Early days in my Cubase career. Am recording a bog standard 12-string using a Tascam US-4x4HR with Cubase Elements 13. Am mulling over option for a decent mic, this recorded with old Samson C01. Exported to hard drive (it’s a bit quiet) then exported to Audacity then exported to SounCloud (I’m sure there’s an easier way) Just a strumming riff to let you hear the dire quality. This is pretty much the sound I get after recording. It’s distorted and sounds at times like it’s phasing. It is not clipping when recorded. Why does it sound so bad, could my mic really be completely responsible. Here’s a link to the SoundCloud file, hope it works. Mike Stream Mrs Davidson 2 Dec 2024 by Hodit'n'dodit | Listen online for free on SoundCloud
It doesn’t sound distorted, but it’s really unbalanced…
Could be a combination of the mic with bad placement.
You need to find a good spot to capture the guitar sound as you want it.
Thank you. I’m sure the placement has a lot to do with it. If I move the mic too far away I find I have to crank up the input gain to get a decent recording volume. Should I really need some kind of gain booster with this, I assumed the DAW/audio interface would have enough power, maybe not?
What is the problem with that? Maybe it is enough to change the angle?
I guess that’s not a problem but I really need to put it well up, I suppose that’s what it’s for.
Mike
Not only the distance but also the angle between mic and guitar as @st10ss suggested have a huge influence on the frequency response. It is here where it all starts. Of course, choice of mic, preamp, room etc., too. But the first is something you can easily adjust. Try 45 degree as an angle between neck and body pointing at the 12th fret as a starting point for example. Hear how the lows and mids react if you slightly change angle and distance.
Thank you. I’ve tried various positions not great. I’ve also tried recording in atereo with two Samson C01s the results are better but still not great. I think they’re just old mics (nearly 20 yrs old) so a new mic should make all the difference. Deciding which is the problem. Mike
Check micpreamps as well. A mediocre mic can sound really good with a decent micpreamp.
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Remember, old mics are vintage sometimes and could be very expensive.