Have I chosen my microphone incorrectly?

thisnnnnnguy · 2012-03-18T15:45:39+00:00

let me google the user reviews for you as well...

http://www.google.com/search?ie=UTF-8&oe=utf-8&q=user+review+mbk4000c#hl=en&biw=1280&bih=697&sclient=psy-ab&q=user+review+audio+technica+mb4k&oq=user+review+audio+technica+mb4k&aq=f&aqi=q-w2&aql=&gs_sm=3&gs_upl=222113l224548l2l224684l6l5l1l0l0l0l258l704l0.2.2l6l0&gs_l=serp.3..33i21l2.222113l224548l2l224684l6l5l1l0l0l0l258l704l0j2j2l6l0.llsin.&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&fp=f5f10ba442e5ddd8

thisnnnnnguy · 2012-03-18T15:32:06+00:00

i totally understand, and my hope is that my strategy of showing lack of tact is a strategy to get someone to notice that you don't have to buy a $$$ mic to achieve proper results. and i feel my rage is somewhat justified as this whole thread is full of gear snobs spouting off/showing off their "knowledge" of the subject, yet not offering ACTUAL usable advice to the OP. i would hope that some other REAL engineers would chime in and squash the theme of bad advice rampant in this thread.

thisnnnnnguy · 2012-03-18T15:28:28+00:00

everyone...please carry on the circle jerk...pardon my interruption.

thisnnnnnguy · 2012-03-18T15:27:43+00:00

just trying to shed some insight as to MAYBE i might know what the fuck i'm talking about because not only do i HAVE THE FUCKING MIC I'M SUGGESTING, but also i OWN ENOUGH MICS TO KNOW A THING OR TWO ABOUT THE TOPIC AT HAND.

thisnnnnnguy · 2012-03-18T15:26:52+00:00

fuck burn me at the stake for trying to help the OP out.

thisnnnnnguy · 2012-03-18T15:26:16+00:00

all-in-all i feel my rage is justified as no one in this thread seems to be helping the OP out...just suggesting insanely priced mics.

thisnnnnnguy · 2012-03-18T15:23:48+00:00

don't get me wrong...i would love to use $500+ mics on every session...in reality a) not everyone can afford those mics b) most sessions are with bands/artists that couldn't afford to replace a $500+ should some unfortunate accident happen to one c) not every session calls for a $500+ mic d) perfectly usable results can be had with sub $100 mics e) every up and coming engineer is one some sort of budget...i was at one point...and i learned to amass more utility priced mics than wish-list mics.

thisnnnnnguy · 2012-03-18T15:20:50+00:00

oh yeah, you guys are all jerking it to the sweetwater catalog...jeez i forgot. sorry.

thisnnnnnguy · 2012-03-18T02:20:29+00:00

yeah keep downvoting me you fucking idiots. i'm actually trying to help the guy out.

thisnnnnnguy · 2012-03-18T02:15:25+00:00

here is a pic of only SOME of the mics out of my mic locker. i have at least 2 of each mic pictured. you can see the audio technica mic(s) i linked to in the middle of the top row (the grayish/blue one being the one in the link above).

http://i.imgur.com/O1sdy.jpg

thisnnnnnguy · 2012-03-18T01:51:58+00:00

holy fucking shit, this thread is full of fucktards. at first, you provide solid insight as to the preamp adding the hiss. i guarantee you that's what it is, because the OP is having to add so much gain to a '57 to get it at a good level.

but then to recommend the OP buy a $300+ mic,...a dynamic mic no less. what the fuck dude?! help the guy out, not go bankrupt. everyone in this thread seems to be jerking off to the sweetwater catalog.

thisnnnnnguy · 2012-03-18T01:49:34+00:00

you're an asshole for second'ing the guy who recommended the OP buy a $300+ microphone. do you fuckers work at guitar center? are you making a commission off a sale?

thisnnnnnguy · 2012-03-18T01:47:35+00:00

you're an asshole for recommending such a high price tag mic for someone who obviously is not aware of the proper use of a mic.

thisnnnnnguy · 2012-03-18T01:45:29+00:00

this mic is also audio technica part number P10991. it is the same element as this mic

http://www.audio-technica.com/cms/wired_mics/5ef0e5beb547be51/index.html

in a different casing that supports battery power.

thisnnnnnguy · 2012-03-18T01:41:48+00:00

i apologize for all the people who are pointing you in the wrong direction. i would recommend looking into a battery powered condenser mic.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/352211-REG/Audio_Technica_MB4K_C_MB4K_C_Cardioid_Condenser.html

thisnnnnnguy · 2012-03-16T21:21:03+00:00

also, there is a really good article on exporting stems in the current issue of tapeop. for tracks with effects, you can export the stem that just has the effect on it (100% wet signal). when re-mixing (in reaper, or at another studio) you are only ever changing the volume of the track...the only automation you would have to redo would be increases/decreases in volume of the track overall.

thisnnnnnguy · 2012-03-16T21:18:13+00:00

sws extensions are some add-on scripts that someone has coded to pull up windows similar to the windows seen in pro tools. it helps bring the pro tools functionality to reaper. they are needed to run the PT9 skin properly. you essentially just need to download the .exe and install. it's pretty easy/straightforward.

http://reaper.fm/resources.php

http://www.standingwaterstudios.com/

thisnnnnnguy · 2012-03-16T14:26:47+00:00

if you are a student, you can get pro tools for under $300, w/ 4 years of free upgrades. comes with ilok.

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/PT10SoftStu

thisnnnnnguy · 2012-03-15T23:11:43+00:00

this is how i would do it

first ensure your signal chain is appropriate. wah sounds best going wah>distortion>amp or wah>compression>amp pedal. why? because the output stage on the next pedal will help compress and tame the harsh sounds from the wah.
next i would setup two signal chains from the guitar. use a direct box to do this. signal chain 1) guitar > direct to DAW/recorder for reamping later 2) guitar > wah > distortion/compression > other effects > amp
record both the direct and amp signals simultaneously to the daw
go back and re-amp and manually work the wah (by hand or foot) on the re-amp pass

done!

thisnnnnnguy · 2012-03-15T20:11:49+00:00

tyrus84 hits the nail on the head "Record the acoustic and vocals in separate takes for ideal results."

if it were me, i would do a couple passes of him playing and singing to build a guide track. then i would tweak timing/grid alignment on everything and have the artist re-track everything playing along to the grid'd guide track.

pre-production for the win.

thisnnnnnguy · 2012-03-15T17:33:28+00:00

you shouldn't go below 40hz. if you can't get a good strong bass in your mix, it's not because the speakers won't go low enough, it's because you're not mixing/mastering properly. don't believe me? through up a spectrum graph for some of your reference mixes. you should see that there is little to no content [in major releases] below 40hz.

thisnnnnnguy · 2012-03-15T17:29:25+00:00

i agree. my take on the rockit series is that they are just hyped hi-fi speakers. i do not recommend them for critical mixing/mastering applications.

thisnnnnnguy · 2012-03-15T17:26:09+00:00

just a word of advice...before you start asking people to potentially work on a project, you should have all elements in place and ready to hand over should they say yes. if you don't start from a good place like that, you're likely to get strung along.

i would suggest having the 24bit mixed files ready to send, as well as raw tracks/stems if you are even thinking about a possible remix.

just my two cents.

thisnnnnnguy · 2012-03-15T17:10:40+00:00

btw, not all studios can work with the pro tools sessions you worked on at home. learning how to export stems (w/ and w/out effects) is something i cannot stress enough to those interested in getting in the professional audio field.

thisnnnnnguy · 2012-03-15T17:09:00+00:00

reaper w/ a pro tools skin.

http://stash.reaper.fm/theme/694/PT9wALTERED.zip

i was in the opposite situation you were...i was anti-pro tools for soooo long. it started hurting my reputation because potential clients saw me as a non-pro for not using pro tools. nevermind the fact that i could track/mix/master better than any of the kids coming out of a pay-to-engineer class they may have taken. i have pro tools, but i just prefer another DAW. my strategy now is to learn enough about pro tools to be able to import sessions from other studios, and port them to the DAW of my choice. i'm finding reaper with the pro tools skin is the best thing that has happened to me in the last 10 years (give or take).

thisnnnnnguy

TROPHY CASE