Adding character to acoustic guitar in electronic music

btswire · Post by **btswire** » Fri May 29, 2009 9:23 pm

I'm working on some electronic music pieces that contain finger-picking acoustic guitar, and fear that the guitar might sound a bit on the cheesy side given the context of the music. I guess you could say the style is kind of similar to some of the Radiohead Kid A tracks. Any suggestions for ways to add character and de-cheesify? I'm thinking maybe some stereo reamping, panned hard L/R and mixed in with the original signal. Any thoughts?

Babaluma · Post by **Babaluma** » Fri May 29, 2009 9:44 pm

i think if you're worried about "cheesiness", that's more to do with what notes are played and how it's played, rather than being inherent in the sound of the acoustic guitar itself.

i've used both acoustic and electric guitar in electronic pieces before. in those cases i will often use more post processing and effects (compression, eq, delay, chorus, reverb, reamping, adt etc.), than i would if i was recording a folk duo, for example.

a great example of non-cheesy acoustic guitar in electronic ambient music can be found on amorphous androgynous's "mountain goat" track, and the shamen's "xochipili's return".

BenjaminWells · Post by **BenjaminWells** » Fri May 29, 2009 9:55 pm

I like the sound of a classical guitar with nylon strings finger picked against an electronic, rhythmic bed. I also like to have a performance tracked several different ways at the same time: mic 1/3 up the fretboard, mic on the sound hole, two separate pickups one D.I.ed all to separate tracks... mix & pan to taste. Once you get a great sound that can stand on it's own, you can re-amp however you want and mix that in, then play with the automation of the panning, compression or sweeping of any of the individual elements, or two or more together via a bus. The possibilities are endless and really fun to play around with.

Another common trick in electronic music is to side chain the compressor on the bass with the signal from the kick. Well, you can side chain the guitar with the signal from the kick. Or, any combination... If the guitar isn't sitting in the mix, what's it competing with? Gently side chain it off of that.

Lastly, if a guitar track sounds cheesy on it's own, but the bed is not cheesy. Put it on and give it space. Chances are it might sound good. The human ear likes contrasting musical elements juxtaposed to one another.

Babaluma · Post by **Babaluma** » Fri May 29, 2009 10:34 pm

good ideas benjamin!

i recently tracked a rhythm guitar part three times. firstly with a condenser near the 12th fret of an acoustic. secondly with the same condenser near the 12th fret of an electric. thirdly i recorded the electric again with a d.i. then reamped that through a fender champ, recorded with a tube mic into pre into a chandler germanium compressor.

later i chose the reamped track for the centre image, and the two acoustically recorded tracks left and right. both of these last two were treated to adt. all tracks were also eq'd quite heavily (mainly to get rid of low frequency buildup).

the sum effect of three separate recordings, all recorded in a completely different way, and then effected differently, was a huge, lovely wall of guitar sound!

like you say, loads of fun to play around with!

JGriffin · Post by **JGriffin** » Fri May 29, 2009 11:26 pm

maybe cut it up, trim the envelopes, create stutters etc. so it sounds like it's part of the electronic world. I've heard Mirwais and Garmarna use this trick.

nordberg · Post by **nordberg** » Sat May 30, 2009 3:13 am

listen to any air record. that should help.

BenjaminWells · Post by **BenjaminWells** » Sat May 30, 2009 7:23 am

+1 Air
also, Zero 7. Their track "Destiny" off of their album Simple Things is a great example-
off of the same album "Salt Water Sound" is another.

DrummerMan · Post by **DrummerMan** » Sat May 30, 2009 9:53 am

My first thought in a situation like this (if I understand what you mean by "cheesy") would be to go for as simple and plain a sound for the acoustic as possible. No chorus, definitely NO reverb, no double tracking. Maybe record it in a non treated, wood-floored, room with a combo of close and distant mics so it's got the sound of being "an instrument in a place", so rather than being something that interacts with everything else in a mix, have it stand kind of on it's own more.

Just a thought.

drumsound · Post by **drumsound** » Sat May 30, 2009 10:00 am

So many simple and effective idea come to mind conceptually.
-dynamic mic, tons of obvious compression.
-odd mic placement
-FILTER!
-backward reverb
-backward track
-delay
-oing pong delay
-effects
-more effects
-make it really loud

Stevil · Post by **Stevil** » Mon Jun 01, 2009 1:01 pm

+1 Delay
Also sometimes a nice flavor of grit helps acoustic instruments blend well with the electronics.

see:
Skinny Puppy - Jaher
Underworld - Banstyle Sappys Curry, Blueski

mvollrath · Post by **mvollrath** » Mon Jun 01, 2009 3:37 pm

Classical guitars are great for this. Track in a dead room.

Make the ambience on the guitar either non-existent or as unrealistic as possible. One of the fundamentals of electronic music (imo) is that there is no realistic acoustic space on the other side of the speaker when you listen to it.

Bill @ Irie Lab · Post by **Bill @ Irie Lab** » Mon Jun 01, 2009 8:31 pm

Food for thought.

genre is not my forte, but if recording on DAW I'd try a swept resonant filter automated to follow scale tones.

or ... the player covered in a lawn bag spun on a bar stool.

time for bed!

Bill

Message Board

Adding character to acoustic guitar in electronic music

Adding character to acoustic guitar in electronic music

de Cheesify

Zero 7

Who is online