Electrical Audio How-To: Recording Acoustic Stringed Instruments

[@liminal6823]

You don't know what you've got until it's gone.

[@jond63]

Thank you Steve. You will be missed by countless listeners and fans of music alike. RIP

[@hessex1899]

One of the best things is to listen to an old, competent, engineer talk about applied engineering. I could literally watch this stuff all day long and never get bored.

[@elliotcrane]

Love how the particular sense of irony and humor comes off so naturally in these. A very welcome added value indeed.

[@composerdorianbell]

It really made the video that much better. And it was amazing to begin with.

[@fedesartorio]

Did Electrical Audio hire someone just to make the videos? Because the quality is stellar. Big love to all the people involved in the making of those videos! So crazy to see Steve Albini being all educational with drawings made for ants

[@ElectricalAudioOfficial]

We did. Bartered for studio time.

[@HalcyonGuitars]

@@ElectricalAudioOfficial That’s the way to do it!

[@N8oRMusic]

The Steve Albini Center for Kids Who Can't Record Good and Who Wanna Learn to Do Other Stuff Good Too.

[@YTPartyTonight]

Even the little touch in the way they incorporated a well-manicured index finger, shifting ever so slightly to give it life, was endearing.

[@User-jk8wq]

The idea of using two figure-8 mics to isolate the guitar and vocals from each other is nothing short of genius. Thanks Steve!

[@morbidmanmusic]

...or obvious...

[@distortiontruthBOS-RP]

​@@morbidmanmusic

[@distortiontruthBOS-RP]

Doesn't a figure 8 microphone have the null at the side, with the front and back both being active, while a super cardioid mic has the rejection to the rear - meaning whatever the mic is not facing? I think of figure 8 as synonymous with bipolar.

[@DavidHartwig]

@@distortiontruthBOS-RP The nulls on the sides of a figure of 8 are well defined. A supercardioid pattern has small spikes on the sides, as well as a narrow spike coming straight out the back. In essence the figure of 8 has nice smooth round pickup patterns, and the supercardioid has spikes coming off it, with the front being largest long and narrow.

[@teddybullard941]

It can work beautifully. Others that I favor are Blumlein, ortf and my *personal favorite", Jecklin Disc.

[@ArthurPerez-t2e]

This is such gold. This man was a treasure trove of knowledge. Rest in power Steve Albini.

[@PerezBroz-p5o]

Wow i have to say I did not expect the isolation between the acoustic guitar and vocal mics to be that drastic. I will always remember this. Thank you.

[@SergioFilho]

This is one of the best videos on KZbin of all time

[@mitekillem]

Man, I can't tell you enough how much I love and appreciate the extra detail you go into on these videos. It's just enough not to drag on, but also it fills in a lot of holes in my current understanding. You're a scientist.

[@dgerch]

We are so lucky that Steve was so generous with his time and knowledge. The guy truly loved to teach and his motivation was egoless. He just seemed to truly find purpose in teaching us how to fish. There are hours and hours of interviews with the guy going into precise detail, demystifying, never gatekeeping. He's gone but he's left us a lifetime's worth of information.

[@seankent1807]

It amazes me that one of the greatest engineering / production / recording talents of our era took the time to teach & share his knowledge in videos like this…he passed away too soon. What a loss…thank you for enriching our lives, Mr. Albini!

[@marks6051]

So glad this video was posted. I had it on my mind to ask about acoustic instruments next time Steve popped up on some Q&A/reddit AMA or whatever, particularly after hearing the most recent Nina Nastasia record, which sounds beautiful both in performance and production. Thanks EA for addressing this topic!

[@maxludwig301]

That was fantastic. I have a next door neighbour who’s well into his eighties but was a professional cello player. I often hear him play in his house and he‘s still amazing. I always wanted to approach him to do some recordings in his house but since I don‘t want to bother him too much I don‘t want to spent too much time testing and comparing microphones. This video has encourage me to ring his doorbell. I was impressed how well the GLM 100 sounded. I obviously have neglected mine. I thought about using an AT4051, a 4038 or R88, but I might give the Crown a try as well.

[@mumbles215]

Get that geezer on tape! We need it. He’d love it. We would too as a society.

[@morbidmanmusic]

Just do your best with what you have. Don't wait. He may not be around long. His family would also love to have something like that.m

[@dooleyfan]

I’ve just started recording with my 80ish neighbour who plays harmonica. We’re having a blast introducing each other to tunes from each other’s generation.

[@MrKablesp]

RIP Steve, you will be sorely missed

[@miikaroysko9591]

I know the "how important is is to buy expensive mics" was a joke but damn this video did a nice job of showcasing how beautiful these high end mics sound!💸💸💸

[@hermano8160]

My kind of humor, guys. Thanks for the informative yet entertaining videos!

[@fredericdb4079]

Hey I've seen plenty of videos, and this format and formula is so agreeable and instructive. I find it cool that you take a moment to talk with the musician. Thanks so much.

[@Twongo]

I absolutely adore "the process". What a wonderful life to live.

[@nigelcristobal1185]

i think one important thing to know here is the role of the recording engineer to know about the player and the instrument. not just put up mics and record. the best recording comes from a collaboration of the musician and the engineer.

[@panchoburboa]

Steve you're the best. I'll be showing this to my students.

[@manuelinfante58]

I love how much he has thought about this. Great explanation of pick ups versus microphones.

[@rjj3178]

Excellent video, especially with the inclusion of Alison Chesley. Long live the mighty Verbow!

[@sonikboom007]

Damn the flame on that banjeeee neck is beautiful

[@lucaslutzerler5429]

Thank you Electrical Audio Team! Second video I've seen from you and you've made my day. Thanks for all the info, tips and your humour! I still have tears in my eyes. A thousand thanks 🌺

[@highergrounds8018]

These are such a gift.

[@UdiKoomran]

So much inspiration So much to learn from Mr. Albini Thank you Sir

[@bdmax17]

Fantastic video as always

[@gregdale1066]

Anybody else been playing 100 years and never put 2and 2 together about how the darn thing makes the sound ? Well im that person. I feel dim and enlightened at the same time:)

[@Jordannofun]

Fantastic video. Thank you!

[@myguitardidyermom212]

Albini is a natural teacher, holy cow

[@peterpicker850]

Great video. Brilliant engineer, as always.

[@JClay-lf7nx]

Wow, I never would have thought the polar pattern of the Beyer would make that much difference in minimizing vocal bleed.

[@xfreedwillx]

Yes!!! Please keep making these videos! Thank you

[@simccaffrey]

This is so great! Thanks Steve, EA, et al!

[@adamhenaghan4417]

insane how good the contact mic on the cello sounds

[@Daniel-ec8fj]

te amo steve albini, gracias por estos videos!

[@jeff40177]

Informative and entertaining!

[@davidbadstubner4582]

Best journey Steve. Damn this hurts.

[@yeauld]

I want to see a complete video of Steve Albini index finger pointing at things

[@michaelbrady2465]

I sobered up for this

[@ForTheLoveOfAudio]

This video is a gift. Thank you.

[@dale116dot7]

Very interesting! I really liked how the ribbon worked with the violin. I play upright bass and found a similar mic position to the cello to work quite nicely, or if I need to have less room in the sound, maybe just a bit closer. The guitar mic was the most surprising for how much rejection you got. My ribbon is pretty dark and I haven’t been that happy with it on guitar, but maybe a U89 in figure 8 would be something to try in that spot, though the lav mic is also something I’ll try to add. Thank you very much for putting together this video.

[@chrisknight3734]

This was the best demonstration yet.....thank you

[@coreykeller881]

Make sure if you use painter's tape on the guitar that you take it off immediately after you're done. If it sits for a longer period of time it will adhere stronger. I cant tell you how many times I see people leave painters tape on walls over night then it rips up paint.

[@jazzlehazzle]

Similar to isolation, another good use case for mixing in a little pickups with the mics would be (as long as you have a clean signal) to improve the signal-to-noise ratio, and when mic placement isn't cooperating or there's not enough time for getting that perfect, to round out the fullness of the sound by filling in anything for which the mics aren't perfectly working.

[@DigDugger-hg1xb]

Albini's face when they're all playing together got me laughing

[@FatJesusOMG6911]

I'd love to hear what creative ways you'd record a band with a few mics and a small room

[@JohnBarnicle]

Very informative - thanks!

[@shadowcolorado3668]

Safe and effective

[@Mr_A_Mia]

Love these videos. Thank you guys

[@Soopahmahn]

Thank you Steve!

[@gutekzpoligonu]

Thank You Steve from Poland from Nirvana fan as well. Would be nice to see a "how to record a french Horn" ; )

[@HiggsBosonandtheStrangeCharm]

....another great video......but, does anyone know what make those near field monitors Steve was using there? Thanks in advance........

[@ElectricalAudioOfficial]

The main near fields in both of our studios are B&W Matrix 805s.

[@L.A.W.Studios]

1) Revealing, mystical, exceptional, Shemp. 2) A tip 'o the tip-jar to The Crown (how timely) & a hint to rockers' recordists about the poss/capability off-the-floor offers... live even... ; ^ }

[@icespittingfire]

what was the ambient mic used on the banjo example?

[@jeffsteinhauser3399]

Fantastic, thank you

[@losfeliz3421]

ELECTRICAL AUDIO FUCKING RULES THANK YOU!!!!

[@midnighttutor]

Very well presented. If the goal is to record and play back one's own violin playing at home in a practice setting in order to get an idea of how it actually sounds, would you please suggest something that would be better than an ipad but not break the bank? Thank you.

[@LightsandMotion]

I would have guessed that a 47 would be the perfect cello-mic? A suitable option too perhaps?

[@NoeAnton]

The description of the video is missing something like "Recording Engineer Legend Steve Albini"

[@cellulosefdr]

I like to xy 2 different sdc mics and blend with a fishman preamp...the trick is finding the sweet spot!

[@phon_o_rama2169]

Great video!!!

[@thesundaycarpenter2514]

Hello, I recently stumbled upon this wonderful collection of videos. Thank you all so much for making this. I have a question. Most of the information here is aimed at studio recording. My friend and I are starting to record some videos for KZbin. He plays a Yamaha guitalele and sings. I’m playing a kala bass through a small Hartke amp. We tried recording with just the camera and a SURE camera mic but the bass was barely audible. We have three mics, 2 condenser mics and 1 dynamic mic. I don’t know how we should mic it so that the bass is present. If you have any ideas they’d be very much appreciated. Also, if you ever feel like making a video on how to get started recording in a home setting I’d watch that series every day. Thanks for the great work.

[@wolleyreikivalley]

this is amazing

[@isophase5151]

Haha! Most exquisite ensemble! Thank you! Sorry I skipped the banjo

[@julianpedro3215]

Thank you, muchas gracias!!!

[@horsenamedbird6249]

Try to back that little mic you placed under the banjo head off a bit. Maybe tape it to Taylor’s liver?

[@biggsoft6910]

Hey, great video! The Crown GLM-100 sounds surprisingly even and not so totally different from the Josephson. Do you think that the even-ness of it has to do with it being omnidirectional? I’ve noticed myself that even dynamic omni mics sometimes sound more natural and extended (also not hyped in the low end) but still not really that ”roomy” when placed close as one might think. Related to that, have you used the hypercardioid GLM-200 and are they much different (sounding) apart from the polar pattern?

[@australiaLV]

hilarious ending :D

[@morbidmanmusic]

Great cellist.

[@philipdavies1090]

Anyone know what microphones he was using stuck onto the soundboard on the acoustic guitar?

[@bootlegapples]

Did you try double masking those mics? Miking at 6ft is recommended too..😎

[@Michael777Simmons]

Thank you so much for your contributions to everything lol

[@detroitdabber313]

Still processing this one man. Just unfair.

[@aripent]

I don't quite understand why you would use figure-8 over cardioid on the first example with guitar and vocals. If the null is the top of the mic, wouldn't the positioning and pickup be the same for cardioid, just with less pickup from the rear side?

[@ElectricalAudioOfficial]

No, there is way more rejection from the "top" and "bottom" nulls on a figure-8 mic than on a cardioid.

[@aripent]

@@ElectricalAudioOfficial ahhhh. Thank you for the clarification. Just tried the technique using the "side" nulls and loved the result. Excited to try it with the orientation in the video!

[@moliver_xxii]

hi, thanks for sharing that great knowledge, the guitar+voice demo was impressive! on that subject i have three questions: 1/ how do you deal with the room sound reflecting both sources back into the microphones? 2/ i understand the figure-8 microphone should be 90° relative to the mouth, that being said in that case how do you point it optimally at the guitar (angle, distance and point that the membrane faces)? 3/ how does the diaphragm size matter if it does? PS: for solo guitar i usually point the mic to the fret board around the 12th fret 1' away.

[@ElectricalAudioOfficial]

Hey, not-Steve here, he is unlikely to be able to answer your questions, but I'll try to answer as best I can knowing his methodology and approach fairly well: 1/ Not a concern. Both because room sound is not a bad thing, and because the mics are close enough and the room big enough that the ratio of direct to reflected sound favors the direct widely. 2/ Think of this as a spectrum rather than in absolutes. 90 degrees will have the most rejection, but does not always sound best. So in setting that angle, you may have to balance your need for isolation with getting a better sound from the mic. You can see in the video that the guitar mic is setup at or a little above the low-pitched string on the guitar and angled down towards it, and kinda the inverse with the singer where the mic is angled slightly up towards his mouth to get better rejection of the guitar. Closer will give you better isolation, but you also increase the already substantial proximity effect of the fig-8 mics. 3/ No Yes, I'm (again, I'm not Steve) a fan of 12th fret and neck-body joint miking, as well. It is less boomy than anywhere on the body, and resonances there are less severe.

[@moliver_xxii]

@@ElectricalAudioOfficial thank you so much "not Steve" for explaining the mindset, i think i understand 🙂! i will use that as a starting point to mess around with... for the song i'm working on, once i can play it naturally. first time i do both on record 😀. have a great day 🙂

[@jho2646]

❤

[@OrphanRecordingHX]

Rob ❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@panqarahn3993]

Are these demos recorded to tape too?

[@JamEZmusic86]

If using a lavalier mic on the body of the acoustic instrument, does that mean the room you're recording in shouldn't matter very much at all?

[@brainwasher3742]

A lav is an omni, it will pickup ‘some room’ it’s mainly used for a close up perspective of the instrument that can be blended in to taste.

[@JamEZmusic86]

@@brainwasher3742 The examples were not blended in to taste were they? It was just sound examples of the mics pulled back, and then the lavalier in isolation (solo'd) which I thought sounded good enough for the main track? I have a few lavaliers, I never thought to try them taped to the guitar body. I have had decent recordings wearing the lav mic on my shirt though. I've got a lav mic very similar in shape to the one used in the video, flat, very easy to tape down. I should try it out as soon as I get a bit of time! Cheers for reply!

[@SonicPVC]

phasing/timing differentials between 1100cps and the fundamental two octaves down, A spacing of Pi r² from the point source ... oh it's just my phone spkr

[@vincenzollamas]

"ghost of that clam"

[@nopodemosmas]

Yeah, but what are you gonna wear to the Grammys?

[@eliagrasselli8401]

Genius

[@stolenroars]

Noam Chomsky of music

[@JustFiddler]

bagus sekali ! matur suksma

[@Brokenface]

"Aspiring audio engineer" HA!

[@davidvacco524]

RIP

[@studiokosmische]

Rest in peace Mr Albini. Eternal thanks for sharing all your knowledge with the world. Legend.

[@sevenlines2238]

Thank you guys for maintaining the same DIY ethos and artist-centric code. Offering this information to artists is invaluable and will help to ensure the continuation of this underappreciated art.

[@stevedoesnt]

This is like going into dads garage and asking “what’s that do” then he explains it. I need more like this.

[@ScrambleLynne]

And dad is Steve Albini..

[@robf1557]

:(

[@seasonaldepression840]

And you don't have to hold the flashlight 😂😂😂

[@cameronbrown6292]

Steve is the genius among geniuses. Incalculable loss

[@bdmax17]

I would love to see a video on recording brass and woodwind instruments like sax, trumpet, trombone etc!

[@ElectricalAudioOfficial]

Cool idea!

[@andriealinsangao613]

Yes, please!

[@bennysuts814]

Yes please!

[@god0]

Yes!

[@bobbymehta1006]

Yes, I need flute recording techniques and mics suggestions!. Lately, I've settled on my SM7B for decent smooth capture in my crappy bedroom, out of my limited collection of mics. I really thought my Coles 4038 ribbon would win but it was too dark... MD421, SM57, RE-20 just didn't do it either & unfortunately I don't have a condenser mic. I used to own a Neumann TLM 103 but it just picked up wayyy too much surrounding noise & I sold it. YMMV.

[@unwavery]

lol Steve's glance to the camera after asking "So, an airplane broke your cello? Okay." really kind of is an encapsulation in one second of all I love about this guy's contribution to modern music and recording. RIP. Also fitting that, at time of my comment, it is the "lowest replayed" valley on the scroller.

[@Virdae]

Before they started to play together I thought how funny it would be if they all played their own thing on top of each other. Did not disappoint.

[@MartijnFrazer]

When a Steve Albini video drops, you stop what you're doing and you pay attention. It's that simple.

[@morbidmanmusic]

Speaking for yourself is a great idea.

[@TheEnderBand]

Lmao the shot of steve grinning and nodding maniacally at the cacophony of the instruments all playing different things at once with the slow zoom- I love steve's sense of humor and his personality really comes across in these

[@edgarcortes]

Excellent lesson Steve and a brilliant way to teach! Please keep the lessons, the invited talent and the gags coming. The quality of these videos is better and better each time. Thanks for keeping this content open for everyone.

[@theAdrian86]

the audio of steve sounds like shit in this. its like he has a mask wrapped around the sound source