View Full Version : recording microphones
hi, i'm new here and i know new comers are infamously unwelcomed on internet message boards, but i have a question i was hoping some one could answer. i've read the aeroplane book and i'm very interested in the recording aspect of it. does any one know what exact microphones they used to record?
Stormx
10-05-2006, 03:24 PM
not really, but microphones don't hugely differ in terms of sound, It basicly ranges from low quality to high quality. The differences in "feel" come from the actual mixing equipment. My friend has a lot of mics and stuff... if you need a hand buying some (good ones aren't cheap) let me know.
But yeah, sound is all in the eq/levels
tomatoesandradiowires
10-05-2006, 05:05 PM
Yeah, I'm pretty ignorant about this too. I have always observed the amazing 'cleanness' of the album (oh comely rings especially true for me in this way.) Welcome to the forums ben.
ispeakhopelandic
10-07-2006, 04:28 PM
if i'm not mistaken, the book says that robert used a Neumann U87 to record jeff's acoustic. the sound from what i understand came largely from overdriveing the mic preamps and compressors.
also, the U87 isn't made anymore, so I would advise against being deadset on getting one as they were quite expensive when the WERE made, and a even more now.
the are plenty of other great mics that are affordable.
tomatoesandradiowires
10-07-2006, 05:11 PM
Rob (marbles) is actually answering a question about Drum recordings in and Elephant Six thread. you could probably ask about it there.
sloansimpson
10-08-2006, 11:09 AM
Originally posted by Stormx
not really, but microphones don't hugely differ in terms of sound, It basicly ranges from low quality to high quality. The differences in "feel" come from the actual mixing equipment. My friend has a lot of mics and stuff... if you need a hand buying some (good ones aren't cheap) let me know.
But yeah, sound is all in the eq/levels
Wow. The majority of audio people would disagree with that I would think.
hey guys, thanks for the welcoming and the info. i'm looking to get into recording this winter. i'll be looking around, buying things i need (i'm not entirely sure of everything) so any help will be greatly appreciated.
Stormx
10-08-2006, 04:17 PM
Originally posted by sloansimpson
Originally posted by Stormx
not really, but microphones don't hugely differ in terms of sound, It basicly ranges from low quality to high quality. The differences in "feel" come from the actual mixing equipment. My friend has a lot of mics and stuff... if you need a hand buying some (good ones aren't cheap) let me know.
But yeah, sound is all in the eq/levels
Wow. The majority of audio people would disagree with that I would think.
They probably would. I'm a complete amateur, so do not trust my advice.
ispeakhopelandic
10-09-2006, 03:01 PM
the olivas recorded black foliage on 4 and 8 tracks. on avery island was done on a 4 track (plus spinning into a dat). a digital record will give you more options, a four track reel to reel with give a more lo-fi(ala elephant six) feel.
ispeakhopelandic
10-09-2006, 03:03 PM
with regards to mics, stormx is right on the money. for lo-fi style recordings, mic don't make a huge different. i think robert migh encourage you to record with whatever is on hand or you can afford. what ever makes the most sense. conders are good for cymbals for drums though.
thekingisdead
10-09-2006, 09:12 PM
I'm sort of in the same boat, I've begun recording with no knowledge of how to do so. The best mic I have is a chat headset, which is working just fine for an early-Mountain Goats-ish sound. but I would like something affordable with slightly better quality. I'm thinking about getting a four-track as well. Any help or tips or points in the right direction would be immensly appreciated.
tomatoesandradiowires
10-09-2006, 09:16 PM
mmmm, zopolite machine. <3
Stormx
10-10-2006, 12:31 AM
I'm quite privilaged in that our drummer has a 8 track board, with effects and shit. So far, the more mics you use for drums, the better it sounds... (but it also depends where you put them)
auxiliaryoctopus
10-10-2006, 04:40 AM
Well, the standard microphone is the Shure SM58. It does most anything you need it to fairly well, and will cost you very little money ($50-$100). I've used mine to record mandolins, ukulele, electric and acoustic guitars, air-organs, regular organs, banjos and vocals; and with a little experimentation in placement, have been happy with the results from all of them.
My guitar-player bought a several hundred-dollar ribbon mic for a recording session, and we still ended up using the 58 for the vocals because it just sounded better.
carrotus_rex
10-10-2006, 07:08 AM
When working on a computer, keep one thing in mind... use a GOOD soundcard. Otherwise you'll get a lot of background noise. (which can be good in certain lo-fi situations...)
As for mic usage, I use a ShureSM58 and a Sennheiser e385, both of which are very versatile. The Sennheiser is a touch more expensive than the ShureSM58, and I like the vocal sound you can get out of it better. Also, it sounds really good coming out of a PA. A lot of times, for really rough demos, we just hook everything up and put the Shure in the middle of the room to record. It sounds good, although the drums are often too loud. Moving our drummer off to one corner of the room works well...
One thing you're going to want, is a pre-amp, or a mixer with a built-in preamp. It just lets you balance the levels easily. Expecially if you're working with multiple mics (I use one for vocals and one for guitar a lot) a mixer with a pre-amp will make your life much easier, even if it's one of those cheap two-input mixers.
I didn't know anything about recording drums, but thanks to Robert's post, now I do!
is the soundcard that comes with a macbook good enough? what interface should i buy to plug the mics into my computer? i've been looking at preamps. are there any good ones that will warm up the sound more than others? i'd imagine the computer would sterilize some sound.
danielpate
10-12-2006, 03:47 AM
Hey guys, im a sound engineer, and this is how I see it:
Originally posted by Stormx
not really, but microphones don't hugely differ in terms of sound, It basicly ranges from low quality to high quality. The differences in "feel" come from the actual mixing equipment. My friend has a lot of mics and stuff... if you need a hand buying some (good ones aren't cheap) let me know.
But yeah, sound is all in the eq/levels
If you have only worked with a few, cheap microphones I can see how you might think this, but the differences in different types of mics are actually pretty massive. The SM58 is a great live microphone but not really designed for recording. If you just wanted to get a good multipurpose recording mic for pretty cheap, you should get the Shure SM57, its similar to the 58 (in design and price) but has been made more with recording in mind, and tends to sound awesome on things like guitar amps.
A good soundcard is pretty important, the internal one on the macbooks are actually not that bad, if youve got a bit of extra money though, try and get a firewire interface, you can pick them up for around £100-£150 with a couple of inputs
computers do tend to give a sort of clinical sound, if you are trying to get a low-fi sound you gotta use tape really, or you could try some good tape distortion and amp modelling plugins
woah long post, anyway, hi
carrotus_rex
10-13-2006, 11:03 AM
I agree with danielpate - try to get your hands on a firewire interface. It will sound great. But yes, there is the whole "stuff on computers sounds muted" and if you're looking for some really nice loud warmth, you're probably going to have to move to tape. I've always been a big fan of the ease of digital - no fiddling around learning how to use your recording device, and if you don't like something just delete it. If you use very slight overdrive or tube-amp effects, usually you can get a nice sound out of digital, but be careful, because compression will usually kill that kind of stuff...
could i get links to a good firewire interface? also, i was thinking that i could run mics through a 12AY7 Mic Preamp from electro harmonix. i'm no audio engineer and i'm just trying to get into recording so any advice at all is much appreciated. ive actually had more luck here getting advice than the electrical audio forums where everyone seems to be a little too in to themselves.
carrotus_rex
10-18-2006, 04:56 PM
That preamp looks awesome, it will probably greate a really nice sounding tube effect... never used it but I've been trying to get my hands on one to try it out. I'm sure it's great.
As for firewire, ProTools or Final Cut Pro on a Mac come with a firewire interface, and both of those have the best interfaces/software on the market. Cubase is also wonderful.
Also, where in Mass are you located?
i have garageband standard with my macbook. and last i heard mac hadnt come out with a protools friendly with intel chips. also, final cut pro and protools are reaaaallly expensive.
also, i'm from northeast mass, gloucester.
danielpate
10-22-2006, 04:10 AM
ive got protools for my intel mac, i bought protools 7 and had to upgrade it from their website, but its not too much hassle. With the M-box that will set you back around £250 ish. If youre looking to get a cheaper interface to use with garageband, this behringer one is kind of cheap http://www.dv247.com/invt/30207/ (although behringer products are pretty cheaply made and not neccecarily brilliant).... id probably reccomend something like this http://www.dv247.com/invt/24170/
mikehattem
10-22-2006, 10:48 AM
Alot of people liked the EH 12aY7 pre... A pretty good cheap all around preamp is the ART TUBE MP. I got mine for like 60 bucks. I use it with an MXL990 large diaphragm condenser and get decent results. As far as a beginning setup you can't go wrong with that - both the mic and the pre for under 150$. Edirol make a USB and Firewire interface that isn't bad.
Mike
i was at guitar center today and they have a box that comes with protools le, a condenser mic, a usb interface and two speakers for $650. would it be wiser to just buy certain things separately or buy the box and sell the things i dont want. i was told the contents of the box would totall like $1200 separate at GC.
soniclovenoize
10-29-2006, 03:58 PM
Just as I stated in the drum-micing thread...
All I have is an SM57, an SM58, an AKG D112 (kick drum mic) and two MXL 2001 condesers. I use them for drums, and everything else the 57 and 58 work great!
thanks!
can anyone let me know if the box of gear (usb interface, protools le, two speakers and a condenser mic) at guitar center is a good deal? if it isn't what should i get?
theoperahouse
10-29-2006, 04:53 PM
anyone know anything about the M-Audio Fast Track USB interface?
soniclovenoize
10-29-2006, 04:58 PM
[correct me if I'm wrong, ProTools users]
Well, the thing about ProTools is that it NEEDS gear, hardware aside form the software; that's the difference between that and others (like SONAR which I use). It's just designed that way. So don't be surprised you need that package. But then again, I wouldn't trust Guitar Center of all places; look elsewhere, shop for a better deal!
I'd recomend SONAR in stead of ProTools anyways: it's pretty much the same, only it's self-contained in the software. AND it sounds better to my ears; ProTools always made drums sound cold and digital, and SONAR less of that. And again with ProTools, you're buying the name... The reason they're now the industry standard is because they have a better PR guy... am I wrong?
An actual proffessional sound engineer will probably post and blow me away here, but this is my 2 cents anyways...
[Edited on 10-30-0606 by soniclovenoize]
vBulletin® v3.7.4, Copyright ©2000-2009, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.