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How do ya'all record your CBG's and music

hey ya'all,

i'm sort of new here and am curious about how folks are recording their CBG's and

their songs. don't get me wrong, i am a builder, but i'm a player and recordist too.

so i'de like to hear how ya'all go about capturing that beautiful sound and tone

of these instruments we all build and love. what are you tracking on, what kinds

of mics are you using,how 'bout mic techniques?

i'm using a Roland VS 2480HD, and Studio One in Windows 7 on my laptop for tracking

and i master on the Roland. for the CBG's i'm using large and small condenser mics and

a ribbon mic, and also a few dynamic mics.

for mono tracks i like to use 2 mics. one close mic on the CBG and a room mic for ambience.

on stereo tracks i almost always use the mid-side technique. this setup is fantastic. it gives you

complete control over where the track sits in the stereo field and mix. another big benifit of mid-side

is if your recording is stereo and it gets collapsed to mono things don't disapear from your mix.

if you've ever had one of your tunes played on the radio or television and it was just missing all

sorts of stuff, mid-side will eliminate that. i do use the X-Y technique sometimes, but most of

the time i go with mid-side.

i also use what is called corner loading. it's pretty much what it says. you position the player

facing into a corner as close as possible without being uncomfortable. a mic is placed 2 or 3

feet behind the player pointing at the corner. i really like this setup with unpluged CBG's.

if you have a CBG with no pickup that has an awesom tone and sound but has no projection

or volume, this is a great setup. you can also place a second mic further back and capture the

room ambience too.

are any of you using ribbon mics ? if you've never tried one, try one. they have a figure-8

polar pattern which means it picks up sound equaly from the front and back. to me they

have the most detailed sound of any mic. they kick ass on anything.

anyways, i could go on and on but i'll stop now i posted 4 tunes here and were recorded

using the setups i've described, all recorded, mixed, and mastered at home here in Memphis.

and let me hear how ya'all are doing it. glad to be here.

Myke

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Permalink Reply by James on October 11, 2014 at 1:19am

http://www.cigarboxnation.com/video/recorder-in-box-again

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Permalink Reply by James on October 11, 2014 at 1:42am

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Permalink Reply by Cigarbox Slim on October 11, 2014 at 3:04am

first and foremost, i didn't mean to offend anyone. so my apologies if i have.

secondly, thanks for all your replys. i certainly don't wanna be the new guy that

pisses everybody off right off the bat. but i stand my ground on recording quality

when it comes to my stuff. it's mainly because most of my songs are full blown

and not just a vocal and a guitar, so the recording process and how everything

sits in the mix is very important to me. and yea, i do have quite a nice recording

setup and a very nice collection of mics. you see i do lots of location recording

and demos and full album projects for other people,so it's required. i'm trying to

maintain a standard of quality that customers and myself expect. so when i ask

how ya'all record i'm looking for methods that i might not be familiar with so i can

add them to my "bag of tricks". likewise i'd like to share my methods with anyone

thats interested the same way that building and playing tips are shared here.

when it comes to authenticity though, i refuse to believe that lo-fi is the only way.

so sorry if i ruffeled some feathers. but what is it everybodys always saying around

here? theres no rules. why shouldn't that apply to the recording of CBG's and CBG

music? thanks again for all your replys and i'de like to hear more. pro or con.

Myke

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Permalink Reply by James on October 11, 2014 at 6:10am

ok, lol, the recording studio picture was a little over board, (it is however really my recording studio) (-:

i did want to point out my recorder in the box though !!!

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Permalink Reply by Diglydog on October 11, 2014 at 2:16am

Answering the question "how do ya'all record your CBGs and music ?"

I couldn't get on with computer-based programmes for the same reasons The Phrygian Kid stated - I spent more time messing with the software than I enjoyed. I now use a Zoom R8 recorder. It's simple, easy to use and has built-in effects. I don't record much so it's more than I need. I build and play CBGs for fun. My instruments and music aren't of a professional standard but they give me a sense of achievement. I'm happy with that.

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Permalink Reply by BUGGY (C) on October 11, 2014 at 2:31am

Also check out the line pod ux2
Which works well
Sony acid pro is good

You will like the tascAm they're good too.

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Permalink Reply by BUGGY (C) on October 11, 2014 at 2:50am

To summarise
1) iPod with Irig record
2) line pod ux1 with acid pro 7
3) tascAm porta studio internal mic's are very good
4) zoom with external mic inputs use a valve pre amp
If you can a s decent mic.
5) if you use your computer only turn down internal
Mic settings in sound settings to 70%
And this will reduce any distortion

But any way to record is a great way to share
But try and kill any hissing snakes

I have tried most and keep learning
This has been a useful blog

Thanks

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Permalink Reply by Cigarbox Slim on October 11, 2014 at 8:20am

thank ya'all. sometimes my passions get the better of me and things

don't come across the way i meant them too.

actualy i start a recording the way a lot of you say you do.

i do a basic track on my laptop in Studio One usualy with one mic

which is usualy a ribbon mic. i then transfer those tracks to the Roland

and mix and master there. it works well for me.

Myke

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Permalink Reply by BUGGY (C) on October 11, 2014 at 8:58am

How to build your own ribbon mics!

I bet this is similar top how an lace alumitec pickup works as well..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tWbwcS_9sA

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Permalink Reply by BUGGY (C) on October 11, 2014 at 9:02am

http://www.diyaudiocomponents.com/ribboninfo.php?sub=1

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Permalink Reply by RTZGUITARS on October 11, 2014 at 6:22pm

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Permalink Reply by Matthew Borczon on October 14, 2014 at 1:38am

So this is pretty interesting. I tend to go with the one mic in my computer room. I have a cheap 4track recorder that lets me record into acidpro7 and I like to play everything at once in order to capture my live sound. I would love to hear any tips any of you have on how to improve my sound. Things like getting it all to sound a little fatter and and what do you do with panning your mix if it is in fact all sort of one nix. I do sometimes track each instrument separate but it does loose some of the spontaneity. Bug you said you use acidpro7 and Myke you seem to have a wealth of knowledge as do many of you others. Maybe we need a place to put up tracks on here for discussion on how to improve. I know it takes time away from building but I think we could maybe all help each other to get a little closer to what we say we are trying to do. You could put up a track with an explanation of what you would like and then others could suggest how to get it. Just a thought.