Recording with my sm57

[bkbirge]

From the description of the sound it's almost like you have the mic off axis (highly doubtful with the 57). Take a pic and record a clip and post both, maybe we'll hear or see something.

[lavaxtris]

here is a soundclip. it doesn't sound that bad on here but in a mix it is jangley and not very clear.

http://soundcloud.com/joe-studer/aud...coustic-sample

[bkbirge]

Just sounds like a crappy bedroom environment, tiny room with square walls and ductwork/electronics noise bleed. Nice playing. My daughter stopped playing drums because she heard it through the speakers and wanted to listen. I think you just need to get your place as quiet as possible. At some point down the road you may want to upgrade your preamp but really the sound you have now is what you can expect from a 57, really nice for lo-fi folk, not sparkly, has some good meat in the mids. Sometimes you get better results if you let the track dictate how it should sound rather than trying to force it to be something it's not. I don't know what your reference is but I don't hear any gear issues here. If you want that sparkly sound you need new strings and some eq or a different mic and strum louder, a condensor would be appropriate in that case.

[paparoof]

That's funny, my son just put down his book and came downstairs while I was listening to that too. Perhaps you've got something there. The youth seem interested - that can't be a bad thing.

I think the sound you have there is entirely useable. It's not the typical sparkly acoustic guitar tone most people would aim for by default, but I rather like it. It's a bit more meaty. Something the 57 is great at.

I also think the background noise is a non-issue. I can hear you nose breathing and some other stuff going on, but so what? I think that actually adds to the character. As we say in the IT world, it's not a problem - it's a feature.

I'm still gonna tell you to get a condenser, but I'm also gonna try a 57 on my acoustic guitar sometime soon. Thanks for getting me to think outside the box.

[EricF]

It sounds like a 57 on and acoustic guitar.

Nice playing.

[DieterVDW]

If you have ambient noise problems using a dynamic mic, it's gonna be 10 times worse with a condensor mic. They are waaay more sensitive.

That recording doesn't sound that bad. You can experiment with the placing of the mic to obtain another sound at recording time.
Also try placing the mic as close to the guitar as practically possible. The louder the microphone receives the sound, the less ambient noise will be hearable (ie. better signal-to-noise ratio!).

You should probably experiment with after-recording EQ'ing. I don't think you can expect a recording to sound alive and full without any post-processing.
EQ'ing a recording is an art. Experiment with it and you can vastly improve a recording!

I don't have that much experience recording, but I have gotten decents sounds from my SM57.

Good luck!

[lavaxtris]

haha sounds like I might have some fans afterall.

I'll see if I can pick up a condenser mic soon. Seems like thats what I need.

[bkbirge]

You could also mod your sm57. Take out the transformer and you'll get better high end response. You can also replace the transformer with one from TAB Funkenwerk. Mercenary Audio sells the replacement transformer, it's $80. You'll still have a low-mid heavy room though, might be worth trying other places to record with what you have.

[EricF]

Keep in mind that a condenser mic is going to be even more sensitive to your environment. You will probably get a prettier guitar sound, but you'll also get more room noise.

Also do some experimenting with different mic locations - pointing down at the neck from above, pointing up at the neck from below, next to your ear pointing down at the neck, etc., etc... Mic position can dramatically effect the recorded tone.

[lavaxtris]

ok, I took some tips from the forum, tried out a new mic cable (no difference) and tried completing a demo of the song.

http://www.reverbnation.com/lunchbox.../15715935-hero

take a listen and let me know what you think about the acoustic sound

[paparoof]

I think that tone works great for that song. Makes me think 70's. I really dig the song too. Nice job.