Eric Hansen wrote:

Hi guys,
I will be recording a Flamenco guitarist on Wednesday. I did a test session
with him on Friday and ran into a large problem.

Traditional Flamenco technique can be very dynamic on the guitar. There are
moments when the player can strike the body of the guitar with their index
finger right before strumming a chord. Its an awesome sounding technique
(like a gun shot) but next to impossible to avoid digital overs when
recording.

Have you tried reducing the record volume?

I asked him to tame it back a little

You shouldn't have. You have 96 dB dynamic range. More if you do 24 bit.

and the technique lost the effect

Ask him to do as he usually does, that will be what sounds best and
gives the best musical results.

but still peaked hard.

That's flamenco, and that's guitar. They are difficult to record.

I tried micing him much farther away but the
sound suffered too much and still peaked more often than not.

There are a few undeefined variables: recorder, digital bit resolution
available, mic(s), mic placement.

How do I maintain a good level while avoiding digital overs on such an
explosive technique that is performed on a relatively quiet instrument?

Reduce record level. A "good level" is one that is not clipped. You
should worry about recording when you record. The dynamic range of a
guitar is not an error to fix, it is a property of the instrument.

Limiting or compressing while tracking?

Absolutely not. It would be incompetent. It would also be incompentent -
in my opinion - not to convey the sonic shock force of a quality guitar
to the listener.

Better mic pre with more headroom?

Better than what mic pre? - also the mic pre is not responsible for
"digital overs", incorrect gain or record level settings are. I tend to
reduce record level during the sound test - if any - until there is no
overload, and then to leave it set for the duration of the concert. Turn
down as required and leave it be.

Thanks,

Conveying a percussive performance to the end listener can require wise
scaling of what goes on, but certainly not brute force kludging during
recording.

The additional headroom in 24 bit technology may be most pleasant to
have available during recordings like the one in question. Chamber type
setups tend to have a large potential dynamic range.

Eric


Kind regards

Peter Larsen


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