Who still uses mics to record instruments?

[Mark Schmieder]

I've been strongly considering getting a Leslie as well, and not just for organ. SO much faster to dial a mic setting than to menu-dive in a plug-in, and it's more inspiring and immediate as well. Less chance of losing the momentum or the idea while the computer snags at startup on some unexpected issue.

[Mark Schmieder]

On the other hand, I have simultaneously (for the past few years) moved away from multi-miking instruments and close-miking the full drum set. Although I didn't personally experience the notorious phasing issues very often, due to either knowing how to place the mics or getting lucky with the mics and the room, I'm just finding that I get more organic results that blend better as a whole, with a more minimalist miking technique.

[Anderton]

I try for sonic consistency. So most of the "new age" stuff by other artists I worked on in the 80s was almost always miked. Anything that was recorded direct stuck out compared to the miked instruments. Perhaps this was because the miked instruments were usually in stereo, so phase issues - even if not objectionable - were part of the sound. A direct instrument didn't do that, so it either needed to be stereo room-miked through an FRFR amp (quickest/easiest), or have its ambiance matched (which would have been a LOT easier if we'd had convolution reverbs).

 

Last time I miked drums was a project with Brian Hardgroove. Did the good ol' Glyn Johns approach, the drum kit was simple enough (and the drummer good enough) to allow it. 

 

In my own music, I use so many synthetic sound sources that I try to minimize miking as much as possible, again for sonic consistency. If there's a stereo miked acoustic guitar in a mix with electronic everything else, it just doesn't sound right. Of course, I still have to mic some instruments, but I try to take the room out of the equation as much as possible. With acoustic guitar sometimes I'll use one mic, and do my faux-virtual-mic-with-EQ technique to give the stereo image. That gives a more direct-like sound, but still has some of miking's fullness.

 

The one area where I'm a fanatic about mics is my voice, especially because singing and narration have different requirements.

 

 

[kaptainkeys]

One thing I've found that helps with sonic continuity between live miked and direct instruments is to create a bus with a nice room reverb on it and use it as an effects send.  Makes it sound like all the instruments and vocals were recorded together in one room.  In order to do this though, basically all the miked instruments have to be close miked so that there is as little of the natural room tone as possible in the final product.

[Caevan O’Shite]

On 7/7/2022 at 1:03 AM, The Real MC said:

Sometimes I'll use speaker emulators either Red Box or original Groove Tubes emulator.

Hey, cool! I've still got an ancient GT Electronics Speaker Emulator- the original one, with the very interactive three-band, resonant-seeming "Pole Filter" EQ to emulate cabinet coloration. It sounds great and, particularly, FEELS fantastic! Rich and complex and organic, if you will.

I'd have to go find it, it's been packed away for a while now. And, I need to replace the broken-off fuse-holder on the back...

Sometimes, dialing-in the Input and Output levels, along with the EQ, could be a bit like safe-cracking to find the 'just-right' combination of sweet-spots with amps of various types and wattages. Once zeroed-in on, though, it was excellent!

Which version do you have, MC? The OG, or the 'II'?