Hello,
I'm working on a song that is primarily uke and vocals. It's played in
a more traditional rock sense with steady chordal down picking on the
ukulele.. I'm just looking for tips on how to track the uke. Is it the
same techniqe as an acoustic guitar? What type of mic etc. etc. It is a
Martin and it really does sound nice when you are playing it, so from
the ears above the instrument it sounds great, just haven't put
anything in front of it. The mics I have are a 421, ev635a, mxl603,
sm57, akgc300b, and some other various oddball mics lying around. I'll
be tracking with a symetrix sx202 into a tascam da38.. The other
question is the instrument seems to be attack without sustain wondering
if there is a mixing trick to "smooth" it out with a bit of compression
etc...
any tips appreciated.
Brian

wrote:

I'm just looking for tips on how to track the uke. Is it the
same techniqe as an acoustic guitar?

The tips are the same as for anything. Put a mic where you think it
sounds good and listen to what you're getting from the mic. If you
don't like it, move the mic and listen somewhere else. If you can't get
what you want, try a different mic.

You have the uke and you have a good assortment of mics. What are you
waiting for? Put an MXL603 up near your ear if that's the way you like
the sound.

The other
question is the instrument seems to be attack without sustain wondering
if there is a mixing trick to "smooth" it out with a bit of compression
etc...

Yeah. Use a classical guitar rather than a uke. Ukes are all about
attack. It's probably what you like about it. But if you're going to be
using it in a mix, maybe it isn't the right instrument. Check with the
producer. g

I'll get to work...I'm gonna stick with the uke and see if I can make
it happen....
Mike Rivers wrote:
wrote:

I'm just looking for tips on how to track the uke. Is it the
same techniqe as an acoustic guitar?

The tips are the same as for anything. Put a mic where you think it
sounds good and listen to what you're getting from the mic. If you
don't like it, move the mic and listen somewhere else. If you can't get
what you want, try a different mic.

You have the uke and you have a good assortment of mics. What are you
waiting for? Put an MXL603 up near your ear if that's the way you like
the sound.

The other
question is the instrument seems to be attack without sustain wondering
if there is a mixing trick to "smooth" it out with a bit of compression
etc...

Yeah. Use a classical guitar rather than a uke. Ukes are all about
attack. It's probably what you like about it. But if you're going to be
using it in a mix, maybe it isn't the right instrument. Check with the
producer. g

skrev i melding
oups.com...
Hello,
I'm working on a song that is primarily uke and vocals. It's played in
a more traditional rock sense with steady chordal down picking on the
ukulele.. I'm just looking for tips on how to track the uke. Is it the
same techniqe as an acoustic guitar? What type of mic etc. etc. It is a
Martin and it really does sound nice when you are playing it, so from
the ears above the instrument it sounds great, just haven't put
anything in front of it. The mics I have are a 421, ev635a, mxl603,
sm57, akgc300b, and some other various oddball mics lying around. I'll
be tracking with a symetrix sx202 into a tascam da38.. The other
question is the instrument seems to be attack without sustain wondering
if there is a mixing trick to "smooth" it out with a bit of compression
etc...
any tips appreciated.
Brian

I think you pretty much answered the question yourself by saying "from the
ears above the instrument sounds great". Well , - put a desent condenser up
there and you should be close to your goal :-) If you also have a great
room to put the player in, you can't go much wrong!

As for compression: Some subtle comression with a short attack time might
smooth things a bit, but as Mike stated, be careful not to remove the
caracter of the instrument!!

Anders Svinndal

I'd probably mic it from out front, but try many things. I'd put up
two mics at a go, since you have 2 channels on the symetrix. You can
then remove performance considerations when comparing the sound of the
mics.

As to sustain and smoothing... The uke is what it is. It'll never be
smooth & sustained. Since you like the sound of it, concentrate on
capturing that. F&^%ing around with compression and other effects will
change the sound, but a uke is a uke. Mandolins have the same 'all
attack, no sustain' characteristic. It's tuned the same as a violin,
but I will never get the mando to sound like a fiddle. I CAN make a
good mando sound like crap, however.

The uke is good, no? You like-a the uke? Record the uke.

-glenn

wrote:
I'm working on a song that is primarily uke and vocals. It's played in
a more traditional rock sense with steady chordal down picking on the
ukulele.. I'm just looking for tips on how to track the uke. Is it the
same techniqe as an acoustic guitar? What type of mic etc. etc. It is a
Martin and it really does sound nice when you are playing it, so from
the ears above the instrument it sounds great, just haven't put
anything in front of it. The mics I have are a 421, ev635a, mxl603,
sm57, akgc300b, and some other various oddball mics lying around. I'll
be tracking with a symetrix sx202 into a tascam da38.. The other
question is the instrument seems to be attack without sustain wondering
if there is a mixing trick to "smooth" it out with a bit of compression
etc...

No, it's supposed to be that way. There's a lot of attack on the note,
but it's not a very sharp attack... it's a very plunky kind of sound.
The 421 should be fine with it... really any dynamic without a big presence
boost should be fine. Don't smooth it out... the player will probably do
much of that himself by strumming it... when it's picked it becomes very
different.
--scott

--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

Thanks for the replies. I auditioned all the mics and went with an ev
635a about 10inches in front facing the where the neck and body
meet..the mic seemed to give the truest (out of what I had available)
representation of the instrument...very cool and I was a victim of
inexperience when I asked about the compression once I heard it back
with nothing on it ..it all made sense. Thanks again,
Brian
Scott Dorsey wrote:
wrote:
I'm working on a song that is primarily uke and vocals. It's played in
a more traditional rock sense with steady chordal down picking on the
ukulele.. I'm just looking for tips on how to track the uke. Is it the
same techniqe as an acoustic guitar? What type of mic etc. etc. It is a
Martin and it really does sound nice when you are playing it, so from
the ears above the instrument it sounds great, just haven't put
anything in front of it. The mics I have are a 421, ev635a, mxl603,
sm57, akgc300b, and some other various oddball mics lying around. I'll
be tracking with a symetrix sx202 into a tascam da38.. The other
question is the instrument seems to be attack without sustain wondering
if there is a mixing trick to "smooth" it out with a bit of compression
etc...

No, it's supposed to be that way. There's a lot of attack on the note,
but it's not a very sharp attack... it's a very plunky kind of sound.
The 421 should be fine with it... really any dynamic without a big presence
boost should be fine. Don't smooth it out... the player will probably do
much of that himself by strumming it... when it's picked it becomes very
different.
--scott

--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

wrote:
Thanks for the replies. I auditioned all the mics and went with an ev
635a about 10inches in front facing the where the neck and body
meet..the mic seemed to give the truest (out of what I had available)
representation of the instrument...very cool and I was a victim of
inexperience when I asked about the compression once I heard it back
with nothing on it ..it all made sense. Thanks again,

Now it's time to listen to some Alfred Apaka records. Notice how the
whole arrangement is built around the vocals, but how the uke fits right
into the vocals without interfering most of the time. But then, occasionally
the uke comes way forward for a solo and when it's a solo, it's played
differently to make it stand out.
--scott

--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."