How to Record a Singer-Songwriter: Part 3

Neumann & award-winning filmmaker Geert Verdickt show you how to record a singer-songwriter with multipattern microphones.
Presentation, Concept, Art Direction: Geert Verdickt
Script: Alphonse Gustafson
Guitar & Vocals: Joachim Rust
D.o.p.: Igor Gaasbeek
Camera Assistant: Toon Persyn
Sound Engineer: Reinhoud Maes
Motion Graphics Designer: Axeli Virtanen
Recording Engineer: Sebastian Schmitz (Portfolio Manager Microphones / Neumann)
Mix Engineer: Alphonse Gustafson
Location: Watt Matters Studio, Bielefeld/Germany
More: www.neumann.com/en-en/homestu...
#neumann
#homestudio
#homerecording

[@matthewdamico1030]

Geert gets the award for greatest tutorial videos of all time

[@MuscleEire]

Sure does

[@PhilipBowenMusic]

So simple to understand, but also incredibly informative

[@kadragepictures]

100% agree

[@claudiusweson]

Wow. Perfect clap timing at 5:43! 😄

[@RenatoCachina]

I love these Geert Verdickt produced videos... sophisticated and informative with impeccable timing in his presentation. Looking forward to next one...

[@GeorgNeumannGmbH]

Thank you! 😊

[@philburns5656]

Yes, and a very sympathic guy. A pleasure to watch.

[@markgoslett6334]

Please don't stop making these videos. They're just awesome. Thanks so much

[@GeorgNeumannGmbH]

Thanks, Mark! That means a lot to. We have more videos in the pipeline 😉 .

[@Espresso101]

Absolutely loved it, thought i had seen every how to video on recording singer songwriters, including from Grammy winning producers and this last one is a technique I've yet to see and is absolutely my favorite one. Can't wait to try this out.

[@PhilipBowenMusic]

agree, SUPER helpful

[@danielmiller5521]

Tried it with two 414s, perfect. I can finally do both at the same time. Amazing technique.

[@officialWWM]

Agree. Only problem is, you need 2 or 3 very expensive microphones to do it :/

[@matthewleger5605]

Production quality here is in its own league. Very, very helpful, strangely entertaining to watch. Thank you.

[@SuperToastytoast]

Always so impressed that all these videos are recorded in 1 take. Bravo

[@DOENERUSCHI]

The whole Home Studio Academy series is just fantastic. Thank you so much for this! Feeling great to have supported this by buying my TLM 103 :D

[@GeorgNeumannGmbH]

We are happy to help! 🙂

[@ManuBalasree]

The joy of creating. Such an awesome tutorial by Geert.

[@purityo1]

Seriously great tutorials, amazing sounding mic of course.

[@aterix]

Best tutorials I've ever seen. So clear, succinct and nice to listen to.

[@yacinebelamiri5746]

those videos are just a pleasure to watch, and very informative :D

[@Philomate]

Man, those series are really really awesome

[@willischirwa3992]

I learnt so incredibly much from u guys Thank you so much for the great work

[@NicomausKaas]

perfect. exactly what i was looking for, thank you!!

[@katukavo]

Amazing Tutorial, The sound of this TLM 107 is fantastic. TY!👍👍

[@philburns5656]

Phantastic separation. Phantastic sound.

[@thedrunkenfish5855]

Still in love with that room !

[@thaexception3406]

Learned something! My TLM 107 will be here tomorrow! Informative and great production like usual.

[@randyconcepcion3897]

As a singer guitarist for many years, I still have yet to learn more. Thank you for this video.

[@felipewozniak]

Top notch. Sooo different from most of the videos we see around. Great, great quality.

[@GeorgNeumannGmbH]

Thank you for the feedback 🙂

[@peterrogan1548]

Wow! Great video! Thanks!!!

[@cassionmoura]

Thanks for your great videos and always valuable information!

[@demon-ll9eg]

wow, love the singer

[@CamMacMastermusic]

These are the most instructional and informational videos I’ve ever seen ! Kudos !! Thanks 🙏

[@GeorgNeumannGmbH]

Thank you 😊

[@ToborDixon]

The very best tutorials I have ever seen.

[@SongSecretsMomNeverTaughtYou]

Something I always thought of experimenting with would be three figure 8 mics, two of them configured for a mid-side or blumlein pair pointing towards the guitar, and the remaining mic towards the vocal. If the mics were small enough to not have too much space between them, perhaps phasing could be avoided while having the flexibility for a wider stereo sounding guitar that could be adjusted in the mix!

[@ashcreekstudios]

Well done! Thanks a lot, Roger👍👍👍

[@EDDYMAT]

Drei Stars ein einem Video! Neumann Micros (hier Luxusklasse) und das Presentationsteam & der Musiker Namens J. Rust, gratuliere und Respekt.

[@traegermethod3802]

Great mics, video and performance. Thank you. My new dream is to record with Geert

[@sharpen-up]

Outstanding

[@MuscleEire]

Great tutorial!!

[@ianschofield7749]

Thanks, I have been waiting for this

[@MuscleEire]

As have i

[@ianschofield7749]

@@MuscleEire really good series, learnt so much from all the videos

[@GestattenWinnetou]

Guy‘s killin on the guitar. But I freakin love every video of them.

[@Rolf74]

Super valuable!

[@scottschmittmusic]

Thank you always wondered what those switched did

[@vonotebook]

Amazing tips thanks a lot ! ;)

[@billhallsongs]

Wonderful tutorials. Thank you Georg. Would you consider a tuturial in recording a singer/songwriter in a true stereo configuration such as XY. with two cardiods? Thanks Georg .

[@graham287]

Never learned so much in such a short space in time. Easy to follow and so informative. Will be recommending to all my contacts. Nice one.

[@GeorgNeumannGmbH]

Thank you so much!

[@user-uj6yu1jk2b]

@@GeorgNeumannGmbH what is best tlm 49 or 107 for male vocal?

[@reedmckenzie]

Thank you for another fantastic video. It's currently midnight where I live; I anticipate dragging three TLM 107 microphones in and out of an online shopping cart for the next half hour before finally coming to accept my spouse wouldn't approve the purchase....

[@viralpandey1720]

If you could mention a little bit more about the gear used like the interface , pre amps, guitar model, in the description that would be really helpful. Thank you for such excellent quality tutorials.

[@ivoleary6332]

Great guy! The dance is the best

[@TheSeanpatrickobrien]

yeaa hahaha i need him dancing like that when i'm recording!

[@HannaPK]

Thanks for this video. Super helpful. I wonder if this can be applied to a situation where a person sings and plays the grand piano at the same time.... It's very hard to find any video on that particular situation.

[@Hbabyface81]

This tutorials are gold five ⭐️

[@farid1280]

Appreciated, it could be useful if you made a comparison between figure 8 and cardiod pattern in the position showed in this nice tutorial. However, good job.

[@rossmcculloch187]

These videos are the best I’ve seen… awesome 👏 wish I could afford your most affordable multi patterned condenser the TLM 107 😳

[@rothconrad5428]

awesome. yes.

[@subhadeepdas3944]

Quality .. Bliss !!

[@CubiBenitez]

i like how he dances, hahaha...great!

[@antoinerinie]

Excellent content

[@freddyslash96]

Oh, and nice home by the way!

[@simonleonp]

wow mate!

[@georgyj111111]

Great!

[@mrchops4099]

Cool!!!

[@rjsclick4551]

Hi, thanks for the detailed explanation. I have a doubt. Can this be achievable with two Hypercardioid microphone with 90 degree approach?? Thank you

[@sonicsaviouryouwillnotgetm6678]

sehr cool

[@landersax]

Hallo, ich lebe in Brasilien. Ich habe einen Neumann. Ich wollte wissen, wie man das Saxophon am besten mit einem Neumann 102 TLM aufzeichnet. Distnacia, Position. Könnte der Herr mir helfen? Ich habe auf deinem Kanal kein Video darüber gefunden. Vielen Dank.

[@GeorgNeumannGmbH]

Hi! Am besten positioniert man das Mikrofon 20-50 cm entfernt vom Trichter, je nachdem wie direkt man den Sound haben möchte. Vorzugsweise aber nicht direkt in den Trichter gerichtet, sondern auf die Mitte zwischen Trichter und Klappen, da der Klang ja aus beidem rauskommt, je nach gespielter Note.

[@landersax]

@@GeorgNeumannGmbH Danke dir. Deshalb bist du so erfolgreich. Antworte mir. Du kennst mich nicht mal. Vielen Dank. Ich werde diesen Tipp verwenden. Ich finde deine Videos großartig. Erhalten Sie meine Grüße hier aus Brasilien.

[@JRandallS]

Great stuff. I am a little surprised you did not include the use of dis-similar mics, say the 107 for vocals and a KM184 at the 12th fret of the guitar. The 184 seems to be the mic of choice for most acoustic guitars in the US.

[@DanielS10291]

Km184 cant be used in figure of 8 which i think is used in the 3 mic set up

[@JRandallS]

@@DanielS10291 I've seen it done as an X with a third mic farther back on the three mic setup. I prefer just one mic at the 12th fret or so.

[@caughtinbetween9039]

What would be the best 3-mic configuration for cardioid-only mics?

[@maxhammer4067]

could you show the setup for 1 u87 and 2 km185s, a few years ago I went in blind and bought them. with no recording knolage, lol still trying to learn

[@semyondragunov]

Даже не знал, о таком способе. Круто! Классные видео! Подарите 107 )))

[@jsasa5668]

Hard to not be sold on the guitar and the TLM107s. Great tutorial! Question: would there be phase issues (with the two other TLM107s) if the vocal mic was closer to him and in cardioid, say a TLM67 or similar?

[@GeorgNeumannGmbH]

Hi there! With all three microphones more or less in the same spot, the phase alignment is as best as possible. Using figure-8 patterns makes it possible to work with wider distances to the guitar and singer, thus allowing the performer more freedom of movement without affecting the consistency of the recorded sound. Using a cardioid microphone at a closer distance is possible, but this would be more similar to the setup in Video 2 with two KMS 105 microphones (which are supercardioid). The phase alignment between the vocal and the guitar microphone(s) is less perfect. But with the microphones closer to the sound source, the less-than-perfect phase alignment is not quite as important. So, you can still get good results that way. The real downside of using a cardioid microphone at closer distance is that the performer must be careful not to move.

[@toddmichaelbradt624]

Really incredible, informative video. Can you share approx how far the vocal mic is from his mouth? Thanks!

[@GeorgNeumannGmbH]

Hi Todd, we didn't put the mics too close to the singer (as you can see) to capture a little bit of the room as well (approx. 20-25 cm). Of course, that's up to you. Experiment a little with the distances!

[@CreationQuestions]

Do you have a tutorial for piano 🎹 and voice? Or does this work the same? Sorry for my ignorance.

[@achalyadav8670]

Great video. Never heard of a phased pair setup though, and there seems to be no info about it online either.

[@GeorgNeumannGmbH]

Thank you for the feedback🙂

[@fredrikhesselvik9019]

Spaced pair I believe it’s commonly called. But phase comes into it too…….

[@blaubar]

How good does that work with cardioid mics, A(x)-B stereo for the instrument, y for the voice in the middle?

[@StarOasis26]

Nice, one question. Did you pan the stereo image on the guitar left to right?

[@buggzo]

Im watching this video while taking a poop and now I feel like one of those Charmin bears in the commercial

[@changchikang5603]

Great and comprehensive instruction! May I ask which model of mic stand do you recommend?

[@GeorgNeumannGmbH]

Hi there! We can recommend the professional models from K&M. Important with large-diaphragm microphones is a heavy foot, if you have them on the long boom.

[@jasonmusic9938]

so for the faulkner technique, do you pan the two microphones then?

[@TheOnlineBusker]

This seems a nice position for the mics, but why do they have to be fig. 8? Aren’t you then picking up the room too? Isn’t it better with normal cardioid for home studios, that are usually untreated and don’t sound great....? I’m gonna try this position with 2 large diaphragm condensers that are just cardioid and see.... thanks!

[@jakelucasmusic]

Thank you ❤ Are you panning that stereo pair on the acoustic?

[@GeorgNeumannGmbH]

Hello there! Yes, the two guitar mics are panned hard left / right.😊

[@jaguarchua]

​ @Georg Neumann GmbH Hi! excellent presentation. Question: I am a jazz/ standard singer which genre includes the likes of Sinatra, Mathis, Buble & Connick, which from these Neumanns TLM (103, 107 or 49) would you best recommend for me? & pls include the 2nd best amongst them. Thank you

[@GeorgNeumannGmbH]

Hi, you can directly compare our microphones in our Microphone Finder with the 'compare' function. Check it out here: en-de.neumann.com/microphones. If you can, try them out yourself to see what works best for your individual project. In addition, corresponding sound samples for many situation are provided In our video tutorials on KZbin, feel free to check them out here: kzbin.info.

[@user-uj6yu1jk2b]

have you worked with tlm 49, how does it compare to 107, how do you like 107?

[@neilanderson9151]

Instead of using two stands, does a boom arm exist that will accommodate two shockmounts in this figure 8 configuration? This two stand method works, but it’s a process to set them up just perfectly. Wish I could move mine around as one integrated whole, as much as I use it.

[@GeorgNeumannGmbH]

Hi Neil, Yes, that fits. In the video we say: 20 cm distance. The double mount in the link is 17.5 cm long. If you then turn the shock mounts a bit to the outside and then align the mics to the front again anyway, you get exactly the 20 cm. Or you buy a longer stereo rail. What you need then, of course, is a solid tripod!

[@neilanderson9151]

@@GeorgNeumannGmbH great thanks.

[@danielmiller5521]

I’ve simultaneously recorded guitar and vocals with varying degrees success until this technique. Used 414s. Takes reverb really well too! Working to get an 87! Would love use that for vocals and the 414s on guitar. Thanks again, hugely helpful!

[@maxhammer4067]

could you do this technique with 1 u87 and 2 km184?

[@danielmiller5521]

@@maxhammer4067 You need two mics in figure 8. 184s are cardioid. So you need another mic with figure 8.

[@maxhammer4067]

@@danielmiller5521 But what would happen if you did it this way with that mic setup would it work, or would you get phace problems

[@GeorgNeumannGmbH]

Hi Max! No, it only works with all three mics set to figure-8. Otherwise the cancellation will not work. The 2 x KM 184 would hear much more of the voice and thus the main advantage of this setup would be gone. With 3 x U 87 it would work again.

[@maxhammer4067]

@@GeorgNeumannGmbH What setup would you recommend for 1 u87ai and 2 mk184, would you just use 1 of the mk184 or would you use them both

[@neilanderson9151]

I like both these guys. Great video. What’s the preamp used?

[@GeorgNeumannGmbH]

Hi Neil, all mics presented in our videos have been recorded with the same high-quality preamp / AD-converter combination, known for its clear and neutral sound character. And to let you hear the sound of the mics only, no post processing is applied.

[@neilanderson9151]

@@GeorgNeumannGmbH Thanks. I am guessing it just might be a Neumann pre :)

[@larrycom]

Was there EQ applied to the acoustic and voice?

[@philbillie]

I assume the mics are panned to the center when only the two are in use. How is the panning handled once the third mic is brought in?

[@GeorgNeumannGmbH]

Hi Phillip, the vocal mic is in the center, of course. The two guitar mics are panned hard left/right. The phased array configuration (two figure-8 mics, 20 cm apart), invented the British recording engineer Tony Faulkner, produces a natural stereo image all by itself.

[@Jgbaileymusic]

Groovy baby

[@YavorVelchev]

What guitar is this?

[@suswamashimom6102]

Would you please send me the chords and picking pattern for the song in the tutorial?

[@jorgeneri]

Well, I got a tlm 103 and a kms 105, but I'd buy 3 of the 107 if I could.

[@Sibisi]

May you please show your signal chain? Thank you.

[@GeorgNeumannGmbH]

Hi there! As with the other videos before, we have used a "state of the art preamp" with a very neutral sound from a reputable manufacturer. And to make it comparable, we used the same one for all mics, of course. Furthermore, no EQs or compression was applied.

[@YavorVelchev]

@@GeorgNeumannGmbH could you please let us know what the guitar is, please?

[@aditya007rockstar]

Why does the secondary parallel mic need to be figure 8?

[@GeorgNeumannGmbH]

Hi! The stereo image can only sound good when the microphones used are identical.

[@aditya007rockstar]

Georg Neumann GmbH Thank you :)

[@JGSongsYT]

brilliant video, but you know something's up when someone says "most affordable." (@2:00) If only this video came with a voucher for £3,000 worth of Neumann mics!

[@user-un1ek6om8z]

Why not provide Chinese subtitles version pleas～

[@GeorgNeumannGmbH]

Hi there! Thank you for your feedback. We'll look into the option of providing subtitled versions!

[@danfredrick8252]

Should teach dance as well

[@oldbootband]

i think you just sold me on 3 tlm107's

[@lyneicehaynes4922]

I only have a android phone with Ez Voice.

[@officialWWM]

Looks like I’m going to have to buy some more expensive microphones :/

[@otschie]

Und diese serie ist ein how to make a company look good...

[@Oberkobold]

2:12 I wouldn't really call a 1000+€ microphone affordable

[@pieceofdebri]

"most affordable" haha

[@jasper_north]

Nederlands?

[@b4uloveme]

I feel the singer is as good as Keith Urban

[@BrockBarr]

Excuse me while I just go and buy 15 grand worth of microphones. Lol

[@neilanderson9151]

That’ll be only $4200 :)

[@trevorbarrett6762]

As a singer songwriter, I'm always looking for better recording methods. Check out my latest post Isolation and please give me some feedback! Thanks for your amazing videos!

[@columbiajones1534]

Sooooo corny. But still a great video.

[@LonskiBig]

.........It's $1400.......get real....!!

[@luiscarlosobandolopez3530]

Just need the money for 3 TLMs107s LOL amazing video. Hope one day to buy at least one or two.

[@DuncanEduardo]

Try to show how to place a pair of KM184s together with, say, a TLM107 on vocals. This is also more realistic form a budget perspective.

[@GeorgNeumannGmbH]

Thank you for the suggestion. We have forwarded it to our Home Studio Academy team😊