Wetter on record

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Drone
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Wetter on record

Post by Drone » Sat Dec 10, 2016 3:54 pm

Don't know if this would be a recording or a gear technique.

I record my own band (duo) playing, and I find my effects always sound wetter on the recording than they do at the time I'm playing. Normally that's OK, I run a separate dry signal, and mix it in, but (and it is a big but) right now we're practicing somewhere else and recording on a single channel handy recorder.

So has anyone else experienced this? Where the effects seem quiet in real life, but real loud on a recording. Any workarounds? All I can think of is maybe running a small 100% wet amp and sticking it next to my head, but it's not like we play at deafening levels or anything.
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A.David.MacKinnon
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Post by A.David.MacKinnon » Sat Dec 10, 2016 5:39 pm

Always. Same goes with fuzz/distortion/overdrive. What seems fine live is usually too much on record. It comes down to perception while you're playing and possibly the live listening environment. You just don't perceive it the same way as when you're listening to playback.

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Post by vvv » Sun Dec 11, 2016 8:23 am

+1.

Sometimes, in order to check effect levels, it can help to ...


... hold on, ...


... it's gonna suck, ...


... turn down.
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Drone
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Post by Drone » Sun Dec 11, 2016 10:54 am

So it sounds OK live? That was my second worry.

Vvv, the effect or the amp? The amp was between about 2&3, the effect was max'd and that seemed too little.
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Post by floid » Sun Dec 11, 2016 11:41 am

I wonder if part of this is b/c while you're playing part of your brain is occupied with an internal representation of the the part, so your mental mix bus has a DI signal the rest of the world doesn't?
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Drone
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Post by Drone » Sun Dec 11, 2016 12:58 pm

Wouldn't that mean I needed less effect? Or you mean my internal DI is overriding he wet signal, so I crank it more, hmmm.

Glad to hear it's not just me though, I thought perhaps I had some kind of block
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Post by vvv » Sun Dec 11, 2016 1:31 pm

I meant, turn down the volume, at least to check the effect level.

When listening in the room, you are getting aural info the mic is not, which places the sound in a different context.

Turn the amp down, and get close so that you hear only the amp, not the room - think like it's a near-field monitor.

That said, if you are volume level=2-3, but effect level=10, you might try recording a song at EL=5, or EL=3, and checking playback for the sweet spot.

I'll note that you might be able to start to calculate it as follows based on yer prior recordings:
assuming the DI track and mic track were each the same RMs (ruffly, "average") level;
assuming you used 50% of each track at mixdown;
cut the effect level 50%, etc.
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Drone
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Post by Drone » Sun Dec 11, 2016 4:42 pm

Well whereas when we record at my spot, a lot of recording makes it to final release (we're kinda one take wonders aka we never play it the same again), on the handy recorder I'm not so likely to release it, so it was more a why does this happen type thing.

Though I might see if I can figure out a 100% wet little amp, so I can play against the effect, but turn it down in the main amp, not quite sure how I'd achieve that without involving a mixer and my full setup, which I'm trying to avoid moving.
The previous statement is from a guy who records his own, and other projects for fun. No money is made.

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