rattleyour wrote on Fri, 03 February 2006 14:24 |
So do you think the basic problem is really really bad mic technique? Possibly not projecting his/her voice at all? Or, really rough transitions to head voice, that sort of thing? Maybe just do separate passes?
It occurs to me that as a super secret squirrel ultra-pro, you might do more by stopping by and giving a few pointers than any $100 channel strip would do.
Not that I know who you are-- I'm still working on me.
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Oh I'm sure you're right but this person is a REAL technophobe. I'm not kidding when I say he had a hard time understanding why one might want to record something in stereo and wonders why it sounds all distorted when connecting his Casio electric piano stereo headphone output to the 8 track mic input with a MONO guitar cable. I tried to explain that one channel is getting through, kind of, while the other is being slammed to ground. I could not convince him to try to record the EP with a stereo cable into two channels. (the 8 track has two inputs with mic/line pre's, like an Mbox.) No... he's got to record the piano in MONO; So I loaned him a cable that at least sums the L&R more properly. It wont sound great but wont be all hum and distortion, if he can keep the level under control. Well... he wouldn't try it. Why? Because my cable is too short, only 4 feet. The distance between his keyboard and recorder is like 8 feet, so even though the recorder sits on a table and the keyboard on one of those cheap ironing board type X stands that can be moved instantly, he wouldn't do it, its too much...for a fuckin wacko like him. Though he's actually a very nice person, helpful neighbour, honest, hardworking, good musician, songwriter, funny, etc. he's driving me nuts with this.
I asked him again two weeks after giving him the 2>1 cable and he still hadn't tried it. He claimed he'd found some level or some way to make the guitar cable work, so he wouldn't be needing my cable. Oh...and he wont let me listen to anything he's recorded, because its not "ready"! But I cant wait to hear that piano.
He's actually recorded something like 25 songs already, so I know he's been busy. I wonder what he'll do when the hard drive fills up? You have to go into mix mode on the recorder to get something out of the box, this should be good..maybe I'll letcha all know how it goes.
So sorry to go on about this, but I cant teach this guy anything...he can't handle it. Hence the mic pre/compressor suggestion. The ONLY suggestion of mine he seems able to take. As I said he only wants to spend around $100. I checked online and it seems that more like $200 would get him something decent, that he wouldn't have to upgrade for awhile. "NO! Thats too much money, this is for demo quality only." Whatever that means.
Thanks guys for your suggestions, and J, I'll check that box at Sweetwater. Oh BTW, that track you sent me was AWESOME, fucking HUGE bass. Did you send it to Brad B. for mastering? How'd it turn out?
Oh, and sorry to all for being anonymous, I just work for one of those big music corporations and...well... this way I can talk a little more freely about my job without some 'suit' calling me up tomorrow and bitching me out about what I said about them last night on the forum, which is why I hang out here in the first place.
sincerly, bab