Thanks a lot! That's really helpful. This obviously means one has to have top quality gear and a big experience in positioning mics and setting all the thing in order to sound just natural, which explains quite a lot why it's so expensive to record in a professional studio. However thinking in a budget way (even if our equipment allows for 88.2/24) I wonder if there are ways of correcting (by EQ ?)already amateurish recordings, mainly problems that are caused by cheaper mics like metallic or hissing sound quality (very common!).
JL -----Original Message----- From: David Tayler [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Saturday, March 15, 2008 9:26 PM To: lute-cs.dartmouth.edu Subject: [LUTE] Re: Amateur recordings Absolutely, yes, it is better to have more bits. I'm just saying the primary advantage, one of many, for the 24 bits is the depth of the sound and the easy volume changes. When presented with the long list of choices, unless disk space is really an issue, you are looking at 44/24 for CD, 48/24 everything else including MP3, MP4 output. You can certainly use 44.1 for MP3 if your software/reverb package is set up for it--and some are optimized for it. And you can experiment with 88.2/24, 96/24 if you wish! Or 192/24..... Most effects are not optimized for higher sampling sampling rates, but are optimized for higher bit depths. The main issue with lute recordings is the gain and the mic/converter sound. And how to make an edit. On the lute, you can basically edit on every note. And some people do! The workflow is important--don't start in 48 and convert to 44.1 for CD, or start in 44.1 and convert to 48 for video. Don't put dither on top of dither (the most common mistake). I mainly use mics for EQ so that is less of a consideration, but some people use eq a lot. I think most ppl use too much compression and it makes the sound worse-- Use manual compression with crossfades and 24 bit gain! That is the real secret. Most recordings I make really have either minimal or zero effects processing--but if something needs fixing, I want to have that option. And it's all in 24 bit for the gain & resolution issues. And if recording at home, you will need some kind of effects to take the edge off. So here you have to be practical and decide if it sounds better or just looks better. And when auditioning gear you have to have a friend set it up, so you don't know what is what :) Never record in less than 24 bits, for whatever reason you like! You can always trim the extra bits, but not the other way. Mainly, recordings invariably have One Big Mistake. For example you have a really fine firewire interface, Canare Starquad or Mogami cable, quiet studio, great lute. excellent performance, and a budget mic that the salesperson strongly recommended. Sennheiser shock mounts. But the mic was made in China for $7, the Megastore bought it for $45 and it sold for $200. And the recording sounded bright and hissy....... And just try to get someone to part with their $7 mic. Or you have a nice mic and a ten dollar cable, and the recording has a buzz on it or a local radio station. Or you have the most expensive equipment in the world and the phase is reversed. Or the mic is too close and there is a lot of bass boom & finger noise. Hey it is really hard to make a good lute recording, why else would they have a thousand edits in them? People rarely use 88.2 even though it is better for CD mastering. (assuming the converters are optimized properly--not always the case!) Higher sampling rates, these can sound better if handled correctly, but can easily sound worse. But, absolutely, yes, it is better to have more bits. And in video, always use high definition, even if the end result is youtube. I suspect in a few years you will be able to get a really good flash recorder for under $100---and they really are very cool. dt __________ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus signature database 2949 (20080315) __________ The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus. http://www.eset.com To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
