or less) away from the 12th - 14th fret approach to miking up the acoustic, and I'd use the Audix for that. Use the Rode for the violin. Put it and the player as far away from the guitar as possible, acoustical / sonic concerns and room dimensions permitting. Don't try to get the mic in really close - move it back a few feet from the fiddle. You're going to have to experiment with distance and placement to see what sounds best in your individual room, but don't be surprised if you wind up with the mic placed five or six feet away from the instrument. Use the null point of this mic to your advantage and aim it towards the acoustic guitar so that the bleed from the acoustic is minimized in the violin mic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Funkwave Posted May 22, 2015 Author Members Share Posted May 22, 2015 Thanks WRG and Phil. A lot of great hints and tricks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted May 25, 2015 Share Posted May 25, 2015 Again, if you can do the recording in a good sounding and fairly "live" room, the violin will greatly benefit. The goboes / moving blankets set up around the acoustic will help to give it a drier sound, which you might also prefer. Please let us know how it turns out. We'd love to hear what you come up with once it's done if you don't mind sharing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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