Don't let the sun catch you crying

[Hilary]

I'm still experimenting with my vox, so I thought I'd try recording in the car. On the plus side, I quite liked the sound and on the negative side it was really cramped and there was a lot of creaking!

I've posted it anyway because I really like the song and don't sing it often enough - it's a straight forward cover on internal mics, plus percussive creaking!

Oh and the batteries really don't last very long with my BR, I must be doing something wrong!

*

[AndyR]

when you said it was really cramped, I thought - oh yeah? you should try my "studio".

I was of course imagining this was going to be acapella... when the guitar started I realised how cramped you meant!

Lovely recording and performance. Interestingly, I personally think the sound in the car seems to be GREAT for the guitar - that's a gorgeous sound for the guitar. Not so sure for the vocal, it works fine, but I prefer what it's done for the guitar.

I assume this was done live with the BR's internal mics? Really good balance between the vox and guitar. And the creaking is not nearly as intrusive as you're imagining!

In your vocal experiments, I recommend that you investigate getting closer to the mic – it will take some effort doing it on your own, though. I spent years keeping my mouth back from the mic because that's the only way I thought I could avoid overloading etc if I didn't have an engineer setting levels for me. But you end up getting too much of the room on the recording of the vocal if you do it this way (and you leave half the performance in the room).

Listening to this three or four times now, I reckon that's all it is. I know you're restricted on distances anyway to get the volume balance on something like this. But the guitar quite likes what the "room" has added here, and the voice doesn't like it quite as much. (It's actually because of this sort of thing - on "live" guitar and vocal recordings - that I ended up getting some more mics and stands a couple of months back, so that I could start experimenting with how to use them all at once and still get that "vocal" sound I can achieve with close mic-ing).

[Flash Harry]

Nice. Listen to Andy, he know's what he's on about

[Hilary]

Oh thanks Andy (and Flash) - I did experiment with the placement of the BR to get the levels right between vox and guitar (it needs to be placed low for picking and higher for strumming) and yes, it was recorded on the internal mics. Fiddled around a lot with the levels and still have peaking on this - interestingly I think the sound on the vox in the car is much better than it usually is on the BR internal mics at home. Some of the other songs I tried had some really weird bouncing going on with the vox acoustics though.

I will give it a try with the internal mics nearer and see if it makes any difference but to be honest, I wasn't planning on repeating the experience!

Gonna try recording them simutaneously with the Rode next

* I actually really like sitting down and holding the Rode in my hand when I'm recording (I've done a couple like that) - I don't know if you've tried it but it's really difficult to do!

[Flash Harry]

Geir records his vocals in the car sometimes, at least he has done in the past.

[AndyR]

Keep experimenting - and even when you've found a way that seems to be "it", keep questioning whether there's anymore to be squeezed out. It's really difficult recording your own voice, none of us really know what our voices sound like apart from what we hear on recordings. So none of us really know how good we could make ourselves sound with just a bit more know-how!!

And it doesn't have to be "proper" techniques (although most of the "proper" ones are accepted because they work, I guess) - if it sounds good, it is good, no matter how you did it.

Oh, and btw, and this always worries me when I put "advice" in a post, hopefully it wasn't lost in the above that I think this one sounds good!


I nearly mentioned that about Geir and the "car vocal booth". If I had a car, I think I'd give it a go. Not sure how to get the Rode in there though... and where to get the 48v from? (Do cars still have cigarette-lighters? What voltage are they? )

Haylie, you hold a large condensor?!! Braver than me
Is that with a bare hand? I'd think about making a furry "mitten" to hold it in.

[Hilary]

Haylie, you hold a large condensor?!! Braver than me
Is that with a bare hand? I'd think about making a furry "mitten" to hold it in.

I did Your the one that I Want handheld and the er Penis one handheld (I'm giggling now) - I did all the backing on the Penis one handheld (still giggling) and stood up for the talking and the Bananarma bit.

Thanks very much for the advice Andy, it's much appreciated

[Burtog]

Sounds good to me, good balance of guitar and vox.

Who did the original, dont think I've heard it before?

[Hilary]

Who did the original, dont think I've heard it before?

Oh you're too young dear, it's Gerry and the Pacemakers from the 60s - to be honest I'm too young too

I know what Andy means, the BR was balanced on the open glove compartment so obviously picked up the guitar really well and missed a lot of the colour in my voice - that was the trade off between the balance of the guitar and vox in the recording otherwise it would have been all vox and very little guitar.

[AndyR]

... that was the trade off between the balance of the guitar and vox in the recording otherwise it would have been all vox and very little guitar.

Yep, that's the trouble I found as well. I only use my MBR for capturing ideas or possibly recording a rehearsal to find out what I need to work on now. I have had people say they'd like me to post some of those raw demos... but, I can't bring myself to do so! (I even wiped a bunch of them the other day to make some room - I did find some useful ideas I'd forgotten though, and a crazy version of You Should Be Dancing that had got as far as mastered!)