coolsciguy - 11-14-2021 at 08:21 AM
Hi folks,
I've been playing around positioning my recorder (Tascam DR-05X) at different distances/angles in front of the oud to capture the right sound.
As old posts on this forum suggest, one's idea of the right sound might be different from others. I have been playing in isolation since start, so I
only know the sound that I play, not what the audience hear.
None of the recordings I made from the front of the oud captured the right essence of my instrument as I heard being the player; sound was compressed
and missing details. Given my lack of recording skills and inexpensive recorder, I thought this is as good as it gets.
Today I put the recorder same level as my ears are, facing the back of the instrument and the recording was much improved. Details from higher and
lower registers were there (yet there was some echo and other issues) but the sound was closer to my idea of the right sound.
I know this is common practice when you have 2 mics to put one back of the player. Has anyone experimented with putting one microphone behind the
player only? Please share your thoughts.
Thank you.
Brian Prunka - 11-14-2021 at 08:52 AM
I'm guessing that the main benefit you are probably getting here is that you are placed farther away from the instrument, and possibly a more
appropriate volume level. The best sound is usually 2-3 feet away from the instrument. You're also probably used to the sound of the oud from your
position so the recording sounds more like what you're used to hearing.
Most ouds will sound much better from the front than from the back, the bowl design of the oud radiates very little sound so if you mic it the way you
describe you are mostly getting indirect/reflected sound (which will also cause phasing issues, in addition to coloration from the surfaces reflecting
the sound).
It's not common practice to put a mic behind an oud player when you have two mics. For some instruments, like percussion, this makes sense as the
sound radiates in all directions (in the case of darbuka, the bass sounds tend to come from the back and the treble sounds from the front). Two mics
on the oud usually are a coincident pair of some kind.
Your tascam recorder should be capable of getting good recordings, but it needs to be set a decent distance away (I'd start with about 2 feet). You
also need to make sure the recording level is set low enough that your playing doesn't overhwelm the preamps and cause distortion (which may have been
why you were losing detail). Aim for your loudest playing to be around -6 dB on the meter. Your intuition about putting the mic at about ear level
is a good one, the may help acheive a natural sound, particularly in certain rooms.
coolsciguy - 11-14-2021 at 11:37 AM
Thank you Brian, perfect explanation as always. I'll give your suggestions a go soon. Just bought a desk mic stand for easier adjustments of the
recorder's position; so far I have been using a tripod which is too difficult to adjust.
On the subject of recording, at some point I'd like to get a professional quality microphone and an interface to record with better quality. As you
can tell, I am a novice (on both fronts) and am afraid if I make this move now it will take time out of my (limited) practicing time for a result that
may not be too much better than what I can potentially get with a recorder. The temptation is there and I'm fighting it. Some words of wisdom will be
truly appreciated.
Thanks
Brian Prunka - 11-14-2021 at 01:01 PM
It really depends on your budget, microphones are crazy but there are pretty decent budget options available nowadays. You can spend $250 or $25,000
. . . generally your biggest improvement will be microphone quality, then preamp quality, then things like digital converters.
You basically will want a large diaphragm condenser for the oud. There are good options out there in almost every price range.
Ribbon mics can work really well, but you need a very good ribbon mic (cheaper ones tend not to be worth it) and a really good sounding room (ribbons
pick up sound from front and back), so they're best for studio recording.
coolsciguy - 11-14-2021 at 02:13 PM
Thank you Brian, this is very helpful.