[microsound] project: microacoustic pt2

[Justin Glenn Smith]

The Blue Note recordings were done on outdated equipment with far from a flat frequency response. To get that sound today you would use some kind of preamp or processor, modern equipment is too accurate in general and would sound overly harsh without some processing.

David Powers wrote:
> I don't know, all the classic Blue Note records were two mics straight
> to tape. I don't think they sound "lo-fi" per se. So, I think that you
> don't need a large amount of pre or post processing. And honestly, I
> don't think eq and compression as pre (as opposed to post) processing
> is a good idea for acoustic music personally, unless you really know
> what you are doing. When an engineer tried to do that on my last
> recording, he almost ruined the drums trying to give it "character".
> My friend who mixed it down couldn't understand why he didn't just
> record it clean...
> 
> Now your point about the acoustic space and the mic placement is well
> taken. However, the space is a consideration in all acoustic music,
> not just recorded music, and mic placement to some extent is
> equivalent to the position of the spectator at a performance. So the
> only question is that of the mics themselves, which for most of us
> probably comes down to, "use what you've got." I personally will have
> to borrow one.
> 
> ~David
> 
> On Wed, Dec 16, 2009 at 4:04 PM, Justin Glenn Smith
> <noisesmith at gmail.com> wrote:
>> Adam Davis wrote:
>>>  Question: Are autopan, gate and downsampling acceptable forms of processing
>>> for this project?
>>>
>>>
>> Good point. Also, what about selecting a mic or sound card to record with specifically for the way it colors the sound? Overpowering the mic? A mic with a damaged membrane? Moving a powerful magnet near the mic cable while recording? Recording in spaces with unusual or "unnatural" resonant characteristics? Unconventional mic placement? Recording without equalization or compression? Failure to record in an acoustically dead space and use the typical measure of electronic reverb?
>>
>> I think the standard set of rules for recording of "acoustic" music state that pre or post processing that makes the sound seem cleaner or more natural is obligatory. Absence of processing typically gives you the "low fi" sound, which is just another genre of hybrid electronic music. It's kind of like how you don't look a real live human on TV unless you have a solid pancake of makeup on your face.
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