GordonH

I have quite a bit of recording experience but I am looking for tips about recording trumpet. I am getting overdriving and popping even with the gain turned right down. Would it be better to look at microphone position or would a pop shield help?

Here is an example of the problem:



I feel that moving the microphone further away might change the acoustic timbre.
If it helps I am using a Marshall UXL, USB microphone with a built in attenuator which is set to its most attenuated position.

My previous experience of recording brass instruments is sections with overhead mics which doesn't carry the same problems.

__________________
I used to have a career, now all I do is play Schumann.

Sofus

Gordon!

I only heard a few pops.
It could have something to do with settings and soundcard.
I take it that this was made in Cubase? One nice thing you
could do is to replace the piano with other instruments.
For instance the bass line could be played by a double bass,
and other lines by clarinets, flutes etc. This demands of course
that you have some aditional software instruments . . .

__________________
" There are no secrets to trumpetplaying - except Practice Your Head Off - and that´s no secret! "

Bud Herseth 1977 in Hamar, Norway


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Mouthpiece and Solidarity

GordonH

Its recorded in Audacity but you are right the backings is midi piano. Sometimes I do more complex arrangements. The problem is that the gain was set at 1 and I had the attenuator on maximum. I am using the USB audio codec.

I read today that you can use a kitchen sieve as a pop shield so I am going to try that and see if it helps.

__________________
I used to have a career, now all I do is play Schumann.

Sofus

OK, good!

I remember having some pop problems once, and that it had to
do with settings, but it´s a long time since I worked with Cubase now . . .

Good Luck!!

__________________
" There are no secrets to trumpetplaying - except Practice Your Head Off - and that´s no secret! "

Bud Herseth 1977 in Hamar, Norway


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Mouthpiece and Solidarity

GordonH

This one was recorded after the other one but just using my logitech webcam recording software (same microphone and you can see how far away it was).

__________________
I used to have a career, now all I do is play Schumann.

Sofus

Maybe we use the word "pop" differently?

When I say Pop I mean a short time intervall where nothing is heard at all.
It is so short that it sound just like a pop, and it´s a fraction of a second,
maybe even just a few milliseconds . . .

Another noise that I heard is something I would call a "splatter". That often
occurs when the sound input to the microphone is too big or the signal from
the microphone to the soundcard amplifier is too big. In this case you can get
rid of it by moving away from the microphone or covering it with something, but
like you said, the sound will be different too . . .

By the way: NICE to hear you play!!

__________________
" There are no secrets to trumpetplaying - except Practice Your Head Off - and that´s no secret! "

Bud Herseth 1977 in Hamar, Norway


********************

Mouthpiece and Solidarity

GordonH

Tried a sieve and it didn't make any difference. I think I will look at the sound card settings.

__________________
I used to have a career, now all I do is play Schumann.

Sofus

Ah, OK!

At least you´re eliminating things.
That usually means that you´re getting closer . . .

By the way, I think I saw a youtube clip of you plying Telemann.
Is that correct? What piccolo were you playing?

__________________
" There are no secrets to trumpetplaying - except Practice Your Head Off - and that´s no secret! "

Bud Herseth 1977 in Hamar, Norway


********************

Mouthpiece and Solidarity

rowuk

Gordon,
I can't tell if you are overdriving the mic or your sound card. It sounds to me like the sound card. You only need to reduce the input gain. In Windows that is on the audio control panel in your system settings.

Does your midi program have a setting called "Humanize"? The piano is pretty brutal! The cornet is VERY sweet!

__________________
Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again.