poor bass string recording - gain solutions?

speedomansam · Post by **speedomansam** » Fri Dec 17, 2004 4:00 am

i have a mobilepre which has its own preamp built into it and am using a shure sm57 dynamic mic. when i record, it's hard to get any good gain without distorting the bass strings on the guitar. i'm guessing this could probably be solved with a good preamp, but are there ways to raise the gain with software?

it sounds beautiful with low gain, both high and low strings, i just have to raise the volume really loud for it to be normal. if when the volume's loud it sounds good shouldn't there be a way to simply raise the output signal?

humeka · Post by **humeka** » Fri Dec 17, 2004 4:07 am

you should use a compressor !
what is your routing ? do you own one on your setup ? even a numerical one. if so, just do :
mic > preamp > comp > EQ.
but don't raise your incomming signal to the max cause you're gonna have too much distortion and your sound will be unusable.

cosmosuave · Post by **cosmosuave** » Fri Dec 17, 2004 4:33 am

How are you miking the cabinet? The mic should be placed off axis at the edge of the speaker for starters... Don't be afraid to move the mic around to find a good tone... At the same time you should be running a line out from your amp to a DI and into your mixer with a compressor...With the mic feed you will want a compressor as well...

Once both signals are recorded you will be able to mix the DI'd signal and the mic'd signal to the desired sound... Google miking bass cabinets...

speedomansam · Post by **speedomansam** » Fri Dec 17, 2004 5:38 am

well, what's a routing and a compressor? is the EQ just what software you have? i'm using audacity. and i'm kinda confused with what you mean by cabinent, as i'm just miking an acoustic guitar.

with what i have now, though (which is a song that has nice sounding guitar on low strings and high strings, but the volume is too low and when i adjust the gain to make it louder with the audacity software or the mp3gain software (once it's been mixed to an mp3) the bass is distorted) is there a way to fix the problem without rerecording?

i don't have time to rerecord, but assuming i just stay with the hardware i have i guess the best bet is to just mess with the mic distance. is it best to record with the lowest gain setting possible on the preamp?

steve-o · Post by **steve-o** » Fri Dec 17, 2004 6:05 am

go to PSPaudioware.com and download the demo for Vintage Warmer. Use the preset for Bass Guitar. Problem Solved.

You could also try Antares Tube.

speedomansam · Post by **speedomansam** » Fri Dec 17, 2004 7:05 am

wow, just thought i'd say that i found a high pass filter plug in for audacity and it worked brilliantly!!!

special ed · Post by **special ed** » Fri Dec 17, 2004 4:34 pm

the first rule of recording a guitar is to put new strings on it. a compressor is neccesary for recording an acoustic, even better a multi-compressor. also you should experiment with the mic placement until you get it to sound right. i also eq out all the frequencies under 120 hz and even higher than that depending on how boomy it is. enhancers are nice to for the finishing touch, especially if you have old strings.

milfbait · Post by **milfbait** » Fri Dec 17, 2004 7:34 pm

It's best to mic your instrument to avoud using eq, not use eq to compensate for a boomy sounding recording. Don't point the mic directly at the soundhole, it results in mud. I point it about 1/4 way up the fretboard at a 45* angle away from the body. You might want to pick up a small condenser mike, I have an MXL603 that is good on guitars and can be picked up very cheap.