recording strings (1 Viewer)

[Gavelsted]

hello yet again,i play in a band who have a violin player and we've been setting about recording-problem is when we go to double track strings,or even add harmonies,it comes out sounding (i shit you not) like an accordion.anybody have any experience recording strings and if so,how should i go about rectifying this?

 

[dudley]

like an accordian! how strange
the only vague thing i can suggest for mic placement is have the mic about a foot higher than the player and maybe 2 or 3 feet in front. maybe.

one tip, when recording multiple tracks with only one player, make them alter the phrasing on the overdub, ie put the vibrato in a diff timing or something, should make it sound more convincingly like a string section rather than one person being overdubbed a ton

 

[Anthony]

is that what you do with your guitar?

 

[Rogue]

What dudley said, don't mic it too close. The accordion sound is probably due to slight mistuning by the violin player, accordions sound more 'accordiony' if the reeds are tuned slightly off-centre; the effect is worsened in violins on harmonised long notes in fifths or octaves, try to avoid parallel harmonies, vary the intervals a bit.

got this online somewhere:

VIOLIN

*Place a flat condenser 2 feet over the top.

*For a fiddle player who sings, try a flat condenser at mouth
height and horizontal.

*For a classical-music violin solo, place a stereo mic or stereo
pair of mics about 12 to 20 feet away.

 

[kraster]

The trick with violin is to get a good balance between the fundamental tone and the overtones. If you get too much fundamental tone from the violin you will get too much chorusing on the double track. Hence the accordion sound. If it's too far away you will get too many harmonics and the sound will become unfocussed and unpredictable.

Experiment with Mic positioning until you get the desired effect. The problem also may lie in the violin itself. If the sound post has been knocked the violin's tone will become uneven. Certain notes will honk a lot on the lower registers and others will simply disappear.

Also violins, as you know, are pretty boxy sounding instruments and can sound particularly bad in certain rooms. Strings in general always benefit from a bit of ambience. So if you have access to a larger room it might be worth checking out.

 

[RED(tape)MENACE]

You could also try doing one track close up, around 2-3 feet away, and doing the second one more distant.. about 6 feet away perhaps.

 

[Goodbye]

recorded a violin before
a nightmare
untill we placed the microphone abobe the player pointing down toward the top f hole
did'nt sound like a monkey being killed then

 

[Pantone247]

was Mike S playing the violin?

the microphone might not have been yr problem...

 

[snakybus]

yes it was me

And I'm afraid this is true

 

[kings lead hat]

try using a ribbon if u can or maybe eq to tape and get the harshness out. try and make sure the room is dead dead dead.