Recording Newbie - help please!

kimbo5150 · Post by **kimbo5150** » Tue Jun 13, 2006 10:03 am

Hi All,

Please help me!

I am just starting on home recording - am using a Tascam DP01 fxcd.

I have tried various mic placements, have made sure i am not overloading the inputs on the recorder however my recordings still sound like something other than the amp is distorting. Could my mic be buggered ? The amp is on around 7. Hearing other sound clips with amps on 10 and so forth, i thought these SM57's were tougher. Or do i just need to experiment more on my mic placements.

This is a clip to give you an idea of what i mean, could anyone please help this hopeless newbie!!!!

Thanks

Kim

Necrovore · Post by **Necrovore** » Tue Jun 13, 2006 7:37 pm

Ok, you are not adjusting the tone controls on the Tascam when doing the recording right? They should be set to unity(12:00). I cannot see what the actual controls are on the unit as the picture of it off Musicians Enemy isnt the best.

Set the slider to Unity(the sideways 8 looking figure), Set the channel's gain so that you are not hitting red on the meter, but like bumping right up against red when you reall slam the strings when you play.

What is seems to sound like on your recording is what is known as Proximity Effect. That is why is is sounding fairly woofy. Try moving your mic away from the speaker until that effect goes away. I never liked the way a SM-57 sounds when you have the mic pointed at a 90 degree angle at the center of the speaker or even pointed at a 90 towards the cone.

EDIT:
Proximity effect: a boost in the low-frequency response of a directional microphone that occurs when the sound source is relatively close to the microphone. The phenomenon begins when the source is about two feet away from the mic capsule and becomes more noticeable as the subject gets closer to the mic. Used properly, a singer can use the proximity effect as a means of adding fullness to a voice; however, the effect can also emphasize nondesireable low-frequency noises such as breath sounds and popping consonants ("p" and "b" sounds).

Try pulling your mic about 2"-3" away from the grill cloth with the end of the mic about halfway between the outer rim of the center covering of the speaker and the outside edge fo the cone, but point the mic towards the center of the speaker. This is what they call "Off-axis" miking and seems to work well with SM-57's in a recording scenario.

Another trick you can try is how I like miking my amp and that is to throw a heavy quilt over the cabinet once you get the mic set up and sounding good. This tends to overload the mic a bit in a really pleasant sounding way if you are looking to do hard rock/metal type recordings.

All in all, it sounds like mic placement is what you are dealing with, as the recording sounded clear but had a woofiness to it that didn't sound like the amp.

kimbo5150 · Post by **kimbo5150** » Wed Jun 14, 2006 10:45 am

Thanks Necrovore,

I am thinking that the size/shape of my amp room may also be contributing to the wierd recording as well.

I am definitely going to experiment more with mic placement !

It was very frustrating, amp sounded great in the room - like absolute poo on the recording.

Will keep you updated.

Thanks again

Kimbo

Necrovore · Post by **Necrovore** » Wed Jun 14, 2006 7:05 pm

Yeah, please keep us updated.