Incredible job! Thanks for so much good info! I got curious about listening to the Royer 10 mic alone. It really does a great job together with the Neuman 184. Also, what a nice tone from the SM57, huh! Damn, I lost mine some years ago and never bought one back.
Thanks for the thoughtful comment! It's kind of a cliche to say it, but SM57s are really solid at just about everything. The beauty of it is, too, that they're comparatively quite cheap and easy to get ahold of. I do love the combo of the Neumann and the Royer.
Good video. I haven't recorded my mandolin yet. With the 57 you can really hear the bass rolloff and the midrange peak. Someone on a budget could EQ those and get a sound closer to the Neuman. It's also worth mentioning that people trying to experiment with mic placement can use either tight in-ear monitors or closed back headphones to play while moving around to easily hear things in real time.
Thanks, and very astute comments! Headphones are definitely invaluable for testing mic placement, though I've found for myself that nothing beats lots of recording tests and careful listening back.
Very nice demo! To my ear, I prefer the Neumann without the Royer. The transients (in my opinion) are a little clearer with the single mic. I'm impressed with how capable the SM57 is! Great work (and playing).
Thanks for the attentive comment! Sometimes I prefer the sound of the single Neumann, as well. It depends a bit on what I'm recording and what kind of tone I'm looking for. Thanks a lot!
Thanks for a great video. I have just one question - you recommend to aim the mic somewhere between the bridge and the f-hole on on the base side. Doesn’t your right hand cover that space?
Hi Juha. Yes, it does. I know very little about the mechanics of the way in which sound is projected from the mandolin top, but the arm/hand in between the mic and the body of the mandolin doesn't seem to make much difference to the sound--perhaps because the mic is far enough from the instrument. Another good spot I've found to aim the mic is just to the neck side of the bass-side f-hole (not so far that you're starting to get toward the scroll on an f-style mandolin). I'd recommend experimenting with different positions.
Great video, Thane, you have a lot of heart. May I suggest a couple things from experimenting and research? Foam is really ineffective in absorbing any sort of bass frequencies or anything below 2000 hz. At ~approx 1000 hz, it's audio absorbancy falls off sharpy. Even lower frequencies go right through foam as if it weren't there mate! When recording, I've found that it's just as important if not more so to have the wall behind the microphones soft (absorbent). You play very well and are far from mediocre. Keep the videos coming! Cheers my friend!
Thanks for the comment! Most of the foam I put up is to absorb some annoying ringing tinny frequencies in the 3kHz and 4kHz range (though the 2' wedges I added to the traps I have in the corners do seem to help a bit with lower frequencies... I can only go with what my ears tell me, though the absorption coefficient reported for the foam I bought was a lot better than that reported for other acoustic foam products I looked at). To tame lower frequencies, I built traps and panels with acoustic insulation material. As well as the room corners, I set up these insulation panels at all of the first reflection points, except for the far wall behind the mics, where I built a diffusion panel.
Thanks so much for the kind words! For anything I'm recording with two mics (which is the vast majority of what I record), I use a Zoom H5--which I love. If I'm using more than two mics--anytime I'm recording an ensemble of some sort--I use a Tascam US-16x08.
Thanks! I like the way the mandolin sits better with the strap looped around behind the heel and under the fretboard extension than attached to a button. So that's what I do. That wouldn't work on a vintage A (where the fretboard extension is attached to the mandolin body), but I would think it would work on any modern A (with an elevated fretboard extension). All that said, I wouldn't necessarily recommend my particular strap as anything special. My straps are homemade. I just get some leather (leather "lace" I think it's called) from the local craft store and braid it to make the strap. I leave a loop at one end in which I tie knots at several intervals so that I can adjust the length of the strap by choosing which knotted segment of the endloop I attach to the tailpiece button. And then I leave a long loop at the other end so that I can loop the strap around the heel and under the fretboard extension and feed it back through itself. I hope that makes sense!
Incredible job! Thanks for so much good info!
I got curious about listening to the Royer 10 mic alone. It really does a great job together with the Neuman 184.
Also, what a nice tone from the SM57, huh! Damn, I lost mine some years ago and never bought one back.
Thanks for the thoughtful comment! It's kind of a cliche to say it, but SM57s are really solid at just about everything. The beauty of it is, too, that they're comparatively quite cheap and easy to get ahold of. I do love the combo of the Neumann and the Royer.
Good video. I haven't recorded my mandolin yet.
With the 57 you can really hear the bass rolloff and the midrange peak. Someone on a budget could EQ those and get a sound closer to the Neuman.
It's also worth mentioning that people trying to experiment with mic placement can use either tight in-ear monitors or closed back headphones to play while moving around to easily hear things in real time.
Thanks, and very astute comments! Headphones are definitely invaluable for testing mic placement, though I've found for myself that nothing beats lots of recording tests and careful listening back.
Very nice demo! To my ear, I prefer the Neumann without the Royer. The transients (in my opinion) are a little clearer with the single mic. I'm impressed with how capable the SM57 is! Great work (and playing).
Thanks for the attentive comment! Sometimes I prefer the sound of the single Neumann, as well. It depends a bit on what I'm recording and what kind of tone I'm looking for. Thanks a lot!
Thanks for the tips. Woody tone is the goal!
You are certainly welcome! Thanks for the comment. Agreed... that woody tone is always what I'm striving for.
Thanks for a great video. I have just one question - you recommend to aim the mic somewhere between the bridge and the f-hole on on the base side. Doesn’t your right hand cover that space?
Hi Juha. Yes, it does. I know very little about the mechanics of the way in which sound is projected from the mandolin top, but the arm/hand in between the mic and the body of the mandolin doesn't seem to make much difference to the sound--perhaps because the mic is far enough from the instrument. Another good spot I've found to aim the mic is just to the neck side of the bass-side f-hole (not so far that you're starting to get toward the scroll on an f-style mandolin). I'd recommend experimenting with different positions.
@@thaneglenn thanks. I will definitely try your advice. I’m in a middle of a recording project and input from your channel is useful. 👍
Great video, Thane, you have a lot of heart. May I suggest a couple things from experimenting and research? Foam is really ineffective in absorbing any sort of bass frequencies or anything below 2000 hz. At ~approx 1000 hz, it's audio absorbancy falls off sharpy. Even lower frequencies go right through foam as if it weren't there mate! When recording, I've found that it's just as important if not more so to have the wall behind the microphones soft (absorbent). You play very well and are far from mediocre. Keep the videos coming! Cheers my friend!
Thanks for the comment! Most of the foam I put up is to absorb some annoying ringing tinny frequencies in the 3kHz and 4kHz range (though the 2' wedges I added to the traps I have in the corners do seem to help a bit with lower frequencies... I can only go with what my ears tell me, though the absorption coefficient reported for the foam I bought was a lot better than that reported for other acoustic foam products I looked at). To tame lower frequencies, I built traps and panels with acoustic insulation material. As well as the room corners, I set up these insulation panels at all of the first reflection points, except for the far wall behind the mics, where I built a diffusion panel.
Great video! Did you say what your audio interface is? I’d love to know. Your recordings are uniquely good IMO
Thanks so much for the kind words! For anything I'm recording with two mics (which is the vast majority of what I record), I use a Zoom H5--which I love. If I'm using more than two mics--anytime I'm recording an ensemble of some sort--I use a Tascam US-16x08.
Solid tips! Would love to hear details about mixing process, thanks!
Thanks! I'm getting ready to record something new, and I'll try to use the opportunity to put together a little video on my mix.
Just published a video on my mixing process: ua-cam.com/video/LJ3iAOCgM3Y/v-deo.html
Thanks for the info. What kind of strap are you using? I have a Northfield "A" and want a strap like what you are using.
Thanks! I like the way the mandolin sits better with the strap looped around behind the heel and under the fretboard extension than attached to a button. So that's what I do. That wouldn't work on a vintage A (where the fretboard extension is attached to the mandolin body), but I would think it would work on any modern A (with an elevated fretboard extension). All that said, I wouldn't necessarily recommend my particular strap as anything special. My straps are homemade. I just get some leather (leather "lace" I think it's called) from the local craft store and braid it to make the strap. I leave a loop at one end in which I tie knots at several intervals so that I can adjust the length of the strap by choosing which knotted segment of the endloop I attach to the tailpiece button. And then I leave a long loop at the other end so that I can loop the strap around the heel and under the fretboard extension and feed it back through itself. I hope that makes sense!
What kind of strap? Are you fucking joking here?
Yes, thanks. Very useful info and demos.
Thanks for the words of appreciation!