Grand Mic Combination for Classical Guitar Comparison Video

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rojarosguitar

Posts: 243
Joined: Dec. 8 2010

Grand Mic Combination for Classical ...

Hello,
as Alexandru Marian (a Romanin luthier) asked me to do some mic testing for his purposes, I let it grow into a grand comparison of different combinations.

If you have fun, please look (or better, listen) into this and if possible give a ranking of the combination you liked best, second best etc.

Later on I will reveal which take is which combination

You will need to listen on reasonable loudspeakers or headphones to discern properly...

best wishes
Robert

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For the technically inclined:
Preamp: Broadhurst Gardens No.1
Recorder: Tascam DR-680 Bussman moded (44,1kHz 16bit wav files)
DAW: Protools 11 native

No processing (EQ, compression or reverb or even resampling) whatsoever!!!! As naked as it was played!!!

_____________________________

Music is a big continent with different lascapes and corners. Some of them I do visit frequently, some from time to time and some I know from hearsay only ...

A good musical instrument is one that inspires one to express as free as possible

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 7 2014 19:06:32

Sr. Martins

Posts: 3079
Joined: Apr. 4 2011

RE: Grand Mic Combination for Classi... (in reply to rojarosguitar)

Not knowing what those combinations are, to me they sounded like the same mics with very slight differences.

To be honest, didn't like any of them that much but there are two around the middle that sounded way better than anything at the beginning/end.

Hope this helped.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 7 2014 19:52:27

rojarosguitar

Posts: 243
Joined: Dec. 8 2010

RE: Grand Mic Combination for Classi... (in reply to Sr. Martins)

Thanks for taking your time.
Hope it wasn't too painful if you didn't like the sound, but maybe it was just the music, the guitar or, plainly, my playing. Never mind.
Certainly these are quite different microphones and combinations, so maybe the listening system you used didn't bring it over?
Anyway, thanks again for your contribution...

_____________________________

Music is a big continent with different lascapes and corners. Some of them I do visit frequently, some from time to time and some I know from hearsay only ...

A good musical instrument is one that inspires one to express as free as possible

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 7 2014 22:02:06

Sr. Martins

Posts: 3079
Joined: Apr. 4 2011

RE: Grand Mic Combination for Classi... (in reply to rojarosguitar)

Iam listening on 2 big speakers where I usually mix but maybe I just didn't quite get the idea behind the sound you're going for.

To me it sounds like there are always two microphones at roughly the same spot and always at the same distance from the guitar. I only hear different EQ's, maybe that has to do with the different tonal signatures of the mics used.

Maybe I didn't pay enough attention but to me they sounded like the same kind of microphones being used but again, Iam not familiar with that style of playing so my ears might have been totally mislead and "looking" for the wrong things.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 7 2014 22:14:22

rojarosguitar

Posts: 243
Joined: Dec. 8 2010

RE: Grand Mic Combination for Classi... (in reply to Sr. Martins)

You are right that the positions of the microphones are the same throughout all the test, but there is no EQ whatsoever, and each take involves different microphone combinations, including SDC, LDC and ribbons, so they couldn't be more different in terms of recording microphones. Almost all (but not all) the microphones involved are considered high and highest quality gear. The preamp (Broadhurst Gardens No.1) is not an esoteric 'boutique' preamp, but is a very respected 'workhorse' amp with great transparency and British understatement.

Of course, if I had used vocal or bass drum mics, the differences would have been more dramatic...

So, in this test I think different combinations are shown, that represent the guitar (and unavoidably the player) as it is, and not as one would wish it is...
I was asked to do this test by the Romanian luthier Alexandru Marian (who also builds very, very nice flamencas BTW) so the spacing and the distance to the guitar was prescribed by him. As to the sound: we were after possibly neutral uncolored sound that represents the guitar as it is as good as possible, with as little coloration as possible.

_____________________________

Music is a big continent with different lascapes and corners. Some of them I do visit frequently, some from time to time and some I know from hearsay only ...

A good musical instrument is one that inspires one to express as free as possible

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 8 2014 7:03:38

Sr. Martins

Posts: 3079
Joined: Apr. 4 2011

RE: Grand Mic Combination for Classi... (in reply to rojarosguitar)

Given that the EQ is coming from the different mics used, maybe that's what makes it sound "unbalanced".

For instance, if you're using a SDC with flat EQ characteristics and a LDC with a bassy EQ, the recording might sound filtered and phase-y. I think that's whats happening.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 8 2014 13:09:37