How do i get that IN YOUR FACE sound.

Posted: Sat Feb 03, 2007 1:18 pm

Right now when i record through my Firpod into cubecase, it sounds like i just threw up a couple room mic's and thats it. How do i get that sound when it actually sounds like the instruments are IN your speakers.....Im talking about every and any rock song.....the instruments do have reveb but they dont sound like there 30 feet away....and way to fix this? Im almost positive its in a way how i position the mics with the shape of my room. (or so im guessing)

Posted: Sat Feb 03, 2007 6:36 pm

Hmm...perhaps you could post a sample of your work?

When you place a mic on a guitar cab, how far out are you? Same question for kit, vocals, etc.

Perhaps you're simply placing the mics to far out...or dare I say - facing them backwards...(don't laugh, it's been done before.)

Cheers -

J.

Posted: Sat Feb 03, 2007 8:34 pm

xX5thQuarterXx wrote:

.....Im talking about every and any rock song.....the instruments do have reveb but they dont sound like there 30 feet away....and way to fix this? Im almost positive its in a way how i position the mics with the shape of my room. (or so im guessing)

hmm I would not say that every instrument has or needs reverb.
are you using one? How do they sound dry do they all sound 30 feet away?

Posted: Sat Feb 03, 2007 10:16 pm

OK so this is my problem.....

The thing i want to fix first is the Guitars.

When i mic the Cabs somewhat close (1-4inches) I can get a decent sound if i crank up the gain on the Firepod...So i have this sound that is decent but its clipping.....so i reduce the gain and it makes it sound farther away.....

I'm working on the kit right now so i think i got that under control....

Here is a pretty rough thing we just through tougher so i could post something.....

http://media.putfile.com/Even-If-you-Miss

Im kind of dissapointed becasue i have gotten way better results with my old Alesis Mixer and Peavy PA.....but i know this firepod is capable of way
more

Posted: Tue Feb 06, 2007 5:38 pm

no ideas???

Posted: Tue Feb 06, 2007 5:59 pm

It may well be the room that's your problem. It's perfectly acceptable today not to add additional reverb to your sources. The instruments sound like they have in-your-face potential. Sometimes too much drive on a guitar amp gives the illusion of distance; also, if your mic is too far off-axis from the speaker cone you might be picking up more room than you want.

Posted: Sat Feb 10, 2007 11:01 am

I took a quick listen and this is how I attempt getting a large/modern recording.

Drums - Sample replacement/reinforcement. You can either use a program like Drumagog, Aptrigger, or manually add the samples. There are many ways to do it manually...easiest in Pro Tools.

Guitars - A lot of people will say compression, but distorted guitars are already compressed like a mutha. Layer your takes using less distortion than you would normally use. Excess gain sounds thin...low gain across a few layers sounds huge. Automating a quick volume boost on parts that need to jump (pick scrapes, transitions, and such) will definitely make the guitars jump with the song a little more.

Bass - I tend to compress the hell out of bass and automate volume at any areas that I need more or less of it. I also tend to add a little distortion/eq to make it a little gargly in modern rock/metal.

Vocals - I love an SM7 with very small amounts of reverb, lots of compression (I use Waves SSL for this typically), and a touch of distortion.

Overall, I tend to add distortion/saturation to almost everything. It is kinda needed with modern rock/punk/metal. Digital recording is very pristine and distortion is what we have been conditioned to hear on pretty much every major release (tape & analog gear).

Posted: Sat Feb 10, 2007 11:24 am

It also sounds like you have a bit of overspill from some of the other mics which is making the room sound worse, do you record all the instruments at the same time in the same room?

Or have you put ambient mics around for various instruments?

Posted: Tue Feb 13, 2007 1:33 pm

I use a firepod almost exclusively. My mixes are right in your face and all that junk....Basically you have to be brave enough to bring the guitars forward and leave the drums further in the background, I'm a drummer and it took me a while to get used to it but it will give you the ability to bring the guitars forward. I haven't listened to your sample yet but I have a feeling this is your problem. either that or you have to learn mic'ing technique on your guitar cabs. Usually pointing straight ahead at the cone helps or go with headphones and listen for the point in which the hiss fro mthe amp is loudest, that's the sweet spot.
When i listen to your sample though, I'll be able to give you better advice, but this is my off the cuff advice.

Posted: Tue Feb 13, 2007 1:36 pm

I use a firepod almost exclusively. My mixes are right in your face and all that junk....Basically you have to be brave enough to bring the guitars forward and leave the drums further in the background, I'm a drummer and it took me a while to get used to it but it will give you the ability to bring the guitars forward. I haven't listened to your sample yet but I have a feeling this is your problem. either that or you have to learn mic'ing technique on your guitar cabs. Usually pointing straight ahead at the cone helps or go with headphones and listen for the point in which the hiss fro mthe amp is loudest, that's the sweet spot.
When i listen to your sample though, I'll be able to give you better advice, but this is my off the cuff advice.

To listen to my recordings all of which were recorded with a Presonus Firepod, visit: http://multoc.com, http://myspace.com/yeolderelic, http://myspace.com/earthvsthespider, http://myspace.com/colorblindmanager, http://myspace.com/vigildeath, and finally http://myspace.com/andiwillremain

Posted: Tue Feb 13, 2007 1:42 pm

Mmmk I listened to it. You should definatly pan out your guitars left and right. And I mean HARD LEFT AND HARD RIGHT! And it also sounds like you should mike closer to the amps and lose the reverb (if any was added) to the guitars, but the panning will definatly help alot!

Posted: Tue Feb 13, 2007 1:49 pm

yeah, record the guitars separate from the drums and bass (if bass is miced) turn the gain on the guitar amp down a bit and if this is in a bare walled garage or basement put up whatever you can to deaden the room.

as far as the older equipment sounding better, thats very possible. the better fidelity reveals the good and the bad in sounds, techniques, other equipment, playing etc.

Posted: Wed Feb 14, 2007 1:24 pm

OK, I took a listen to your "rehearsal" session.

DUDE! Everybody else who has commented here has failed to notice that your recording is most distinctly MONO! Sure, some folks have told you to place your guitars in the left and right channel, wide. It sounds like you set up a single microphone in a garage to record your band? Plus. You have some really terrible phase cancellation going on here and that's why you're not happy with the sound. I like good Mono. I do good Mono. I give good Mono. This is not good Mono.

You're recording technique, use of your equipment, is really quite flawed. You need to review your software help file. I believe you probably made better recordings on the junky old Peavey PA? I certainly have! It's certainly more straightforward when you can grab knobs, in the great analog tradition. That way, you know what's going left. You know what's going right. You even know when it's going terribly wrong, when it's terribly wrong.

My recordings sound good because I start with a less is more mindset. Shure SM 58/57/56, on just about everything. Straight in, with maybe a little compression on the vocalist. Not much radical equalization on anything, especially during tracking (which you cannot do anyhow). Some greater manipulation on bass drum and snare drum, in the mix. But it also sounds like you might have some improperly wired microphone cables?? I'm hearing way too much phase cancellation, even in your mono mix. It's hopelessly obvious.

You're also doing something terribly wrong in your software. You're recording is not stereo. It's 2 Channel Mono. Can you spell "Panoramic Potentiometer"? Maybe "Pan Pot"? How about "balance control"? (Even though that's a panoramic potentiometer, for a stereo source) You might want to look into a different recording software? Maybe something that's more intuitive for you? Adobe Audition? Sony Vegas? Steinberg Nuendo? Obviously your missing something in the software you are currently using. Not that the software is missing anything, but you are.

Or did you really make this recording with a single microphone??
Ms. Remy Ann David

Posted: Wed Feb 14, 2007 5:49 pm

RemyRAD wrote:

I like good Mono. I do good Mono. I give good Mono. This is not good Mono.

There's a good Mono? Well I still don't want it. Razz

Posted: Wed Feb 14, 2007 9:48 pm

Ok so i got a 4 day break and i am going to take all of you suggestions into consideration!

Ive learned a few things but, im still a little bit foggy on some.

So when im setting the input gain with the firepod i can get a really good sounding in ur face guitar, but only if the light shows that it is clipping..... so i have to turn everything down to where it sounds like what u said "One mic in a garage" I dont get it, do i need to compress like every mic?

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