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Thread: Single Mic Recording

  1. #1

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    Default Single Mic Recording

    One of my band mates introduced the thought of single mic recording to us. Its what was done with swing music and most current live radio shows. It sounds a bit difficult to me what happens is we set up one mic in the center of the room and we(the 4 of us) play and record the sound moving people closer if they aren't as loud or turning their amps up.

    My concerns are because i play VERY heavy and VERY loud, but the amps and gear my band uses is all top of the line. Now, this may seem like gibberish to you all because im going to list the equipment the guitarists and bassist are using, but this is all very nice, very loud stuff.

    We have:
    Fender Telecaster w/ 50watt Orange amp
    Gibson Les Paul Custom w/ 100watt Marshall half stack
    Fender Jazz Bass w/ 300watt Ashdown amp
    Gretsch Renown Maple

    Have any of you tried this type of recording? if not, what do you think of it?

  2. #2

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    Default Re: Single Mic Recording

    If you have a nice mix in the room then the recording will turn out fine.

  3. #3

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    It will sound muddy.

  4. #4

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    Quote Originally Posted by nucjd View Post
    It will sound muddy.
    Thanks for the reply nucjd and NR!

    Thats what i'm thinking it will sound like. have you tried it?

  5. #5

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    Default Re: Single Mic Recording

    I have not tried it, however my brother who is a mixing engineer has let me listen to tracks which were done in a similar fashion. People will bring in CDs, and tracks hoping he can improve it. They usually sound pretty bad. The big problem is you can't isolate frequencies and eq out the frequencies that are overlapping causing the muddy sound. Also, remember the mic plays a huge role. An Sm57 has a different frequency spectrum than an I5 which is different compared to a D6. They are all important in sound and and will not capture sound accurately when used for the wrong application. All in all, you probably will be disappointed.

  6. #6

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    Not muddy at all.

    2 sm57's thats all.

    [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApYNKDtMN-c"]YouTube- Summertime Blues[/ame]

  7. #7

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    Well, I guess it depends on what you are going for. IMHO, it is good and the licks are nice, but it is muddy. No way around. When I listen to it I here the ride cymbal/ crash cymbal overriding everything including the vocals and lead guitar in the mix. When I really listen I can here the snare. I do not really pic up the bass drum or bass guitar. It is a function of the Sm57. The frequency range will not pic up the bass frequency well. If you are going for the live recording venue sound then it will do just fine, however for recording a track for demo etc then it sounds muddy. Just my opinion. I am not trying to come off as difficult just supporting my angle on this. BTW, I listened through my High end iso headphones, not computer speakers.
    Again good stuff NR keep it up.

  8. #8

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    Default Re: Single Mic Recording

    loud and 1 mic dont mix

  9. #9

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    Default Re: Single Mic Recording

    Why does everyone think you need a slick FM quality demo?
    You really dont, club owners want to know what your band sounds like live, not how good of a producer you can hire.

  10. #10
    Larrysperf Guest

    Default Re: Single Mic Recording

    I think it sound dam good,and for one mike well ,pretty dam good lol
    I liked it sounds great to me. Rock and roll is good always. Also I can hear his snare cymbals , Bass and guitar, and lead singer comes threw ok.

  11. #11

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    I actually did some experimenting last night with a single Audix i5 about 6 feet in front of the drums, 5 feet off the floor, and angled down right at the tom mount on the bass drum, just a hair to the snare side of the kit. I added an EQ boost at 70Hz and some compression on my DAW. The quality was good enough for a demo to give to a club booker, but still far from ideal. It'd probably be better with a decent quality condenser mic instead of a dynamic.
    Mmm... Saturns.

  12. #12

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    Default Re: Single Mic Recording

    I think its Zoom who makes those omni directional mics that sound fantastic. You can pick on up for like $200(US). i think its the zoom H2?

    My band used a yamaha pockettracG2 for awhile.(not near as nice as the zoom h2, because the zoom is a mic and recorder in 1.)


    myspace.com/sundayssecret listen to the song Not Everything's Right(Demo) to get an idea of the pocket track with amps and drums and all. and the acoustic stuff was done with it to except for "promise" and "another doesnt make a difference". and other than that we used our new PA to the 1/8" input on a laptop.
    -Steven

  13. #13

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    Quote Originally Posted by weezy View Post
    It'd probably be better with a decent quality condenser mic instead of a dynamic.
    This. An omnidirectional condenser or even better, pair of condensers in an X/Y configuration would give much better results than an SM57. You'll have to play around with placement in the room to get optimal results. Moving as little as a couple of inches any direction will make a large difference in the sound.

  14. #14

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    Quote Originally Posted by LDS View Post
    This. An omnidirectional condenser or even better, pair of condensers in an X/Y configuration would give much better results than an SM57. You'll have to play around with placement in the room to get optimal results. Moving as little as a couple of inches any direction will make a large difference in the sound.
    Well, I just ordered a pair of AT2020s. So, I guess I can try the spaced pair, X/Y, and recorderman methods. Eventually, I'll get a small mixer and a kick mic so I can do a Glyn Johns method.
    Mmm... Saturns.

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