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Where to Begin Recording Your Violin, Viola, Cello?
Simple answers.
Topic Rating: 4.9 Topic Rating: 4.9 Topic Rating: 4.9 Topic Rating: 4.9 Topic Rating: 4.9 Topic Rating: 4.9 (45 votes) 
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Gordon Shumway
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June 23, 2021 - 1:53 pm
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You may or may not also be interested in this book, but I'd suggest not, unless the money is burning a hole in your pocket and you love books, lol!

I hate these links. They never work. Amazon ASIN B001HH2CRO

h***s://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00D8GS7WG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Andrew

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ELCBK
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June 23, 2021 - 2:06 pm
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Gordon Shumway found such a great place for beginners to learn about recording your Violin, Viola, or Cello! 

Here's my post about the "Music Repo" YouTube Channel, for your further exploration. 😊 

@Gordon Shumway -

Wow - you hit the Jackpot! 

Not only did your video answer a question about MIDIs, that "Music Repo" YouTube Channel is a treasure trove of home recording info - broken down into videos that are easy to understand, for beginners (like me)! 

Music Repo

This channel has Videos that I (personally) find helpful, for example: 

  •  how to record violin at home 
  •  better audio on your mobile with an external mic 
  •  audio interface and what it does 
  •  USB mic vs audio interface 
  •  what a MIDI is and it's uses
  • using Reaper DAW, and Audacity DAW 
  • scanning sheet music to play it back, edit it, convert it to MIDI, transpose, import into notation software or DAW 
  •  isolate vocals or instruments from a song 
  •  syncing audio & video recording  
  •  external mic reviews/comparisons 

giphy.gif

 

THANK YOU, Andrew! 

- Emily

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ELCBK
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June 23, 2021 - 2:27 pm
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@Gordon Shumway -

Thanx! 

"Guerrilla Home Recording (2nd edition), How to Get Great Sound from Any Studio" looks like a great reference book.  

Personally, for me, videos can be more like mini workshops - help me learn the quickest, but reference books are great for depth of detail, when I need it (I own WAY too many books). 

https://rlv.zcache.com/purple_cartoon_music_note_3_ring_binder-r23bc0c71090d41118ef34eb7770106f9_xz8md_8byvr_307.jpg?rvtype=content

 

...btw, I can never get a link to work from amazon - and you did! 

- Emily

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Gordon Shumway
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June 23, 2021 - 4:02 pm
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I said, prolly best not to. That's because I remember the book as being mixer heavy and technical things like mic placement light.

However, that may be deliberate - the idea with home recording is always place the mics as close as possible to the instrument. This is a technical thing - room reverb intrusion goes up according to the square of the distance form the mic to the sound source. After you have recorded "dry" you can generate artificial reverb.

Andrew

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ELCBK
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June 23, 2021 - 4:56 pm
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I think there's much more to mic placement than just being close, since most of us don't have a mic hovering over our instruments, on a special mic stand - just a smart phone. 

Several variables, depending on your tilt or the position of your instrument on your shoulder, while playing, may determine whether your mic should be more in front of you, or maybe off to you right. 

...also, I've noticed huge differences in sound just by varying height by even a few inches.

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Grandpafiddle
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June 23, 2021 - 4:56 pm
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I checked the Music Repo site and it's an excellent reference! I have the AT2020 usb mic she talks about and I love it.

I usually record using it through my laptop, then adjust things with Audacity, which I'm still new at and trying to figure out. I can also connect my amplifier to my computer with Bluetooth and record along with backing tracks. Always something new to try to figure out. Now, if I could just improve my violin skills, I can join a party some day!

Have fun fiddling!

Grandpaviolin

Violin ---- the most human of all instruments

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ELCBK
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June 23, 2021 - 5:22 pm
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@Grandpafiddle -

Appreciate the info on your mic! 

Hey, if you can record - join a Party! 

...there's no good or bad, right or wrong, at a Party - just show up! 

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/c0/a4/6f/c0a46f4a2d6370d2ed9512536ce19823.jpg

 

- Emily

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ABitRusty
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June 23, 2021 - 9:21 pm
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heres a good video on micing a fiddle..usually see these type videos saying mic from above..  if using a dedicated mic for one of my post, its usually above and angled down sorta at bridge.  take that as a what not to do or get from it what you will if youve heard something you like.  a dry or dead room is easier to apply reverb and effects.  as Gordon said the farther back the more room noise you get and it cant easily...if at all..be removed..the closer you get the more bow noise tends to show up.  its fun messing with.. ill usually play with headphones on to figure out positioning then apply the reverb if im using it and see if i can get something thats close to what im hoping for.  the room i do that in has a drop ceiling and carpet and im setup away from a corner but on a shorter wall on one end.  dont know if that means anything.  if you have a walk in closet or small room you could say hang a blanket or something to create a dead space in with no reflections...even a smart phone mic would work well.  you can transfer that into a daw and apply effects just like it was recorded there.  i dont usually do much eq other than cutting everything below F2 whatever that frequency is.  i use the keyboard cheat at the bottom of my eq plugin.  MAYBE a 3 db boost on the top end cause the mic i use is pretty well flat across its range which is why i like it. 

ive got way too many toys to exploit my amature playing..lol  but its fun.

on to the video

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ELCBK
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June 24, 2021 - 4:53 am
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Well, I'm in trouble now...

the el cheapo mic sounds really good to me!

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Gordon Shumway
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June 24, 2021 - 4:58 am
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ELCBK said I think there's much more to mic placement than just being close

Yes, but my post wasn't the place for a full exposition. The key word in home recording is "home" - you don't have a recording studio with baffles and so on.

The way to get your home sounding like a recording studio rather than a home is to have the mics close - this eliminates the "homeness". After that, correct professional placement is a more complicated matter. Then after that comes your electronic treatment. This needs taste - too much reverb is horrible.

If Frank Zappa wanted to record a tenor sax, he'd bounce it off two or three pieces of hardboard before the sound reached the microphone. This gave it a "greasy" 50s sound. You'd stick the mic inside or near the horn and then give it a little simulated 50s style reverb afterwards. Nothing else is going to work in a home. If you want to record an electric guitar, you put the mic close to the speaker, assuming you don't direct-feed, but then you have to play with the mic position - coaxial? off-axis but straight? off axis but angled to pick up both the axial and the radial sound?

Then there's closeness with compression - that's horrible. I HATE this recording because every instrument has a clip-on mic and full compression and is probably individually tone-controlled at the mixing desk: -

Andrew

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ELCBK
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June 24, 2021 - 6:12 am
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@Gordon Shumway -

Thanx, VERY interesting info! 

Confused Head Scratching Emoticons

Maybe it's "An Evening in The remote Chinese Villiage" - I can see where that effect was planned. 

giphy.gif 

I can understand recording is an art. 

Well, that's just an invitation for me to explore and experiment - to find ways to better express myself.

...but, I'd be happy to just have what I record sound like what I actually hear myself play, acoustically - keepin' it real. 

Don't think I'll be looking to record an album for commercial sales, anytime soon. (lol)

- Emily

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ABitRusty
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June 24, 2021 - 8:26 am
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ELCBK said
Well, I'm in trouble now...

the el cheapo mic sounds really good to me!

  

yeah..  me too.

heres a cool video a guy did.  all in a someones home basement studio.

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ELCBK
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June 24, 2021 - 9:49 am
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@ABitRusty -

Fun video - was paying attention to all the mics, too. 

🤔 Think I like when you record yourself playing outside, the best! 

giphy.gif

Not locking me in a closet to fiddle! 😒 

...suppose if I need to dampen room noise to record, I could prop Madmartigan up behind me, since he's big & fluffy enough to absorb it all - might even get a bonus facsimile of a drum-roll, if he starts purring. 😏 

- Emily

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ABitRusty
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June 24, 2021 - 10:20 am
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Think I like when you record yourself playing outside, the best! 

ahhh...thanks..good feedback there but was posting mainly due to all the backing track daw discussion stuff youre asking about.. and was sharing some links that seemed related.   the outside recording didnt require a daw...used a rode stereo mic there and just uploaded.  Depends on what youre wanting to do and what you enjoy experimenting with.. like you said..doubt we will be making commercial quality recordings, but if youre planning on doing the daw thing some of the info may be useful and help when you start. 

 

suppose if I need to dampen room noise to record, I could prop Madmartigan up behind me, since he's big & fluffy enough to absorb it all - might even get a bonus facsimile of a drum-roll, if he starts purring

haha...well there yah go...problem solved!

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Gordon Shumway
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June 26, 2021 - 9:23 am
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This page contains a little possibly useful information.

https://www.dpamicrophones.com.....c-a-violin

Andrew

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ELCBK
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June 26, 2021 - 12:23 pm
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@Gordon Shumway -

Great info to consider! 

From the article:

Close miking an instrument is often considered to be a compromise to the instrument’s true acoustic sound. An instrument’s sound is usually designed to be experienced at a distance so that all the different elements of the sound are naturally blended into a perfect harmony. Yet often, mounting a microphone close to or directly on the instrument is the most practical solution.

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ABitRusty
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June 26, 2021 - 3:09 pm
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Gordon Shumway said
This page contains a little possibly useful information.

https://www.dpamicrophones.com.....c-a-violin

  

they make the dvote core mic thats gets alot of positive recommendations.  

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ELCBK
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June 26, 2021 - 5:37 pm
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...just great. 

https://s3.amazonaws.com/pix.iemoji.com/images/emoji/apple/ios-11/256/woman-facepalming-medium-light-skin-tone.png

Now I have to decide whether I want another acoustic/electric instrument

or just an acoustic...  

and spend even MORE on a killer mic. 

giphy.gif

- Emily

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ABitRusty
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June 26, 2021 - 6:16 pm
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ELCBK said

...just great. 

https://s3.amazonaws.com/pix.iemoji.com/images/emoji/apple/ios-11/256/woman-facepalming-medium-light-skin-tone.png

Now I have to decide whether I want another acoustic/electric instrument

or just an acoustic...  

and spend even MORE on a killer mic. 

giphy.gif

- Emily

  

oh the drama..lol

come on now...your plans were to do the electronic edm stuff and you have the pickup already so use that...dont even think about it

fuhgeddabouditt..lol

i think the dvote is more for a gigging muscian anyway...one that needs mobility on stage...from what ive heard in podcast and read and watched it seems like external mics are more for recording.  if anything the shure sm57 would be a good choice to start... to be honest alot of house concerts and stuff ive been to...the fiddler is using sm57's or 58's  on stands.  theyre everywhere.  

use your pickup!! 

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ELCBK
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@ABitRusty -

 

Oh, I will be using it!  

 

😵 But, a 5 string Viola's been gnawing away at me. 😖

 

🤔 Hmm, mysterious. . .  haven't lost any weight from all that gnawing. 😒

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