PRs SE Angelus for recording - custom or standard?

[Michael_DK]

I agree completely. I was only trying to convey (better than my first recording) how the guitar sounds when playing it to my own ears.

There's also a heck of a lot of difference (or there can be) between something that is to stand alone and something that is going to compete with a couple of electric guitars, bass, vocals, keys etc... When everything is carved to fit together in a dense mix (or even relatively dense), I don't expect the guitar to sound anything like it does to my ears while sitting and playing it. That goes for choices made in the recording phase as well, of course.

Thats all part of what makes the mixing process fun to me so far (I've only mixed maybe five or six songs - I'm sure I will have a look of horror on my face when I listen back to those mixes in a year's time - actually, I hope I will! ;-) ).


Appart from that, I'm still learning/developing my ears and my tastes in this process. I'm sure I will have a much bigger perspective of which sounds to go for with just a little bit more experience.

 

[vchizzle]

Very nice job on the recording! Sounds great. I hear ya, I'm always trying to capture the sound of what I hear if it's solo acoustic recording. Can be tough. Like Les said, usually you won't be using "reality" in a mix. It can be fun(or a massive PITA) to capture that sound though.

 

[László]

I agree completely. I was only trying to convey (better than my first recording) how the guitar sounds when playing it to my own ears.

There's also a heck of a lot of difference (or there can be) between something that is to stand alone and something that is going to compete with a couple of electric guitars, bass, vocals, keys etc... When everything is carved to fit together in a dense mix (or even relatively dense), I don't expect the guitar to sound anything like it does to my ears while sitting and playing it. That goes for choices made in the recording phase as well, of course.

Thats all part of what makes the mixing process fun to me so far (I've only mixed maybe five or six songs - I'm sure I will have a look of horror on my face when I listen back to those mixes in a year's time - actually, I hope I will! ;-) ).


Appart from that, I'm still learning/developing my ears and my tastes in this process. I'm sure I will have a much bigger perspective of which sounds to go for with just a little bit more experience.

Here's a link to something I recorded last summer when I first got my maple PRS acoustic; if memory serves, it was recorded dry, without effects, using a Neumann TLM 102 and a Focusrite ISA preamp. I was not yet using the Blue Chip picks. Please listen with a good system or good headphones to get an idea of what I mean by "presence" of the instrument.

The 102 is not a terribly expensive mic, and it happens to sound good with this instrument. However, you can hear that the mic is on the "sweet spot" of the instrument. The playing and guitar itself may or may not be to your taste, but I think the recording has a nice sense of the presence of the instrument, and comes fairly close to how it sounds in the room, maybe a little more hi-fi, as is usually the case with LDCs:

https://soundcloud.com/lschefman/ps-blonde

In terms of placement, what I do is move the mic and the instrument around to find a spot where everything comes into sharp focus, and all the frequencies are there and balanced. For critical recording sessions (not this one) I often have someone else play while I put on headphones and move the mic until I hear what I want, however this might be overkill once I learn good placement/distance/etc.

Hope this gives you some good ideas!

 

[Michael_DK]

It does, Les. Pretty cool playing, too. And nice recording.

Listening back to my own tracks, the second one is not really my favourite, I think. On the other hand, neither is the first one ;-). If I had spent just ten minutes finding a good spot to put the mic, it would have been so much better (even with next to no previous experience).

I think the TLM is outside my budget for now. I may be able to afford it, but I need to learn more about mic placement first (from first-hand experience, I mean). I know I can get results that are better by light years with my current cheapo mic.

Your clip really conveys the "balance" thing well, comparing to my own clips. I think half the battle (if not more) is to get an understanding/informed opinion about what works well. That is the place I am at, still.

On the bright side, I am so much better off than I was a year ago, and the same thing will hold true a year from now. You do get perspective fast when playing around with mixing, being forced to listen actively instead of just passively.

 

[László]

You do get perspective fast when playing around with mixing, being forced to listen actively instead of just passively.

So true!

Though it has a downside, this mixing thing -- I have a hard time just listening to a piece of music as a whole, without breaking it down in my head into pieces-parts. Instead of listening to a piece of music, the way I did many years ago, I find myself listening to one instrument at a time, or the vocal, and there are times I miss the forest for the trees!

It's hard to put my "music lover" hat on because I'm so busy being an "audio lover." And there's a real difference!

 

[Michael_DK]

So true!

Though it has a downside, this mixing thing -- I have a hard time just listening to a piece of music as a whole, without breaking it down in my head into pieces-parts. Instead of listening to a piece of music, the way I did many years ago, I find myself listening to one instrument at a time, or the vocal, and there are times I miss the forest for the trees!

It's hard to put my "music lover" hat on because I'm so busy being an "audio lover." And there's a real difference!

Heh! Yeah... I had the same thing happen when I started playing guitar. It doesn't bother me as much anymore. I think partly because I have largely stopped listening to new music for some time now (which I shouldn't, I know ). So now it's more like yet another musical dimension opening up for me. I am sure it will get worse with time, though . I think it is also because I am actually looking for these things to learn, rather than an (unwanted) automatic thing...

 

[Johnnyboy94]

with about a month of Personal experience with the SE Standard, Stage performance included, I can affirm it being very "bassy". unplugged its fine, sounds rich and perfect. when plugged in(Im running from the guitar to a tuner pedal to a cheap Roland piano monitor and then out to the DB and board.) Ive found myself needing to turn the bass UP. finding a clean, non-stringy tone is difficult when going through a cheap, static-y piano monitor, but Ive found a good setting is to raise the bass to about a 6 or 7, drop the treble to a 3 or 4, and leave the mid at 5. notch filter at max. This guitar is perfect for recording(as those amazing Soundcloud bits are screaming) and I gotta say it just feels right in your hands.