How to RECORD and MIX Percussive Fingerstyle


Meridirh
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Joined: 04/07/16
Posts: 45
Meridirh
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Joined: 04/07/16
Posts: 45
05/06/2018 3:25 pm

Hey everyone,

I've been noodling around with shaping my percussive sound on the guitar for quite a while now. However, I simply cannot get it sound as "crisp" and "poppy" as the percussive elements in this video - I've got the same mics but cannot get the sound of my recordings sound as clear as in this video.

So I was wondering if someone here got the knowledge and experience to explain to me a few things about how to correctly record and mix for this kind of sound :/ It's kind of freaking me out =(

(the SOUND I'm looking for starts at 0:58)

Video

:/ Please, xD I need some serious help with this one lol

Thank you all ^^

Lukas


Limits are selfmade. Break beyond them!

www.meridirhproductions.com | Too old to learn multiple instruments? Let's put it to a test...

Guitar: Started January 2016

Styles/Genres I am currently studying:

- Classical Guitar

- Latin Style (Flamenco, Soleares)

- Folk Style (Pop, Celtic, Irish, Gypsi)

- (Fingerstyle) Blues

- (Fingerstyle) Jazz

# 1
ChristopherSchlegel
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Joined: 08/09/05
Posts: 8,328
ChristopherSchlegel
Guitar Tricks Instructor
Joined: 08/09/05
Posts: 8,328
05/07/2018 3:59 pm
Originally Posted by: Meridirh

I've been noodling around with shaping my percussive sound on the guitar for quite a while now. However, I simply cannot get it sound as "crisp" and "poppy" as the percussive elements in this video - I've got the same mics but cannot get the sound of my recordings sound as clear as in this video.

Hey, Lukas! You might directly message that guy & see if he's willing to let you pay him for a Skype lesson to give you some insight & info.

You really need to get your technique together to get that stuff to come across. Also, you mention the same mics, but that is only part of the recording capture process. You need to have a good interface with a decent pre-amp & possibly a compressor to bring the sound up to line level & make use of all the high end sparkle & low end thump that the mics are picking up.

Another factor is that guitar he's using has on-board electronics. He might be adding some direct signal to the mix from the guitar piezo pickup.

Rick Beato has some great info in this video about the complete process of recording acoustic guitar.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfEgKbPOKV0

Hope that helps!


Christopher Schlegel
Guitar Tricks Instructor

Christopher Schlegel Lesson Directory
# 2
Meridirh
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Joined: 04/07/16
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Meridirh
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05/08/2018 10:36 am

Thank you Christopher!

Yes, I've been thinking about contacting Tobias and asking him about that particular question. He does mention some of it in his fingerstyle academy, but didn't go into too much detail as to how he sets the effects to get that particular sound.

As far as PU is concerned, I know that he uses a K&K Trinity Pro Mini system that allows him to pick percussion from all around the body. I do have a similar system (LR Baggs Anthem) but that doesn't quite captures that particular frequency.

Once way to emulate his sounds that I've been thinking of is to duplicate the tracks that I record and then to EQ and Compress them differently, before blending them together to be able to push certain frequencies without effecting other parts of the track.

Thanks for the Rick Beato link. I've been following him for quite a while now, I guess I must have missed that one :D thanks!!!


Limits are selfmade. Break beyond them!

www.meridirhproductions.com | Too old to learn multiple instruments? Let's put it to a test...

Guitar: Started January 2016

Styles/Genres I am currently studying:

- Classical Guitar

- Latin Style (Flamenco, Soleares)

- Folk Style (Pop, Celtic, Irish, Gypsi)

- (Fingerstyle) Blues

- (Fingerstyle) Jazz

# 3
rockpele120
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rockpele120
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09/25/2019 5:38 am

Newbie Audio Engineering + Production Question Zone Tips for recording/mixing percussive guitar?

More Infomation http://www-hotmail-com.email/


# 4
tibollinet.2019
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tibollinet.2019
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11/07/2019 6:14 pm

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# 5
km076745
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km076745
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02/29/2020 9:33 am

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# 6
tractorhub11
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tractorhub11
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04/14/2020 12:47 pm

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# 7
jusroc777
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jusroc777
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08/20/2020 12:23 am

Compression can be used to make LOUD sounds quieter and

in the process also makes quiet sounds LOUDER (as well as making the noise floor louder)

compression can then be used to create the sound that you want

A decent Mic is also usually necessary.

The most popular pro small diaphragm condenser mic being the Neumann KLM184

(which isn't cheap).

Often used with a large diaphram condenser mic such as a Neumann U87

(although not always necessisary)

From what i have read, some pro engineers will use a large Diaghram condenser such as a Neumann U87 combined with a dynamic microphone such as a Sure 57, which gives the recording an extra set of complimentary frequencies to combine with the more neautral signal from the U87.

Although I would say that some still get great recordings from the Neumann KLM184.

[br]If these mic's are too expensive for you at the mo, then perhaps consider cheaper alternatives such as Rode NT1 and AKG P170s, or blue lines.

as for compressors, UAD make a good range of compressors

which give choices for all sorts of uses and tastes

in order to use their emulations however, you would have to invest in one of their interfaces and perhaps also some UAD DSP hardware. Which i am afraid doesn't come cheap.

For just acoustic guitar recordings, you would likely have enough DSP power built into one of their apollo interfaces, as long as you don't want to use too many plug ins.

Their reverb plug ins, which are absolutely awesome, are really DSP power hungry.

There is nothing stopping you recording the guitar using a pre amp emulation plus compressor, bouncing that down and then adding reverb and eq the second time around?


# 8
jusroc777
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jusroc777
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08/20/2020 12:32 am

How To Record Acoustic Guitar: Mic Placement, EQ and Compression

Rick Beato

empirical-labs-el8-distressor-compressor


# 9
lapseugene

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lapseugene

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01/14/2023 12:37 am

What a found! I faced the same problem and it drives me nuts... Thanks for sharing this info and all those useful links!


# 10

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