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Recording Real Instruments

Enrich your mix with some 'real' sounds

With the rapid development of sampled, sequenced and DI-ed sounds, the art of recording "real" instruments is fast becoming a thing of the past. But you will be amazed at how much a rich-sounding acoustic guitar or even real drums can enliven the mix on your home demo. If you follow a few of our tips you will be able to tackle most miking jobs with confidence. Starters Generally, capacitor and back electret mics like the AKG C3000 and C1000 capture the sounds of acoustic instruments more accurately because they work much more effectively at the high end of the audio spectrum. In today's market place you could probably pick one up for between 100-150 brand new. If that's still too costly then try one of those Tandy PZM boundary mics that start at about 30. A dynamic mic like the Shure SM57 or 58 will be cheaper than a capacitor but not nearly as accurate. To achieve the best results it is essential the instruments you are miking be properly maintained - new strings on acoustic guitars and properly tuned and dampened drumheads for example. The main emphasis should really be on experimentation with different selections of microphone, position and type of recording environment. Electric Guitar/Bass You'll get a much more convincing and punchier sound if you record your guitar or bass cab rather than DI the instrument. For this application it would be better to use a dynamic mic because of the sheer volume you'll be dealing with and the narrow audio bandwidth of a bass and guitar amp. Place the mic two-six inches away from one of the speakers to get a bright sound. If you have a second mic at your disposal try placing it a few feet away from the cab to add an overall sound which will also capture the reflections in your studio. Acoustic Guitars You'll need a fairly sensitive mic with a good high-end response to capture the wide frequency range of the instrument. You should be aiming to capture the sound off the strings, the wooden body and the sound as it reflects off walls and furniture. It is best to position the mic about 18 inches from the body pointed towards the join of the neck and body, not the soundhole as this will more than likely produce a boomy sound. If you can, use a second mic to capture some of your room's ambience and position it a couple of feet away, perhaps over your shoulder and pointing towards the middle of the neck. You might want your recording room a little lively to pick up all the natural sound reflections. So if your studio is well soundproofed and dead, try various locations in the house like the bathroom!

Drums Naturally, important starting points are a good, well tuned and maintained kit, a decent drummer, and a good selection of microphones. Basically you'll need capacitors for overheads to capture cymbals and a stereo mix of the kit, and dynamics for the snare and toms and hi-hat. You could use a dynamic mic on the kick drum like an SM57 but you'll probably be better off with a specialist mic like the AKG D112.

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If you want a live sound then a couple of capacitors a few feet in front of the kit will suffice but you won't get the punch and modern sound of close-miked drums. For the kick drum place a mic on a stand and make sure it is not touching anything. Position the mic inside the drum and a few inches away from the beater strike point. Experiment with the position for the required amount of thud and boom - further away for boom and closer for thud. The snare and toms should be miked about a couple of inches from above the head and rim but pointing into the drum. The same is said for the hi-hat if you have a spare mic. If you don't have any spare then the hi-hat could be picked up by the snare mic or the two overheads which are generally placed one each side of the kit and about a foot or two above the cymbals. Keyboards You could try and get a different, warmer sound rather than the typical DI-ed digital sounds on your instrument by miking up a keyboard amp and cab in a similar fashion to the electric guitar. Wind Instruments Most wind instruments can be effectively recorded if you position a mic about one to two feet in front but don't point it directly down the bell or mouth of the instrument. Whether you use a capacitor or dynamic mic depends on how you want the sound to cut through the mix and the type of instrument you are recording. A loud sax might be better off with a dynamic mic while a flute would probably benefit from a capacitor. Vocals While on the subject of wind I had better mention the voice. Generally capacitors are the best mics because they capture the full frequency of the voice although there are the exceptions - Bono of U2 is known to use an SM58. Usually the mic will be placed on a stand about six to twelve inches in front of the singer with a pop shield in between to eradicate explosive Bs and Ps. A little compression usually helps you get a more controlled sound, while sparse use of EQ enables a natural vocal sound. Enjoy a touch of reality for a change! Gary Hopkins

http://intermusic.com/print.asp?ReviewId=2458&ArticleTable=Features&FeatureType=TUT... 9/17/01